BMW has finally taken the covers off its most advanced M car, the all new M5. However, the German car-makes choose to show-off its latest beast not at any motor show, but in the Need for Speed Payback trailer. The action packed driving blockbuster will release this year, while the deliveries for the new M5 will begin from September. The 6th generation BMW M5 is the quickest and most technologically advanced M-vehicle till date with the ability to go from standstill to 100 kmph in just 3.2 seconds. This also marks the debut of the first ever BMW M xDrive system with 2WD capability, which allows the driver to easily change between RWD and 4WD when required.
First launched in 1984, the BMW M5 is regarded as the quintessential high-performance sports sedan due to its purebred racing genes. When the engine is first started, the all-new BMW M5 will be in all-wheel-drive mode (4WD) with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) turned on. The driver is then able to vary the handling characteristics of the M5 by enabling various driving dynamics modes, including a rear-wheel-drive mode with no DSC. In this 2WD mode, the all-new BMW M5 offers drivers the opportunity to experience BMW’s traditional rear-wheel drive characteristics.
Like all the models to come out of BMW M GmbH, its design is M-specific. The newly designed front bumper trim, with its larger air intakes provides the cooling systems and brakes with the adequate supply of cooling air. The car has a wider track than its predecessor, and the front side panels (made from aluminum to reduce weight) bear the signature M gills. The redesigned rear diffuser, side skirts, the M rear apron and M rear spoiler, play their part in giving the all-new BMW M5 its powerful sporting appearance, and the exterior mirrors have a dynamic, M-specific design.
The tuning of the new M5 took place in part on the company’s own race circuit at Miramas in the south of France, as well as on the world’s toughest test track, the Nurburgring. The double-wishbone suspension from the front axle of the BMW 5 Series has been reworked from the ground up for the all-new BMW M5 with M xDrive. An additional steel X-brace and an aluminum transverse strut increases the stiffness of the chassis linkages at the rear axle, resulting in improved response. The tires fitted as standard on the all-new BMW M5 (275/40 R 19 at the front and 285/40 R 19 at the rear) have been specially homologated for this vehicle.
At the heart of the all-new BMW M5 is the latest and most advanced version of the 4.4-litre V8 engine featuring M TwinPower Turbo technology with an output of 591 bhp and 749 Nm of peak torque. The twin-turbo V8 unit propels the M5 via the new 8-Speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. With five driving modes to choose from, drivers can configure M xDrive at any time. Even in the default setting with both DSC and 4WD activated, the 2018 M5 allows a certain amount of slip at the rear wheels when accelerating out of corners. In this mode, more drive torque is directed to the rear axle, while the amount of permissible rear wheel slip is increased. While doing so, the onset of oversteer is noticeable and the linear increase of the sideslip angle means that the vehicle remains stable.
The 2018 BMW M5 First Edition with exclusive specification will be limited to only 50 units for the US market, with the prices to be announced at the launch this year.
[source=auto.ndtv]