Back in 1985, when BMW Motorsport GmbH (the automaker’s racing arm) shoved the M1’s engine into the E28 saloon to spawn the first M5, it started a revolution in executive motoring that has led to the mighty driving machine you see here.
That iconic classic is powered by a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated inline-6 with a healthy (for its time) 286bhp at 6500rpm, enough to do zero-to-100km/h in just 6.5 seconds and enable a top speed of 245km/h. The second-generation E34 M5 employs a 315bhp 3.6-litre, which later evolved into a 340bhp 3.8.
An array of BMW M5-specific contact points welcome the fast driver, who can specify extra features from the 5 Series list of options.
Having taken the fabulous straight-6 as far as it could go mechanically, BMW M developed a 4.9-litre 400bhp V8 for 1998’s E39 M5, which allows a century sprint timing of 5.3 seconds. When the Munich guys got wind of the 6.3 AMG V8 that Mercedes-Benz was developing at the time, they fought for an exotic 5-litre 507bhp V10 for the E60 M5. Launched in 2005, this memorable number is even quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera S to 100km/h.
Those heady days of big cubic capacity and horsepower battles are over, with EU laws having brought some sanity to the high-performance car industry, which must now also consider the environment when creating the newest “speed freaks”. These cars, such as the latest BMW M5, are still speedy, but their fuel efficiency and CO2 emission are at least 10-15 per cent better than their less responsible predecessors.
These dials clock crazy figures; HUD shows the current gear, rev level and upshift lights.
Turbocharging is the trick here. Having transformed the previously lowly diesel engine into Europe’s star performer (in both popularity and driveability), turbo technology has been gathering pace among petrol-fuelled passenger cars in the past decade. The Volkswagen Group is very active in this aspect, as is BMW – the new 1 Series, for instance, uses a turbocharged 1.6-litre. But would a forced-induction M5 fare well with enthusiasts?
It is no secret that the newcomer has essentially the same turbo 4.4-litre V8 as the X5M and X6M, although the engine has received some tweaks for its new working life in the M5. One change is the use of Valvetronic in place of individual throttle butterflies. Although M engineers at the launch said the fully variable valve control is meant to boost power and response, I believe it also enhances the engine’s efficiency.
Modify your BMW M5 motoring experience with the “four-plus-one” controls beside the stubby transmission knob.
Another change is an optimised wet sump oil supply system, with an additional return pump, that guarantees reliable lubrication regardless of longitudinal and lateral acceleration. It is also lighter than a dry sump setup.
Transferring the 560bhp to the rear wheels is a 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic, or M DCT for short. The traditional manual ’box has been retired together with the E60 M5. Clever software and careful tuning enable the dual-clutch to drive “around” the M5’s turbo lag, which isn’t totally banished despite the 680Nm of torque that kicks in from just 1500rpm.
In everyday “D” mode, the M5 behaves like a normal automatic saloon, its programmed responses using the period between gearchanges to “mask” the lag by allowing the turbines to spool up before engaging the ratio and delivering a solid surge.
Ironically, turbo lag is most noticeable in the “S” manual mode – without auto kickdown, full power takes about half a second to come into play if you forget to shift down a gear or two. You soon get the hang of it, though, and “automatically” engage a lower gear before harnessing the horsepower.
Overtaking slower vehicles in the M5 is entertaining, and it compels you to do it for the “hit” rather than the need. Encouraging even more hooliganism is the launch control function – as evidenced by the many streaks of molten rubber on a deserted stretch of Spanish road along my test drive route. The M5’s official 0-100km/h time is 4.4 seconds, which even the most imperfect pilot can achieve thanks to the perfect partnership between V8 and M DCT.
The acceleration, with or without a wagging rear end, is undoubtedly excellent, but even more enjoyable are the sound effects and seat-of-the-pants sensation. The new 8-cylinder is less of a screamer than the superseded 10-pot, but there is a muted bellow as it blasts away and guns towards the redline, while the strain of so much energy coursing through the powertrain produces a mechanical whine reminiscent of a straight-cut sequential gearbox!
Vented, perforated and specially engineered for the BMW M5, these stoppers are prepared to haul it down from highly illegal speeds.
On maximum attack, the M5 flies to 200km/h in 13 seconds flat, with its governed top speed of 250km/h reached not long after. Specify the optional Driver’s Package and the electronic restrictor is disabled, allowing the car to cruise like a missile at 300km/h where permitted.
It can go the distance, too, being up to 30 per cent more economical than the previous model and carrying more petrol in its custom-moulded tank (with 80 litres, 10 more than a regular 5 Series). One tankful offers a theoretical range, in ideal conditions, of over 800km.
Twin-scroll, twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 has less character than the 5-litre V10, but more of everything else.
Some of those kilometres can be done on a circuit, without the M5 missing a beat. Around the Ascari racetrack, which has a challenging variety of corners, cambers and slopes, I pushed the BMW until its blue Brembo brakes “grumbled” about the abuse. While the prodigious power and agile chassis completely hide the fact that the car tips the scales at nearly 1.9 tonnes, the brakes with their street pads were clearly hammered hard over the nine laps.
When the M men present were asked about this, they said the exercise was to show that the new M5 could handle circuit conditions at the drop of a hat (or helmet), although they recommended sport pads for serious track days. There isn’t a ceramic brakes option at this time, but it is under consideration.
The Ascari “race” also revealed the tremendous grip generated by the M5’s Michelin Super Sport tyres, the rear pair helped along by the Active M Differential, which can divert torque 100 per cent to either side through a set of electronically controlled multi-plate clutches.
There is moderate body roll at the limit, even with the suspension set to its stiffest Sport Plus configuration. At the wheel, the huge g-forces made it a struggle for me to sit tight – the standard seat is good for rapid roads, but you need a proper bucket seat for circuit driving.
Sophisticated traction control, which is proactive or reactive depending on the situation and able to rein in the engine if necessary, is on standby to save the overambitious driver from potential embarrassment.
The hydraulic, variable-ratio Servotronic steering can be set to Comfort, Sport or Sport Plus, with correspondingly lower levels of assistance to provide more feel.
Oddly enough, Sport Plus seems better suited to open roads, and Comfort to track use – the extra “heft” of the former makes quick driving less twitchy and therefore more stable at speed, while the reduced steering effort in Comfort cuts driver fatigue caused by making multiple and major directional changes. BMW’s Active Steer system was deemed unsuitable for the ultra-focused M5.
Just like for the power steering, there are Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus modes for the suspension – respectively hard, harder and hardest damping, if you will.
The same three choices are also available for the drivetrain, although the V8 no longer offers the V10’s two-step power output. Basically, the different modes adjust the throttle response, with Sport Plus hot-wiring your right foot to the heart of the powerplant. Even in this super-sensitive state, the throttle responds more naturally than in the defunct V10 M5, which has an exaggerated accelerator action.
The BMW M5 picks up speed so quickly, it blew Andre’s beret to the back seat.
There are again three modes for the M DCT Drivelogic – D1, D2 and D3 in auto, and S1, S2 and S3 in semi-auto. The larger the digit, the faster the gearshifts and the more aggressively the dual-clutch is engaged.
D1, which is the default setting upon engine ignition, selects gears in the most efficient manner, while D2 and D3 keep the revs up and also “suffer” more shift shock progressively. Changing gears manually with the console lever or steering paddles, S1 provides smooth and jolt-free DIY shifting, S2 does it a little more violently, and S3 takes no prisoners.
Not only fast on the straights and furious in corners, the new BMW M5 is also a good corporate car.
S3 also enables launch control – deactivate DSC, hold the gearstick forward while braking with your left foot and keeping your right foot planted on the throttle pedal, the revs “rise” to the challenge, then you release the anchors. The double-clutch bites in double-quick time and the M5 slingshots towards the horizon, leaving almost parallel black lines behind the 295/35 rear tyres for the entire duration of first gear.
With the retirement of the spectacular V10 engine, one of the M5’s unique selling points is no more. But its successor’s performance focus and customisable sportiness are still powerful propositions that help it stand out in today’s crowd.
And it is quite an amazing assembly, what with the Mercedes AMG E63 and CLS63, Audi S6 and S7, Jaguar XFR, and something called the Alpina B5.
The new M5 has plenty going for it, but with competition like these, life on the edge doesn’t necessarily have to be spent in BMW’s raciest number right now.
Pure performance is this machine’s top priority.
BMW M5 4.4 (A)
ENGINE 4395cc, 32-valves, V8, turbocharged
MAX POWER 560bhp at 6000-7000rpm
MAX TORQUE 680Nm at 1500-5750rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100km/h 4.4 seconds
TOP SPEED 305km/h
CONSUMPTION 10.1km/L (combined)
PRICE INCL. COE To be announced (ETA Singapore Q1 2012)
Check out the BMW M5
