BMW have taken the covers off their new F90 M5 which packs an uprated twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8. The new F90 M5 is also AWD (All-Wheel Drive) and RWD (Rear-Wheel Drive) and the quickest ‘M’ car ever!
The new BMW M5 has been unveiled to the world ahead of its public début at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new F90 M5 is the first M5 since the series started in 1984 to feature an AWD system, which might make it unappealing to enthusiasts; but don’t worry! Thanks to the clever new M xDrive system which offers you the ability to transfer all the power from your AWD M5 to the rear-wheels with the 2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) mode, we can drift around corners quickly, turning the rear-tyres into smoke, but being responsible we do not recommend doing that.
Under the hood the new 2018 M5 packs an uprated motor from the previous-generation F10 M5. The twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 now develops 600 PS compared to the previous-gen’s 560 PS, and torque has gone up from 680 Nm to 750 Nm. All this additional power comes courtesy of a modified exhaust manifold, new turbos and higher injection pressure along with an improved cooling system. There are flaps in the exhaust system which can bring or block the engine noise depending on your preference through the ‘M Sound Control button’. The power flows from the eight-speed M Steptronic transmission to all-four wheels through the new M xDrive AWD system. All this means the new M5 will go from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 11.1 seconds, and will reach an electronically-limited top-speed of 250 km/h, but with the M Driver’s Package the limiter is raised to 305 km/h.
The new M xDrive AWD system allows variable torque distribution between the front and rear axles, it sends most of the power to the rear wheels and diverts power to the front only when the rear tyres reach their limit and are not able to transmit more power onto the road. Once you work your way through the multiple drive-modes which include 4WD (Four-Wheel Drive), 4WD Sport or MDM (M Dynamic Mode) and 2WD. The 4WD with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) assistance on is the standard setting for the new M5, which still allows for a little slip from the rear wheels while coming out of a corner at speed and producing the agility M cars are famous for. The middle ground between the two hair-raising modes is the M Dynamic Mode (MDM, 4WD Sport) which gives a further boost to the cars dynamic capabilities, with more torque being sent to the rear-axle and the stability control becoming more relaxed which, as BMW claim, allows the driver to perform controlled drifts. Scroll further in the drive-modes and you will find the 2WD mode with no DSC assistance, which disconnects the front-axle and allows the M5 to thrill and raise hell as it hangs on the razor’s edge, just like its predecessors; this feature is recommended for use on the racetrack, and shouldn’t be taken lightly..
There is still no word on the price of the new BMW M5 or on when this car will be making its way to India. But we expect the M5 to arrive sometime in 2018 priced in the region of Rs 1.4 crore.
Story: Sahej Patheja
