The new BMW M5 (fuel consumption combined: 10.5 l/100 km
[26.9 mpg imp]*; CO2 emissions combined: 241 g/km*) takes BMW M GmbH
into new territory, with M xDrive all-wheel drive featuring in the
high-performance sedan for the first time. This change of tack sees
the M5 exploring new dynamic dimensions and offering greater everyday
practicality in all driving conditions. The new car is committed to
building on the tradition of a concept – the luxurious four-door
business sedan with a taste for the race track – first glimpsed in
1984 with the original BMW M5.
The new M xDrive developed by BMW M GmbH is the most emotionally
engaging all-wheel-drive system yet to grace the high-performance
segment. It works with a central transfer case with multi-plate clutch
and distributes drive fully variably between the front and rear axle,
as required. Another ingredient in the car’s supreme traction in all
road and weather conditions is the Active M Differential at the rear
axle, which also works fully variably and has a locking effect between
0 and 100 per cent.
The character of M xDrive can be adjusted as desired. The driver has
five different configurations to choose from based on combinations of
the DSC modes (DSC on, MDM, DSC off) and M xDrive modes (4WD, 4WD
Sport, 2WD). In the basic setting with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control)
activated and 4WD, the system permits slight slip through the rear
wheels when accelerating out of corners – and therefore plays its part
in giving the new BMW M5 its sporting agility. In M Dynamic mode (MDM,
4WD Sport) M xDrive allows easily controlled drifts. The three
M xDrive modes with DSC switched off have been conceived to sate the
appetites of keen drivers and primarily for use on the track. Here,
the driver can choose from three configurations up to and including
pure rear-wheel drive (2WD). This mode allows the driver to pick their
own drift angle and treats connoisseurs to driving dynamics in their
purest form.
Providing ample power for the new BMW M5 is a 4.4-litre V8 bi-turbo
engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology. The M engineers have carried
out significant revisions to the outgoing model’s power unit. For
example, newly developed turbochargers, ultra-efficient indirect
charge air cooling and increased fuel injection pressure together help
to raise output and, above all, torque. The engine develops
441 kW/600 hp at 5,600 – 6,700 rpm, while a monumental 750 Nm (553
lb-ft) of torque is placed at the driver’s disposal from as low down
as 1,800 rpm and remains there until 5,600 rpm. A map-controlled,
fully variable oil pump ensures oil is supplied as and when the new
BMW M5 needs it, even on the track. The car’s impressive performance
figures speak for themselves: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.4
seconds, 0 to 200 km/h in 11.1 seconds (124 mph). Top speed,
meanwhile, is an electronically limited 250 km/h (155 mph), but the
optional M Driver’s Package can keep the fun coming to 305 km/h (189 mph).
The new BMW M5 channels all that power through a specially tuned
eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. In D mode it
provides all the comfort and convenience of fully automatic gear
changes, but can then also switch to sequential manual shifts. The
driver can do this using either the compact selector lever on the
centre console or the steering wheel-mounted paddles. Drivelogic
allows the driver to adjust the transmission’s characteristics to
their personal preferences. For track use, the
eight-speed M Steptronic unit serves up lightning-fast shift times,
helping to give the new BMW M5 its exceptional agility and dynamic flair.
The suspension of the new BMW M5 is likewise designed to deliver both
maximum traction for everyday use and supreme dynamic performance on
the track. Like the engine, transmission and M xDrive system, it has
been tuned by experts and racing drivers at venues including the
world’s most exacting test facility – the Nürburgring Nordschleife
circuit. Sophisticated stiffening elements in the front and rear
structures ensure the body structure is extremely rigid and therefore
that the car provides instantaneous feedback, in particular when the
driver is pushing hard on the road or track.
The driver can also choose from Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus modes
for the Variable Damper Control (VDC) system – which has M-specific
tuning – and the M Servotronic steering. And the engine’s
characteristics can also be configured to the driver’s tastes via the
Efficient, Sport and Sport Plus modes. The two M1 and M2 buttons on
the M leather steering wheel can be used to store two set-ups
combining the driver’s preference of engine, transmission, suspension
and M xDrive modes, the DSC mode and Head-Up-Display settings. The
driver can then activate their preferred set-up by pressing the
relevant button.
The new BMW M5 includes revisions to its bodywork over the regular
BMW 5 Series to satisfy its challenging dynamic brief. The M engineers
have redesigned the broader front side panels and front bumper trim to
include larger apertures for the air feeding the cooling systems and
brakes. Also new is the rear diffuser. The exhaust system’s quartet of
tailpipes are a visual pointer to the power generated by the BMW M5
and also lay on a suitably sporting soundtrack for the job in hand,
courtesy of their flap control system. The driver can use a button to
adjust the engine sound as desired.
The bonnet, which also has an M-specific design, is made from
aluminium and boasts eye-catching sculpture lines. These extend into
the extremely lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof
– a standard feature of the new M5. The weight savings contributed by
the CFRP roof and other components such as the exhaust system help to
ensure the new BMW M5 with M xDrive all-wheel drive is lighter than
its predecessor.
The new BMW M5 is fitted as standard with M compound brakes, which
are lighter than conventional grey cast iron items and therefore also
bring down the car’s weight. With blue-painted six-piston fixed
callipers at the front and single-piston floating callipers at the
rear, plus perforated, inner-vented brake discs all round, the M
compound brakes have the speed-shedding power to befit the car’s
dynamic potency. The optional M carbon ceramic brakes, which can be
identified by callipers painted in a gold colour and shave another
23 kilograms off the M5’s weight, can withstand even greater punishment.
The new BMW M5 comes as standard with polished 19-inch light-alloy
wheels (front: 9.5 x 19, rear: 10.5 x 19) in Orbit Grey and M-specific
tyres (front: 275/40 R 19, rear: 285/40 R 19). 20-inch items can be
specified as an option (front: 275/35 R 20 tyres on 9.5 x 20 rims,
rear: 285/35 R 20 tyres on 10.5 x 20 rims). Standard specification for
the new BMW M5 also features Merino leather and M seats with electric
adjustment. The options list includes newly developed M multifunction
seats, which stand out with their bucket-seat-style construction and
even better lateral support.
The new BMW M5 can be ordered from September 2017, priced at
€117,900, and deliveries will begin in spring 2018. Scheduled for
launch on the same sales start date as the standard M5 is the
BMW M5 First Edition. This special-edition version – limited to a run
of 400 examples worldwide – has BMW Individual Frozen Dark Red
Metallic paintwork, is exclusively appointed and costs an extra
€19,500 over the standard model.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific
CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new
passenger cars is included in the following guideline: “Leitfaden über
Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer
Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and
electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which can be
obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH
(DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html.
* Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures are
provisional, based on the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the
tyre format specified.