Teamspeed First Drive: The New BMW M5
BMW broadens the appeal of the M5 by being both bold and brave: the result is a blinding bruiser.
Text and photos by Teamspeed contributor Richard Aucock

What is it? Mighty new fifth generation M5 that aims to reclaim the mantle of world’s greatest performance supersaloon.

Why do I care? BMW has charged the might of M GmbH with making the M5 even faster but even more well-rounded and much greener: the complete M car, in short.

How fast is it? 4,395cc V8 twin turbo, 560ps@5,750-7,000rpm, 501lb ft@1,500-5,750rpm, 0-62mph 4.4sec, 155mph vmax (restricted)

How much is it? Price TBC (on sale late summer 2012)

The M5 was born with a straight six, and we all loved it. Later, it got a V8, and we loved it all the more. Then, BMW fitted a V10, and some of us weren’t so sure. Now? It’s back to a V8, but with twin turbos – and cue a reaction from some quarters that night has become day and everything right in the world has been turned on its head.

A turbocharged BMW M car? Yes, and because of to the need to be green, we’d best get used to it: more forced induction M cars are on the cards. Need we worry? Not according to M, which promises us the new M5 is as responsive as the naturally aspirated cars it forged its reputation on.

The new M5 is thus a litmus test car. Can an M GmbH car still convince, still appeal to the soul, even when it’s packing a duo of turbos? Not only that, can it also stand up to scrutiny when the engine is derived from an existing mainstream motor, rather than being an M-bespoke design? That’s right, the F10 M5’s 560hp motor is a derivation of that also seen in the 550i… so why is this an M5, then, and not an M 550i?



Purposeful intent, for one. BMW M cars have always been about understatement but still with enough to show they’re serious. The F10 M5 achieves a perfect balance. It doesn’t have a show-off bodykit or silly spoilers, but does have a gurney lip on the rear, sitting above quad exhausts set within a diffuser, which lead via bulging side sills and dubious chrome side gills to a front end full of intent.

Basically, the twin turbos nestling within the vee of this eight-cylinder engine have a near-insatiable appetite for air. As do the compound discs cracked by blue-finish six-pot calipers. Result? A front bumper with three massive intakes, carved out as much as possible. From a distance, they are like three massive black holes in the front of the M5, and give it a businesslike aggression like no other 5.

Inside, it’s understated too. Perhaps too much so. It is roomy, packed with equipment and very, very comfortable. The deep-dished M seats are brilliant, M dials are clear and the colour M head-up display is a real treat. It’s just lacking a bit in truly bespoke features – and why M still persists with over-thick, spongy steering wheels is lost on all.



Never mind. Thumb the starter and the V8 immediately signals its purpose, with a bark from the exhausts and a deep rumble through the base of your seat. It feels purposeful, although this impression is quickly checked. Basically, the M5 has a chessboard of options for suspension, engine response, gearshift patterns (on M DCT cars), steering and so on. Until you key into it, the M5 feels aloof.

In its most meek setup, the M5 is as easy-going as a powerful executive saloon. Smooth ride, crisp engine response and slurring nature, it’s mellow enough to almost leave you disappointed, and certainly a little worried. So, you begin pressing the multitude of control buttons, to adjust the parameters of suspension, engine and gearbox.

There are two M Drive buttons on the steering wheel, three adjustment buttons on the gearlever surround and a whole load more parameters buried in the iDrive menus. It’s bewildering at first. You need patience to shake out the M5’s perplexing character. Best advice is to concentrate on achieving two preferred setups, sporting and everyday, and save these on the two steering wheel M buttons. Then, simply forget you can adjust anything else.

Because then, you’ll have turned it into a searing, devastatingly capable performance car. Indeed, the first time you perfect the setup, it will genuinely shock you with the ferocity and intensity of its response. The contrast is stark, and takes your breath away. A car this large and heavy shouldn’t respond with such electric passenger-flinging immediacy. It shouldn’t feel so well balanced, shouldn’t shrink around you as speeds rise.



Great accuracy means it flows easily through twists despite its size, with foursquare poise yet enough taut feedback to involve you. It’s not raw, but still satisfying. It’s a bit like a well set-up race car: it works with you, rather than asking you to muscle it.

The old M5 felt more distant and less confident unless you were driving it quickly. Its heart was on the racetrack: this new M5 gives you more when you’re not on the circuit. It also has a better ride, supple enough to soak up broken roads, with brilliant body control.

The steering is always odd though. It never quite has the feel you’d expect, with BMW making the basic, arguably incorrect, assumption that weight equals sportiness: in Sport+ mode, it feels like the power assistance has broken. It’s accurate, yes, but detached.



And the engine? Its character is forgettable but its response is not: it’s a boundary-shifting powerhouse, with colossal acceleration at all times. Its depths of performance are absolute: there are times when it feels like it’s not accelerating but skyrocketing forward like the proverbial startled cat.

0-60mph in 4.4 seconds and 0-124mph in 13 seconds are facilitated by standard Launch Control, while a top speed of 155mph can be raised to 190mph by choosing the Driver’s Package option. It’s very fast, then, but it’s also now useable performance thanks to 501lb ft of pulling power spread from 1,500-5,750rpm. That’s a staggering 30 per cent more than before. The M5 now doesn’t require total high-rev commitment from you to go as quickly as its legend suggests.

And it DOES respond as BMW promised: near-instantaneously, with crisp edge rather than soft surge. Indeed, the only question mark is the noise it makes. This is computer-generated, with a digitally-enhanced soundtrack played through the car’s speakers. Some say this epitomises the artificiality of the new M5: we wonder why the subsequent V8 noise isn’t more distinctive and less dominated by exhaust rumble…



There’s divergence in the digi-noise choice offered to US and EU M5s too. North American models, of course, get a six-speed stick shift no-cost alternative that’s denied to Euro customers. This will up the involvement, at the expense of losing the seamless, rifle bolt full-throttle shifts of the seven-speed paddleshifter. What M DCT also offers, though, is the most wonderful thundercrack from the exhaust upon every full-bore upshift. Horses for courses: time will tell which is the preferred option.

Time is needed in the new F10 M5 for its true talents to become clear, too. At first, it does feel soft, does appear distant. Yes, an M 550i, rather than a genuine M. With time, though, we cracked the setup, keyed into its new ultra-precise, ultra-flexible, ultra responsive character, and became convinced.

Strip away the computer-generated top layer and the M5 is a brilliant performance car. Its abilities are immense and the rewards it offers are all-encompassing. Despite standard stop-start, despite a 30 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and despite its new twin blowers, this really is a true M, and no mistake.

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Some nice pics there !

 

shockingly boring car.

 

Fixed it for you

 

did you drive one yet?

 

+1 indeed there must be some truth when a 'watch guru' speaks on a car he hasn't driven.



Great review.

 

I drove this car for 1 full day in Spain and it really is amazing. Its lost some of its nimbleness and M revving character but overall its the best 4 door performance/luxury sedan to come out of Munich since the e39. With it arriving in 6spd MT to NA I will be lining up to purchase one as I believe this will be the last series they ever make (w/MT) and plan on driving it till my left leg stops working **knocking on wood**.

The true fact is that this car has so much power that its 1) hard to put down 2) with that much power/technology the MT adds a big of engagement that I find are so lost in the DCT and technology overload! It felt like a video game - a lot of computer work was being done in the background to give you the sensation of a true ///M sports sedan - sound enhancement, throttle blips/cracks (up and down), and fire into the exhaust at startup to give it a nice roar.

P.S. Great review - thanks!

 

Great review DJ, thanks. Boring looking or not I still want one.

 

It's an awesome car, but.. I'm disappointed with the black plastic center console. It should match the silver trim or wood option like the standard 5 models!

 

Thanks for the comments, guys. It's a real event car, the M5, but does take time to get under your skin. I wonder if BMW will offer extended test drives for potential buyers? You need a good few hundred miles to really scratch the surface of its immense talents.