Monster M5 Is Ready For the Road

Step aside supercars. BMW has revealed the most powerful road vehicle it has ever produced - and it's a saloon! This is the new M5. Powered by a huge 5.0-litre V10, with an astonishing 507bhp, the Bavarian bruiser will hit 60mph from a standstill in a claimed 4.7 seconds.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Tom Barnard

08th July 2004

The top speed has been limited to 155mph, but insiders suggest the newcomer would better 205mph without the electronics in place, easily making it one of the world's fastest street legal cars.

To tame the engine's power, lots of gadgets have been fitted. When the car is started, it switches into a mode called P400, which restricts the engine's output to 400bhp - the same as the outgoing V8-engined M5. With this setting, the car is easier to drive in heavy traffic. But when the road opens up, a press of a button on the gearlever surround unleashes the V10's full power.

Rather than offer a conventional manual transmission or take the fully automatic route, BMW has decided on only one gearbox: a highly developed version of the SMG sequential shift. Boasting an amazing seven speeds, it allows drivers to swap cogs using the lever or with the paddles behind the steering wheel.

There's also a choice of 11 different gearbox settings, which vary the speed of the changes to find the perfect combination of comfort and performance. These range from fully automatic comfort mode to a launch control setting, which ensures the fastest possible acceleration from a standing start. What's more, the M5 has a variable differential lock mechanism and two-stage traction control to ensure that the engine's power is put down on the road efficiently.
Visually, the car is virtually identical to the M5 Concept unveiled at March's Geneva Motor Show. Modified front and rear bumpers, wider wheelarches plus extended side sills give an aggressive appearance, as well as aiding stability, while an M3-style vent in the front wing and new sleeker door mirrors differentiate the car from lesser models.

Under the skin, BMW claims nearly all of the suspension components have been changed from those used in the standard 5-Series to provide sporting handling and ensure the M5 can cope with the higher cornering speeds.

To retain the car's weight balance, the battery has been moved to the boot and the spare wheel ditched in place of run-flat tyres. Standard kit includes 19-inch wheels and a head-up display that projects the speed and sat-nav details on to the windscreen.

Set to make its show debut at Paris in September, before going on sale in the UK in March 2005, the M5 should cost around ΂£58,000. But if the subtle saloon looks aren't quite to your taste, get your name on the waiting list for the M6. Using the same V10 and chassis, the fastest version of the 6-Series is due for launch at the end of next year.