This is the new 600hp BMW M5

By CARSIFU | 22 August 2017


MUNICH: BMW has finally taken the wraps off its new M5, which for the first time features an M xDrive all-wheel drive system.

This change of tack sees the M5 exploring new dynamic dimensions and offering greater everyday practicality in all driving conditions.

The G30 M5 version builds 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 M5.

2018_BMW M5 (8)


According to BMW, the new M xDrive developed by BMW M GmbH is "the most emotionally engaging all-wheel-drive system yet". 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%.

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 M5 its sporting agility. In M Dynamic mode (MDM, 4WD Sport) M xDrive allows easily controlled drifts.

P90273049_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi


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 expert driver to pick their own drift angle and treats them to driving dynamics in their purest form.

Providing ample power for the new 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 F10 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 600 hp at 5,600 – 6,700 rpm, while a monumental 750 Nm of torque is placed at the driver’s disposal from as low down as 1,800 rpm and remains there until 5,600 rpm. The outgoing M5 had 560hp and 680Nm of torque. Last year, BMW made 200 M5 “Competition Edition” that boosted performance to 600hp and 700Nm of torque.



A map-controlled, fully variable oil pump ensures oil is supplied as and when the new M5 needs it, even on the track. The car boasts impressive performance figures: 0 to 100kph in just 3.4 seconds, 0 to 200kph in 11.1 seconds. Top speed, meanwhile, is an electronically limited 250kph, but the optional M Driver’s Package can keep the fun coming to 305kph.

Combined fuel consumption is rated at 10.5 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions at 241 g/km (figures are provisional, based on the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the tyre format specified).

The M5 channels engine 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  M5 its exceptional agility and dynamic flair.

READ MORE:
BMW debuts G30 M5 in 'Need for Speed Payback' videogame
CarSifu drove F10 BMW M5 in Seville, 2011
Outgoing BMW M5 and Z4 sold in Malaysia from 2012

P90273031_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi


The suspension 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.

2018_BMW M5 (9)


The  M5 includes revisions to its bodywork over the regular 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 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 M5 with M xDrive all-wheel drive is lighter than its predecessor.

P90273046_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi


The new 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 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 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.

P90273033_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi


The M5 can be ordered from September, priced at €117,900 (RM597,000), and deliveries will begin in spring 2018. Scheduled for launch on the same sales start date as the standard M5 is the 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 (RM99,000) over the standard model.

The outgoing M5 was already priced at nearly RM900,000 at its Malaysian launch in 2012. So we can expect the new one to cost even more once it arrives on local shores in late 2018 or the following year.

BMW M5 Highlights - Link

BMW M5 Specifications - Link


P90272989_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273025_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273024_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273034_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273035_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273045_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273007_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

2018_BMW M5 (2)
P90273042_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi (1)

P90273043_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273047_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

2018_BMW M5 (7)

2018_BMW M5_Batch2

P90272998_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273007_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273008_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273010_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273021_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

P90273030_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273032_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273041_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

2018_BMW M5 (5)

2018_BMW M5 (3)

P90273036_highRes_the-bmw-m5-first-edi

P90273020_highRes_the-new-bmw-m5-08-20

Keywords