Baseline Dyno Testing Reveals 2013 M5's Hidden HP

Most of the time, when automakers report stats on their vehicles, they aren’t particularly modest. And that’s fine, the aim is to brag. So we don’t really expect them to play strict rules of golf and dock themselves points for the hell of it. But when a company does the opposite? When they give you more special sauce than you bargained for? It’s worth noting. And it looks like BMW has been a little coy about the power its new uber sedan’s twin turbo 4.4L V8 is producing.

On paper, the 2013 M5 packs 560hp and 500lb-ft—hardly anemic. But during some baseline dyno testing, the techs at iND Distribution found it was putting down 527hp at the wheels. That means, if the factory figures are to be believed, it lost just over 30 ponies from the crank to the rubber, which translates to a drivetrain loss of roughly five percent. That’s about a third of what’s commonly expected, which either means there’s some fuzzy math going on, or the big Bimmer is pumping out over 600hp.

Nice move BMW.

[M5Post via Jalopnik]

 

Nice dyno work by the boys at IND!

 

Or it could just mean their US dyno has a different baseline calibration then their Euro counterpart hence the disparity.

 

I've also heard something like this. The guys from a world-known car magazine tested the M5 on dyno and got 602hp at the crank.

This makes me even more happy and can't wait to order mine in Dec.

 

I don't think that is the problem here... That would be like saying Europe has a different math system; and thats just not the case.

I believe BMW M knew what it was doing and how much attention this "discovery" would yield. Good move on their part, as it makes the customer believe there getting more for their money.

 

Great news, too bad the car isn't lighter, and more aggressive styling.

 

Elevation, humidity, fuel, tempurature etc etc etc all can't be constant from factory to US? And I'm curious to know as to why more often than not, these "discoveries" almost always happen on American dynos and rarely anywhere else?

Just a general observation, not any criticism to the M; it's a bloody brilliant car.

 

Actually they don't! Back in Germany this is a big topic in the automotive press at the moment! By now car magazines start to put the test vehicles on the dyno and mostly the cars produce more power than the producer said. This was especially the case with the m5 and the new 63amg modells featuring the v8 biturbo...

 

I think with these turbo cars they may feel compelled to use an average bhp number, not to mention the marketing demands of what the numbers are. Run this car five times in a row and tell us what the average is. As the heat builds in the fluid of the air/water intercooler power will go down materially.

 

I'm so relieved. 560 horsepower in a saloon just wasn't enough.

Waddafug....