So The BMW M5 will have a turbo. Two turbos to be precise, bringing to an end an era of naturally aspirated mastery of the super saloon kingdom. It will also have two fewer cylinders than before, curbing slightly the delicious irony of a supercar engine packed irreverently into what is basically a brown-bag four-door saloon. No more V10 wail, no more unexpected surfeit of 8,250rpm to revel in. But that might not be such a bad thing.
The new MS is due to get the 4.4-litre bi-turbo V8 that has already appeared in 550bhp format in the bizarre ‘M’ versions of X’s S and 6, tweaked to around S78bhp and with the full spectrum of 530lb ft of accompanying turbo-torque. The top speed will likely still be pegged at 155mph, though for a small fee BMW will remove the guardian to allow around l90mph foot-to-the-floor, with a 0—62mph time of just under four-and- a-half seconds. Suddenly the V10-loss pain is easier to bear, isn’t it?
Good, because along with all of the headline-grabbing stats and eye- widening performance, the M5 will also be subject to the stringent application of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics ethos, meaning that the car will be lighter, cleverer, and slipperier. It will have electric power steering, doing away with the calorifically expensive hydraulic system, and will be capable of both stop/start and brake-regeneration. The upshot is an M5 that should be up to 25 per cent more fuel and CO, efficient than the old VIO model, while producing more power, torque and speed. This is good.
There is also some rumour that derneuer M5 will be packing a few surprises. For a start, it’s will be a full, seven-speed DSG double-clutch gearbox operated from steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles — though still rear-wheel drive — and will have a switchable suite of traction and stability functions much like a modern Ferrari. It may well have active aerodynamics, it will definitely take advantage of the current 5-Series’s lessened coefficient of drag. It might even have some sort of KERS-style electric boost at full throttle and a carbon-fibre roof.
The king of the super saloons may well be dead, but we reckon we’d be wise to hail the new king. If this is what the war for efficiency has brought us, then let’s start a fight.
The shots you see below are spy Shots:
