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Do you still wonder why the new BMW M5 is such a huge success? Domagoj Dukec , Vice President of Design for BMW i and BMW M, has an answer for you as his summary of the new M5 is quite instructive.
“The BMW M5 has always embodied the perfect blend of mature business sedan and high-performance components. So you can think of the BMW M5 as the world’s fastest-moving tailored suit, ” Dukec said as he described the new German machine that is already making waves in the South African market.
The new BMW M5 (the F90) sees BMW M GmbH writing the next chapter in a success story which began over 30 years ago and is based on an apparently simple recipe: unbeatable sports performance and unimpeachable everyday usability brought together into one supreme package.
The new BMW M5 is the sixth generation of the high-performance sedan and it comes with the new M-specific all-wheel-drive system M xDrive. Not only does this drive system enable the M5 to reach new heights of dytric power consumption of new passenger cars),it means that it excels in terms of everyday practicality and delivers supreme poise in all driving conditions as well.
Frank van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW M GmbH, also explains the benefits of the pioneering drivetrain technology aboard the new BMW M5:
“Thanks to M xDrive, the new BMW M5 can be piloted with the familiar blend of sportiness and unerring accuracy both on the race track and out on the open road, while also delighting drivers with its significantly enhanced directional stability and controllability right up to the limits of performance when driving in adverse conditions such as in the wet or snow,” van Meel said.
The car’s ability to juggle complete suitability for everyday use on the one hand and sheer driving pleasure and superb track performance on the other is down to the M xDrive system’s central intelligent control capability. When the engine is first started, the new BMW M5 will be in all-wheel-drive mode (4WD) with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) switched on.
The driver is then able to vary the handling characteristics of the M5 by activating various driving dynamics modes, including a rear-wheel-drive mode with no DSC. In this 2WD mode, the new BMW M5 allows accomplished drivers to enjoy a pure-bred form of driving pleasure.
Hard at work under the bonnet of the new BMW M5 is the latest and most advanced version of the 4.4-litre V8 engine featuring M TwinPower Turbo technology. Output of 441 kW and peak torque of 750 Nm promise supreme propulsive power and formidable performance. The twin-turbo V8 unit propels the new M5 from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 3.4 seconds, for instance.
The task of relaying the drive power falls to the new eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic, which teams up with the M xDrive system to transfer the high-revving engine’s turbocharged might to the road to optimum effect in all driving conditions. The upshot of all this is that the new BMW M5 is not just the fastest of all the M5 models built since 1984, but the most nimble too.
There is no doubt that the new BMW M5 really takes driving dynamics into a new dimension as it features state-of-the-art driving dynamics with systematic evolution of the high-performance concept.
Like all the models to come out of BMW M GmbH HQ in Garching, its design is M-specific and driven by function. For example, the newly designed front bumper trim, with its larger air intakes, has the task of keeping the cooling systems and brakes sufficiently supplied with cooling air – even in exacting use on the race track. The car has a wider track than its predecessor, and the front side panels (made from aluminium to save weight) bear the signature M gills.
Also hewn from aluminium is the bonnet, whose precise lines carve an eye-catching sculpture and extend visually into the shaping of the roof. In an M5 first, the roof itself is made from extremely lightweight, high-strength carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP).
The rear diffuser has likewise been redesigned. Together with the side skirts, the M rear apron and M rear spoiler play their part in giving the M5 its powerfully sporting appearance, and the exterior mirrors have a dynamic, M-specific design. The hexagonal central air intake in the front end not only separates itself sculpturally from the side air intakes, in another example of form following function it also incorporates the oil cooler.
The interior focuses squarely on the driver; absolute control in all driving situations is the motto here. At the same time, the BMW M5 offers space for up to four passengers, a large boot and excellent ride comfort. As a high-performance sports car and business sedan in one, it blends the best of both worlds.
Following a thorough overhaul, the 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology is now more potent than ever. The high-revving power unit in the new BMW M5 delivers its exceptional output of 441 kW at 5,600 – 6,700 rpm, while the tremendous peak torque of 750 Nm is on tap from just 1,800 rpm and remains constant all the way up to 5,600 rpm. Compared to the outgoing model, maximum torque has been upped by 70 Nm. The engine characteristics can be changed at the push of a button from the basic Efficient setting to either Sport or Sport Plus, resulting in even more willing response to movements of the accelerator.
The M engineers have implemented a raft of enhancements to endow the twin-turbo V8 with its phenomenal performance capabilities. These include newly developed turbochargers and a higher maximum injection pressure of 350 bar. This allows shorter injection times and improved atomisation of the fuel for sharper engine response as well as more efficient mixture preparation. Improvements have also been made to the lubrication and cooling systems, including an oil pan with a small front sump and indirect charge air cooling, which is more effective than the predecessor’s equivalents despite taking up less space. The oil supply system uses a fully variable, map-controlled pump and has been designed for outings on the race track, where it can handle very high levels of longitudinal and lateral acceleration.
Modifications have likewise been made to the cross-bank exhaust manifolds for the new BMW M5. This has the effect of optimising the transmission of energy from the exhaust gas flows to the turbine wheels of the two turbochargers and ensuring the best possible gas-exchange cycle. By fitting a Helmholtz resonator between the two silencers of the dual-branch exhaust system, the M engineers have succeeded in reducing its weight. The sound from the flap-controlled exhaust system varies depending on the selected mode for the engine characteristics, while the M Sound Control button also allows drivers of the new BMW M5 to soften its acoustic presence.
The twin-turbo V8’s power is channelled to the road via the newly developed M xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The wonderfully nimble rear-biased set-up is achieved by the M xDrive system only bringing the front wheels into play when the rear wheels aren’t able to transmit any more power to the road and additional tractive force is required. Even when it is being driven in a particularly sporty manner and unleashing high levels of power, the new BMW M5 with M xDrive behaves predictably and can be controlled with ease by the driver, paving the way for an even more intense experience of the business sedan’s phenomenal performance.
The principal hardware components of M xDrive are based on the BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system and the Active M Differential, while the central Mspecific driving dynamics control software takes care of orchestrating the various components to extremely innovative effect. The drivetrain has been reinforced for greater rigidity and strength to make allowance for the high torque, the rear-biased configuration and the 2WD option. While the transfer case splits a portion of the drive torque between the front and rear wheels in a smoothly adjustable ratio depending on requirements, the Active M Differential is responsible for then distributing the drive torque between the rear wheels. In the case of the active control element within the M xDrive system’s scope of functions, the locking effect is varied as the situation demands. This thereby ensures enhanced traction, agility and directional stability when the car is being driven in a very sporty manner or on roads with differing levels of grip – i.e. exactly when it is needed. With M xDrive, stabilising interventions from the DSC system are only required in extreme situations, enabling the engine’s tremendous power to be converted into propulsive force with virtually zero losses. The result of all this is that the new BMW M5 can be piloted with even greater precision and directional accuracy, responds sensitively and directly to the driver’s inputs and thus requires few steering corrections when driving at the limit.
More ambitious drivers can configure M xDrive at any time to suit their needs. Even in the default setting with both DSC and 4WD activated, the new BMW M5 allows a certain amount of slip at the rear wheels when accelerating out of corners to produce the agility for which M models are renowned. But the M5 also remains perfectly controllable at all times. The all-wheel drive’s superior traction helps to produce acceleration times that are simply phenomenal by sports sedan standards and would be worthy of a super-sports car: 0 to 100 km/h in a breathtaking 3.4 seconds and 0 to 200 km/h in just 11.1 seconds.
Switching to the M Dynamic mode (MDM, 4WD Sport) gives a further major boost to the car’s handling agility. Yet more drive torque is now directed to the rear axle, while the amount of permissible rear wheel slip is increased. This lets drivers put the M5 into controlled drifts and enjoy its playful handling. While doing so, the onset of oversteer is noticeable in good time and the linear increase of the sideslip angle means that the vehicle remains stable even when driving at the limit.
The three modes available with the DSC system switched off have been configured chiefly for driving on race tracks. The 4WD mode is set up for the greatest possible controllability and traction, and already offers plenty of scope for exploring the dynamic performance capabilities of the new BMW M5. The 4WD Sport mode, meanwhile, with its blend of supreme steering precision, delightful handling and reassuring traction, offers a sure-fire guarantee of unadulterated driving pleasure. The pure rear-wheel-drive mode (2WD) has been designed with the experienced and highly adept driver in mind. This opens up the same thrilling experience already offered by past generations of the M5, that of a high-performance sedan devoted to the art of generating driving pleasure with no control systems to hold it back.
The new eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic has also been strictly geared towards sporty performance. The incredibly short shift times and optimal ratio spacing will keep even the most demanding driver happy. What’s more, the wide ratio spread of the eight-speed M Steptronic unit helps to optimise fuel efficiency, too.
The M Steptronic transmission allows both fully automatic shifting and sequential gear shifts – using either the new short gear selector on the centre console of the new BMW M5 or the M shift paddles on the steering wheel. The transmission has been engineered for instantaneous response and lightning-fast gear changes in classic M style. The torque converter lock-up clutch is already fully engaged once the car has pulled away.
The transmission’s shift mapping can be modified using the Drivelogic rocker switch on the gear selector. Drivelogic mode 1 corresponds to efficient driving. Mode 2 lends itself to quick driving with its shortened shift times. And Drivelogic mode 3 is optimised for sporty driving on the track thanks to its extremely short shift times. Those preferring to shift gear manually can also execute sporty multiple downshifts to the lowest available gear, for instance when braking into tight corners. There are no automatic upshifts when the engine is revved to the limit either. A transmission oil cooler ensures flawless transmission operation even when the car is put through its paces on the track.
