Wraps Are Off New M5

It's a Formula One car for the whole family! BMW has upped the stakes in the super saloon sector by giving its new M5 the biggest numbers in the business. The 500bhp V10 means this executive express can out-accelerate a Ferrari - and it will be on sale in the UK in less than a year's time.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Tom Barnard

11th March 2004

The company is officially calling the star of its Geneva stand a concept, but insiders say the production model will be virtually identical. Only the interior styling has yet to be finalised. Providing the awesome thrust is BMW's first production V10 - the same configuration as used in the firm's F1 cars. It delivers not only 500bhp, but 500Nm of torque as well. Racing technology is carried over to the transmission, too, as the M5 uses a new seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox with a clutchless paddleshift. Official performance figures have yet to be revealed, but insiders hint that the car will cover 0-60mph in around 4.5 seconds. To keep the power in check, there is an enhanced DSC traction control system, variable limited-slip differential and uprated brakes.

As with previous M5s, the new car is designed to look subtly aggressive. Compared to the standard 5-Series, the M has 19-inch wheels, ground-hugging bumpers, extended side sills, M3-style front wing air vents and four tailpipes. A Touring is also set to be offered in the UK for the first time, challenging Audi's RS6 for the title of world's fastest estate.

British buyers face a wait, though, and a price hike. While the first left-hand-drive M5 saloons will reach European customers in May, right-hookers won't arrive here until late February 2005. And when they do, expect the car to break the ΂£50,000 barrier. Geneva image library