THE ALL-NEW BMW M5 IS HERE AND ITS PACKING 535 KW WITH 1,000 NM!
I always look forward to news about the BMW M5 because it’s my favourite M of the bunch. There are a few reasons for this, starting back in the early 2000s, and all those reasons are in the form of the E39 BMW M5. I was in my early 20s, and being a car guy meant an M-badged car with a growling normally aspirated V8 was something dreams were made of. Someone I knew bought one in the mid-2000s, he found an almost-new one in Blue Water Metallic, the best colour for one of these sedans, and it was ever so slightly modified. There was a little fiddling with the exhaust, the intakes and a bit of spice sprinkled on the ECU. I can’t recall what the resulting power figures were, but it was a heap more than the manufacturer rating of 294 kW with 500 Nm of torque. The car would routinely leave double black lines around the neighbourhood. One night when this chap’s wife was in hospital giving birth, he called me up to ask me if I was free for the night, I told him I was and the reply was “Get dressed as fast as you can, I’m outside.” Dressed up to visit a mate’s wife in labour? Weirds, but ok. Well, it turned out that I was commissioned to be a wingman and we were headed to a club where loads of Russian ladies danced on a stage while their clothes fell off. The route from my place to the club was littered with tight bends and awesomely cambered sweeping sections of highway, and the 295-width rear tyres were scrabbling for traction for much of the journey. We pulled up alongside a German-spec 4-door E36 M3 at about 100 on the highway, a few looks were exchanged and both cars geared down before some wide open throttle things started happening. We beat that car while hitting high triple-digit speed figures, speeds I’m too scared to hit today. The same E39 M5 was recorded hammering a then brand-new E92 M3 on a local dual carriageway, and it beat the new generation car so convincingly that BMW called the company I worked for up and demanded the removal of the video from the internet under threat of legal action. The memories associated with an M5 are just priceless. The Guy Ritchie-produced advert for the car starring Clive Owen and Madonna is one of the best automotive adverts of all time, too.
The BMW M5 has evolved in leaps and bounds over the years, the outgoing model is a marvel of technology and power and I’ve spent loads of time watching a few MPH-tuned M5s running ridiculously quick quarter-mile times. In stock form, the range-topper of the previous range, the M5 Competition, was rated at 460 kW and with 750 Nm of torque. There’s an all-new one now, and this beast of a German sedan now churns out a whopping 535 kW with a huge 1,000 Nm of torque. The power is up because this is the first M5 to feature M Hybrid technology, and that means there’s some electric power in the mix. The base for the powerplant is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 rated at a healthy 430 kW of power with torque up at 750 Nm, and the electric motor adds in an extra 145 kW and 280 Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four corners of the car via an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission and M xDrive all-wheel drive system. BMW says this is enough to give the M5 the ability to hit 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. That’s impressive, especially seeing as the car is bigger and heavier than its predecessor - It tips the scale at 2,445 kg, which is 474 kg more. The new M5’s top speed is limited to 250 km/h, but the limiter is raised to 305 km/h when the optional M Driver’s Package is chosen. It’s a brilliant package, the levels of tech and spec in a new BMW are great, in the M5 they’re ridiculous. The car has so many features and things to play with and set up that owners will need to attend a few classes to figure out what’s what. The good news is that this new BMW M5 will be making its way to SA, and that means we’ll see one being fiddled with at MPH soon, and that’s not a bad thing. As good as it is though, this here writer would rather own an E39 M5…
Take a look at the YouTube video showcasing the new big daddy of the BMW 5-Series range, the much-loved BWM M5 sedan. It's been trimmed, tucked and tweaked and has silly amounts of power on tap: THE NEW BMW M5 SEDAN | BMW M
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