Dinner time with BMW officials during major press events is often a casual affair with a predictable slant.

They don’t huddle together in one corner but have been directed to fan out among the various tables where the world’s media – and that includes influential bloggers these days – gather to answer questions in between meals and impart their marketing/technical know-how to all who ask.

It’s a pattern that’s repeated at various international auto launches such as the one it had organised in Seville, Spain, earlier this month.

Oh, yes, the Germans are also quite predictable in their choice of settings, often tending to choose Portugal and Spain for the journos to have a swing at their cars. It’s the sunny side of Europe that draws them over every time apparently.



This time, the new M5 was the focus of attention at a luxury resort outside Seville in largely agricultural territory, where some 400 media folks from around the world flocked to over the course of three weeks.

BMW also used the occasion to introduce its new turbocharged 4-cylinder engines that will make it in the standard 5 Series next year. But that’s an embargoed tale to be left for next year.

The M5 programme involved a morning drive through rural Spain followed by track time in the afternoon at the famed Ascari Race Resort.



For many of the hardcore enthusiasts who came to Seville, the track time was the climax of their trip as it was an occasion to really push the car to its limits and find out what it was made of in a controlled environment.

Out on public roads, however, they were reminded to toe the 120kph speed limit. With hands on one of the most powerful super saloons in the world, it’s questionable if anybody actually listened to good advice.

This F10 M5, which will make its way to Malaysia by March, marks a break from M tradition of using only naturally aspirated engines.

But it was inevitable as turbocharging smaller displacement engines and the Law of EfficientDynamics has been trending in BMW-sphere in the last few years.



Unlike the outgoing E60 M5 that uses a V10 engine, the newest one has a smaller V8 engine that has been turbocharged to achieve better fuel economy and even more powerful horsepower/torque ratings.

Maximum torque has risen 30%, fuel consumption cut by more than 30% and EfficientDynamics come into play with features such as Auto Start-Stop and Brake Energy Regeneration.

In an M car, the engine is undoubtedly the centrepiece.

This fifth-generation M5 now sports a high-revving 4.4-litre V8 engine with TwinPower turbo charging that produces even more power than the naturally aspirated V10 engine of its predecessor, the E60 M5.

It’s the same engine used in the X5 M.

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Out of this mill spouts 560hp at 6,000 – 7,000 rpm and peak torque of 680Nm from 1,500 rpm to 5,750rpm.

Top speed is capped at 250kph though it can be raised to 305kph with the M Driver’s package.

As is, the amount on tap is impressive – and necessary to move the car swiftly because it has grown bigger and heavier than the last one.

The sheet metal is a visual delight with large air intakes, big brake calipers, M gills on the sides and bulging wheel arches to highlight the wide track. The rear spoiler and twin tailpipes and 19-inch M alloy wheels add to the overall impression this is a meaty car that’s sexy in a masculine way.

Five people fits comfortably into the cabin which offer a subtle interplay of lines and curves to create a space with luxurious ambience and a sporty flair.



The cabin is tailored to the usual BMW specifications of technology and luxury, with the familiar iDrive and a great stereo system as fixtures.

The comfort levels in the M5 feels much higher compared to the standard 5 Series. You can sit inside for hours on end with nary a grouse. Credit that in part to an interior that is quietly sedate when you are not driving the car like a banshee.

The cockpit features M-specific instrument cluster in black-panel technology; newly designed, leather-covered centre console; M sports seats; and exclusive aluminium trim strips, BMW Individual roof liner in anthracite, four-zone automatic climate control and ambient light.

Behind the steering wheel are paddles for the seven-speed double-clutch gearbox, which works as either an auto or sequential manual.



Making this the driver’s car, everything that matters to the business of driving are adjustable, from the engine response, Drivelogic shift program, Dynamic Damper Control, M Servotronic responses, DSC mode and Head-Up Display details.

A choice of Comfort, Sport or Sport Plus modes are accessible via buttons next to the gear stick.

Settle on your personal favourite combo of settings, and you can save them to two new M Drive buttons on the steering wheel.

So at the press of a button, you can either have a refined and sedate ride or a tempting invitation to walk on the wild side at the car’s sportiest settings. It’s this duality of character that many will find so attractive in the M5.

There’s something called Active Sound Design built into the M5. BMW doesn’t play it up but what it does is to mimic the engine noise, and feeds it into the cabin ostensibly to enhance the overall driving experience.



Drive smoothly and you get a discreet soundtrack through the car’s audio system. Stomp on the accelerator and this prompts an immediate audible response to match the burst of power.

It’s a side of the M5 that some critics say subtracts from the authenticity of the whole package. They would rather M piped the real deal into the cabin when things start to get exciting.

On the move, the rumble of the V8 is music to the ears, rising to a crescendo as you floor the pedal. At idle, the engine note is a refined hum. Blip the powerplant and a raspy growl blows through the quad tail-pipes.



The response from the turbo-ed mill is exquisitely responsive and engaging as the huge torque are put down to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which are certified for use in this car.

The M5 maintains the traditional hydraulic assist steering to ensure a direct connection with the road. Note that the standard 5 Series uses electric steering, which has been found to be rather wooden in feel.

Go into Sport Plus mode, and you will notice the transmission being forceful with the gear changes. Expect a slight delay in the message being relayed to the gears from the point the paddle shifters are flicked.

Power is scrubbed off by massive brakes to bring the car quickly off howling speeds.

Pounce through a hairpin, and the M5 shows very neutral handling.



It takes a series of corners – as found in the Ascari track – quickly and nimbly, and this is the result of a low and planted stance.

The all-aluminium suspension and high-grip tyres also enables the car to handle high cornering speeds.

Unhook the M5 from traction control and DSC, and you have the makings of a car that is eminently driftable.

Yet for the drift virgins, the car is still highly manageable, with progressive cues that let the driver know when the limits of control are about to be breached.

In the final analysis, not everyone who buys an M5 wants to go round and round a race track though it’s nice to know it can play the track car role at a moment’s notice.



They simply want the ultimate driving experience on regular roads. The M5 doesn’t disappoint in that respect. To a large extent, it fulfils that need.

M set out to deliver luxury and sportiness through the M5.

What’s clear is that M has done a fabulous job of turning a stock 5 Series into a racy road missile.

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