Out with the old V10, in with a twin-turbo V8. We’re counting the minutes till this new M5 lands, writes Howard Walker
Victoria’s Secret models and BMW’s M5 cause me to react in exactly the same way – with a sharp intake of breath.
For the past 25 years, BMW’s “wolf in a business suit” has given sports car lovers an intoxicating mix of scary-fast performance and white-knuckle handling in a family four-door wrapper. With the arrival of an all-new BMW 5-series lineup last year, it was only a matter of time before the silk came off a new fifth-generation M5.
And here it is. BMW is calling it the Concept M5 to build some buzz before the production version’s unveiling at Pebble Beach in August. But essentially what you see here is what you’ll get when the car lands in the U.S. roughly a year from now.
The really big news is that BMW has finally pensioned off the last M5’s awesome, yet highly-strung 5.0-liter V10 in favor of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 – developed from the one that motivates the X5M Sport Ute. And this thing will have more muscle than an entire issue of Men’s Health. Expect 552 horsepower and a thumping 510 lb-ft of torque – a healthy 52 horsepower and 126 lb-ft more than the out-going 10-cylinder.
In addition to the power hike, BMW says that V8-power should make the new M5 25 percent more economical and 25 percent cleaner. Yet it should still be able to scream to 60 mph from a standstill in blistering 4.3 seconds!
BMW is keeping most of the other details close to its corporate chest. But what we know is that it’ll come with a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, 20-inch forged alloys, and discreet, though head-spinning carbon fiber body mods.
Please form an orderly line here. It’s going to be wild!
For more information about 2011 BMW vehicles, please visit: http://www.bmwusa.com/
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