Uh oh. Four-wheel drive? Another turbo engine? Sounds like a stats car…
Yes, yes and… no. This new M5 has got ‘xDrive’ all-wheel drive and an uprated version of the 4.4-litre TwinPower turbo V8. And it absolutely has some impressive statistics, but to write it off as ‘just another’ fast BMW is … to not have driven it.

I know I’m spoiling the end of this story, but this is a proper BMW M super-saloon, and I am extremely happy that the M Division has found its groove again. All subjective opinion, but I never really got on with the latest M3/M4 variants - too spiky and incoherent, with little character past feeling like a more potent 3- or 4-Series. This I like. A lot.

Do I need to read any more?
Sorry, but yes. There’s a lot going on here, and it requires a bit of attention. We’ll start with the styling. At first I thought the new M5 (‘F90’ in BMW codespeak, the last one being F10M in 2011) looked a bit flat.

Once you start looking properly, you notice that the new car’s front end consists mostly of gap – and it’s not just blanked styling exercises, because there’s actual radiators and oil coolers lurking. This bodes well. There are small side skirts, four exhausts and a vestigial bootlid lip. All quite subtle.

The roof is bare carbon-reinforced plastic, but you don’t really notice it with the darker colours, and the aluminium front wings and bonnet have crisp feature lines. In fact, the car itself is a decent chunk lighter than it was before thanks to that roof and a lighter exhaust, although some heft has been added back in with the four-wheel drive system. Still, at 1,855kg, it’s not bad for a big executive saloon.

Does it have the guts to be a proper sleeper?
Bluntly, yes. The 4.4-litre V8 with a pair of turbos is the most familiar thing about the M5, and it’s a good engine. Not particularly epic, but a solid, hefty powerplant that suits the car.

Some 553lb ft from 1,800rpm all the way to 5,600rpm, nigh on 600bhp from 5,600 to 6,700rpm. These are chunky but not ridiculous numbers on-par with the special edition Competition Package of the old M5.

It’s a thorough upgrade, mind: new turbos with a higher injection pressure of 350bar, giving more bang for buck and general efficiency (late 20s mpg was achievable when cruising). Better lubrication, cooling and performance under pressure.

The turbos spool quickly – something to do with modifications to the two-branch exhaust manifold that optimises the gas-exchange cycle – and it sounds pretty good too, a kind of bassy woofle at slower speeds with a decent rawness in the upper ranges. There’s a quiet running button for the exhaust for late-night arrivals/early morning starts, and when you’ve been pressing on a bit, it’ll sometimes spit and crackle in a fairly organic way – it doesn’t sound ‘engineered in’, though it probably is.

All that gives you 0-62mph in 3.4secs and a limited 155mph top speed (189 if you pay more for the ‘Driver’s Package’ raised limiter), which is plenty. although I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that I’m not sure that’s accurate: a bit of pocket dyno work had me getting very low threes from launch. With most of a tank of fuel.

So it’s fast. But is it fun?
Here’s where it gets interesting. BMW has gone all-wheel drive only for the M5, with a cheat code. It’s also swapped back from a DCT double-clutch ‘box in the F10 to an eight-speed Steptronic – essentially a torque converter auto with sequential paddle shift. And it’s all good.

The xDrive is a very rear-biased system, so the M5 generally feels nothing but rear-wheel drive. Push it, and you’ll get a touch of understeer, quickly and effectively nipped by the front axle pulling the car straight – all very natural. Be even more aggressive with the throttle and play with some of the modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus), and the car will rotate a couple of degrees at the rear before going very neutral.

Which feels very agreeable when you’re cantering quickly down an unknown road. Traction is excellent, steering feel similarly transparent, and it all feels like the car is doing all the things you want it to. It’s easy, and fun, and makes you feel good. Beware though, because there’s quite a lot going on to make you look this competent.

While a transfer case punts torque fore-and-aft between axles, the Active M Differential splits torque between the two rear wheels - meaning that the M5 doesn’t head-butt the DSC systems all the time. What that means is that the M5 is eking out maximum traction for motive power, rather than reigning itself in using electronics to suit the conditions. Which is why it feels more natural and fluid. Okay, so there’s a lot going on, but the good bit is that it doesn’t actually feel like it.

How’s the gearbox?
I didn’t miss the twin-clutch DCT one bit. No, this auto hasn’t got the instantaneous response of a DCT, but it’s damn close once you’ve wound up the Drivelogic controller (it’s the rocker on the top of the gearstick), and the bonus sophistication it brings in low-speed manoeuvering and in traffic is worth the minute difference. It suits an M5 as a daily driven car, and that’s what it needs.

Similarly, knock the car back into Comfort mode and it makes a great case as an only car. It’s feels a bit less urgent, but that’s okay. And the brakes are fade-free and cast-iron reliable, though it’s wise to note that the cars we drove all had the optional (and somewhat lighter and more expensive) carbon ceramics. You can tell the difference because ‘standard’ brakes are blue, while the ceramics are gold.

Still, there are still a fair few too many modes and settings, meaning that you have to find the exact combination that you’re most comfortable with. Something BMW obviously knows, since you get a pair of red ‘M1’ and ‘M2’ buttons on the top of the steering wheel that remember your favourite pair of setups. Programme them, and you get your choice of xDrive, DSC, engine, transmission, damper and steering characteristics, as well as the appearance of M view in the head-up display.

Can one of those buttons be rear-wheel-drive only?
Ah yes. Hooligan mode. Basically, there are three settings that you can only access with the DSC switched off, and the one you want is the bottom of the three on the menu. It simply says ‘2wd’. Press the DSC ‘off’ button for a few seconds, select and confirm, and you have everything to the rear. The car also won’t auto change up in any of these modes, so you can happily stretch to the limiter.

Suddenly, muscle car. Stupidity and pointlessness. And it is glorious. No, you probably won’t use it much, but the M5 will now deliver tyre-destroying walking pace burnouts with ease. And drift? Yeah. It does that.

Full disclosure: I can make a car wiggle about a bit, but compared to the really good drivers, I’m rubbish at drifting. In the M5, I was… better. In fact, the only car that’s easier to drift was my old V8 Vauxhall Monaro. I even managed – and more than once – to change up from 3rd to fourth mid-drift. Which is ballistic.

Now part of this is down to the fact that the M5 is accurate and powerful, but also mostly due to the fact that the car is very neutral and unsnappy – the complete antithesis of a mid-engined supercar. The back end comes around almost lazily, and if you’ve got enough throttle engaged, you can hold onto it for pretty much as long as you like. Back off, and it simply winds itself back out. Now, in the hands of the ‘proper’ drivers, some of the slides they were managing at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal were ridiculous.

What if I want to knuckle down and drive quickly?
Stop showboating, and the M5 feels excellent. No, it’s not really a track car, no matter what BMW spouts about being honed on the Nürburgring, but it can definitely hold its own and put a large, hard-to-shift smile on your face.

Body control is fantastic, with that slight weight shift that allows your instincts to catch on to what the car is doing, traction is always available and power on tap no matter the gear. It’ll wriggle under hard braking, and power out on a quarter turn of lock even in 4WD mode.

Though be warned, you really do have to switch off more systems than you think, because the DSC and AWD gets quite paranoid and shuts everything down hard if they’re on. This is not a criticism as such – I’m sure I’d be glad of paranoid all-wheel drive and stability on a snowy autobahn or British B-road come winter.

This, Audi RS6 or Mercedes E63 AMG?
Time to address the elephant in the room, huh? All these super saloons are now all-wheel drive, so Audi no longer has that in its favour. And to be blunt, the Audi loses early. No, there won’t be an M5 Touring, but the E63 comes as an estate. And both the Merc and the M5 allow you to make choices as to whether you want AWD or RWD. And bluntly, they’re both better to drive than the Audi, by some margin.

The E63 is a bigger problem. For M5 money, you’re looking at an E63 S with 604bhp and 627lb ft, with the M5 at £89,640 and E63 S at £88,490. The stats are all but identical, they accelerate at the same rate, weigh pretty much the same (1,855kg BMW plays 1,880kg Merc).

Based on recent experience I think the M5 will be faster around a track. But not by much. And I’m not sure that’s the point of these cars, anyway. We’re in a little golden age of fast, big saloons, and the choice might well come down to which one you like the look of, or subjectively suits you better, than a clear choice. Whatever, it’s going to be one hell of a face off, and I cannot wait.

Verdict: The best M5 since the E39. A true super saloon with character and ability. BMW M has upped its game.

you get a pair of red ‘M1’ and ‘M2’ buttons on the top of the steering wheel that remember your favourite pair of setups. Programme them, and you get your choice of xDrive, DSC, engine, transmission, damper and steering characteristics, as well as the appearance of M view in the head-up display.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/bmw/m...-drive-review/

2018 BMW M5 FIRST DRIVE: THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING


There was a time when the alpha-numeric “M5” held transcendental place in our automotive consciousness and struck fear in the hearts of AMG drivers. Unfortunately, this car’s immediate predecessor, the F10 M5 (2011-2016), was roundly criticized for being a luxury car with a big motor—a rather large, distant-feeling speed instrument and not much else. In a comparison test against the last-generation Mercedes-Benz E63 S AMG, of the fortified, overboosted 2014 M5 Competition Pack, senior features editor Jonny Lieberman wrote: “…the M5 feels like a bank vault with the speedometer always reading 100 mph.” That car, and others since, linger as reminders that the M Division, perhaps only temporarily, had lost its way. Even Cadillac has driven a supercharged V-8 wedge into the super sedan battlefield with its underappreciated and highly capable CTS-V. BMW had to react in a big way. They did.

Of course, some will argue the V10-powered E60 M5 (2005-2010) was a technical marvel, sprung from the last time BMW was participating in Formula 1 racing. Yet, that high-strung low-torque engine operated within too narrow a window to be an effective all-around super sedan. It was a car that was alternatively at five-tenths or 10/10ths with little between. Arguably, it’s not been since the first V-8-powered E39-generation M5 (1998-2003) was on the prowl that BMW held a winning hand in this uber-sedan war. We were reminded of just how special the E39 remains when BMW supplied one to drive during this program in Portugal. In fact, they brought an M5 from each era—and even a 1981 M535i progenitor—for us to drive on the road when it wasn’t our turn on track in the 2018 M5. This fact made us ponder if BMW and, more specifically, the M division were, in fact, reminding themselves of the unique magic that the M5 should contain and supply. It should be more than a fast 5 Series. It should, like that E39 did, have us asking, “Wait. BMW are actually going to sell this car? To anybody who can afford it? This thing is completely bonkers. No way.”

HAIR-ON-FIRE GREAT

Well, guess what? The BMW M5 is once again, completely bonkers, hair-on-fire great in its current F90 form. Not only does it once again sound like a proper ne plus ultra sedan, but it is also scary fast yet has the poise and feedback it so lacked in the F10 era. It’s once again the proverbial ballerina body builder able to balance on one toe while holding a two-ton weight over its head with one hand behind its back. Technical director Frank Markus wrote a terrific deep-dive into all the nuts and bolts of what makes the 2018 BMW M5 work when he drove a prototype earlier this year. Suffice to say that one lap of the Estoril circuit in the new M5 thrashed and dashed any misplaced preconceptions about the first use of all-wheel drive in an M5 and the shift from a dual-clutch automated manual (or a honest DIY manual) in favor of a well-tuned ZF eight-speed automatic. This M5 is alive, eager, and ready for a fight. A highly revised and more powerful version of the previous 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 now makes 592 horsepower (officially 441 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. By Frank’s count there are 270 combinations available with driver-selectable options for engine responsiveness, transmission, chassis, M xDrive (4WD/Sport 4WD/2WD, so, yes, a “drift” mode), stability control (DSC), etc. That’s still too many. Luckily, there are two prominent red steering wheel “preset” buttons (M1/M2) where you can store your favorite configurations for easy retrieval. Seated in the car on the track, we were asked to start with M1 that BMW reps had programmed.

OUT LAP

The M1 was conservatively set with the engine/exhaust at full song but with the transmission in the second-most aggressive mode, non-Sport AWD setting, and full DSC for introductory laps. BMW claims a 0-62-mph (100 kph) time of just 3.4 seconds. That seems about right because the car was insanely fast out of the paddock and down to the first corner. What’s more, unlike the muted F10, this car sounded stupendously good—like that old E39! Besides having control flaps in the exhaust system, we’re told that a “Helmholtz” resonator fitted between the two branches contributes to it. Some of that glorious sound is, of course, “enhanced” with the car’s audio system, as well. BMW horses have always felt bigger than their numbers suggest, but the way the M5 lifts its nose and puts the power to the ground on throttle hints at the all-wheel drive working effectively. At that there’s a deep reserve of torque (553 lb-ft) from a mere 1,800 up to 5,600 rpm.

Arriving at the first several corners, the turn-in was crisp and accurate like a rear-drive car, but the eager, aggressive M5 suddenly went lazy and stubborn midturn. Despite the driveline defaulting to 2WD until the computer-controlled transfer case deems it necessary to allot power to the front wheels, the heavy hand of DSC was obvious. In this mode, the first corners were agonizingly, artificially slowed. Any attempt to alter the car’s conservative line and speed by frantically (or gently) manipulating the throttle to shift the car’s prodigious weight (estimated to be about 4,250 pounds) or yaw rate was met with a dead go-pedal until the front wheels were pointed straight. About half way around the 2.6-mile lap, I pressed the M2 button (ushering Sport 4WD and M Dynamic DSC) and ensured the shift protocol was the most aggressive available. As if I had loosened the car’s bridle and let the reins go, the M5 came alive beneath me; it began to shrink around me. With more power being directed to the rear wheels, the tail of the car was easily coaxed into gentle, measured oversteer. The steering (which I had switched to Comfort to get rid of unnecessary weight) began offering me genuine information about the front tires’ impending lack of grip. The car was so predictable that when I’d lift off the throttle, weight would transfer to the front, and I’d quickly flick the steering the other way to catch the slide and meter it with the throttle and/or the laser-precise steering. Despite its wheelbase growing an inch, overall length by 2, and width by 0.5 inch, weight is down by 50-90 pounds compared to the rear-drive F10 M5—and this is how an M5 should behave on a track.

The first time down the half-mile straight, the M5 piled on the speed as if it were in a vacuum without wind resistance. In what felt like a never-ending surge, and with each seamless, belching upshift, it just never stopped accelerating. All I could say to myself on that first lap and throughout that first sessions was: “Whoa. What. A. Motor!” For me, it defined the car in the morning, making the M5 feel like a uncaged beast that was ready to pick up asphalt and throw it at the cars following—which it did, and BMW reportedly replaced 10 windshields during the event.

ON THE ROAD

I was just getting comfortable. My hands had stopped sweating, and I had learned the track and just how much tail-out was allowed or discouraged by the car. I hadn’t yet dared look at the speedometer at the end of the straight. Too soon, however, the out lap, three hot laps, and one cool down were now behind us. We were assured that because it had rained on a previous group’s track day that there were plenty of M5-bespoke Pirelli P Zeros in the garage and that there would be afternoon hot-lapping. As we had planned, my co-driver for the afternoon road drive was none other than Jonny’s new Head2Head co-host, Jethro Bovington. And waiting for us in the parking lot was an identically equipped 2018 M5: Optional carbon-ceramic brakes (reducing corner weights by 50 pounds collectively), the M Driver’s Pack (raising the speed limiter from 155 to 189 mph), and 20-inch wheels with 275/35R20 and 285/35R20 tires.

The first order of business was to get out of town by negotiating a single roundabout then charging down an onramp onto the A16 headed north. Jethro wasted no time pressing the M2 button, and we blasted down the highway with the sat-nav system gently giving us guidance. It wasn’t long before we had arrived at the first toll station, and I asked Jethro, “If we were to arrive at the next one ‘too soon,’ would you expect to be fined for speeding?”

“I think that’s an urban myth meant to keep people from speeding,” he replied. “I’ve never heard of anybody getting nicked like that in all these years on European A roads. The speed cameras are real, but I don’t believe they time you between toll gates.”

At the first highway transition, Jethro really leaned on the car, and it just stuck to the line. “It’s really good at hiding its weight, isn’t it?” he asked. “The grip is tremendous, and it truly does feel rear drive. And this motor! Gawd.”

After a time we’d gotten off the A-routes and switched seats for the country road portion. At the first corner, I dabbed the brake and only the seat belts kept us from slamming into the dashboard. “Wow, these brakes take some getting used to, right?” I said.

We were going a good clip between towns, and interestingly, the nav system lagged behind so often that we missed several turns by the time we reached junctures. Besides that, the M5 that felt all-conquering on track and on the highway it suddenly felt all knees and elbows; the proverbial bull in a china shop. “Boy is this car big,” I said. “It takes up the entire width of this little road, and I don’t like those game-over drainage troughs one bit.”

The ride quality, too, suffered a great deal on broken pavement and even a short stretch of Belgian blocks through a small Portuguese hamlet. “Yeah, you really, really have to want this M5 to put up with the ride out here in the real world—even on the softest settings, it’s sports-car firm,” Jethro added. “Pretty punishing.” We both wondered why BMW hadn’t ventured into magnetorheological dampers yet. This would seem the perfect candidate for them. Licensing? Hmm.

The conversation continued. “I think most people will be more satisfied with a less-mental M550i xDrive,” Jethro added.

“Agree, but I’m glad they went all in with the M5,” I said. “Let’s get back to the track and queue up.”

SESSION TWO

With the morning’s wisdom, new-found confidence in, and respect for the new M5, we took our place in line for a second opportunity to really probe the car’s limits on fresh tires behind two pro drivers, a DTM champ and Blancpain GT competitor/rising star. No sooner were we belted in our cars, M2 button pressed, than the pros leading the group of three chase M5s at a time wooded the throttle and did a glorious burnout in pit lane. Oh, it was go-fast time alright. The lead M5s were the liveried version of the Moto GP pace car that was curiously shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires—not Pirellis. At any rate we were off and hell bent for leather.

If the morning session was all about appreciating the motor, then the afternoon was devoted to the chassis and driveline and finding the perfect line. The pro drivers were goading us to go faster and faster, and finally, we were at the limit of the car. I finally caught a glimpse of the speedo right before I got on the brakes into Turn One. It read, “270 kph” or 168 mph, to us yanks. No wonder the cars’ top speeds were raised for the event. We would’ve been on the 155-mph limiter well before the first turn. With all three lights indicating the most aggressive transmission mapping, it ripped matched-rev downshifts like a twin-clutch. It’s utterly indistinguishable in shift speed and intelligence. Turn after turn, I grew more confident in adding throttle sooner and sooner coming out of the corner. I found the less-strict limits of MDM mode (still not enough yaw to be truly fun) and switched it off completely. I didn’t delve into 2WD drift mode, but the incongruous thing, however, was that even with DSC shut off, it was so easy to dance the car around the track—clipping curbs, drifting wide on the exits, positioning the car inch-perfect, finding the ABS threshold, and backing off slightly to modulate the brakes into corners. The M5 simply does everything you want it to do and nothing you don’t. The M xDrive system is so fluid that a driver can scarcely detect its carbon-clutch pack shifting power to the front, and the Active M Dynamic differential out back effectively shifts torque side to side without using brakes. The harmony of all of this is astounding and what makes the new M5 deserving of the old, highly revered badge. What a car. What a supremely entertaining and capable super sedan it is.

OK, IT’S GREAT AND ALL. SO WHAT’S THE TARIFF?

How much would you expect to pay for all of this? At this point, only base pricing has been announced at $103,595, or precisely $1,800 below a comparable 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic. Tantalizing, isn’t it? Adding the historical cost of the M5’s carbon-ceramic brakes ($9,250) and the Competition package (now M Driver’s pack) that includes the 20-inch forged aluminum wheels and specific tuning ($7,300) would indicate we were driving M5s that would easily exceed $120,000 before interior options. And it’s worth it. The last E63 S 4Matic we tested cost $145,160. Rest assured, however, that we will line up the next Head2Head with these two cross town rivals in a few months. Their on-paper credentials are startlingly close, and it’ll be a cage match for the ages. Watch this space.

BMW reveals new, standalone range-topping M5 with more power and more M-ness

This is the new BMW M5 Competition. Following the M2 Competition, it signals a new era where M Division’s more focused products come as standalone models, as opposed to being Competition packs.

If that sounds confusing, be assured the rest of its approach is exactly the same as before. So it’s a bit more powerful, a touch stiffer and a bit more assertively styled than the standard M5. A car not known for lacking power, stiffness or assertion…

Its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 is up 24bhp, taking its total output to 616bhp. Which is more than the Mercedes-AMG E63 S. While torque is unchanged – at 553lb ft – it’s available over a slightly wider rev range, slicing the 0-62mph by 0.1sec, to 3.3secs. The top speed is still limited to 155mph, unless you spec the 189mph Driver’s Package, which you can also have on standard M5s.

Staying beneath the skin, the Competition sits 7mm lower with 10 per cent stiffer suspension, while the front wheels are more heavily cambered and the engine mounts are more rigid. The end result, says BMW, is more direct steering and a more ‘obedient nature’, as if the regular M5 is a slightly mischievous dog.

You also get a louder M Sport exhaust system, but the fundamental stuff – the M5’s eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel-drive system, with switchable rear-drive mode – remain unchanged.

Want to know how to spot one? The M5 Competition gets new 20in ‘bi-colour’ wheels – which look extremely vulnerable to urban road furniture – some gloss black trim and, should you end up behind the wheel of one, the addition of the word ‘Competition’ when the digital instrument display starts up.

Pretty subtle then, all told. Prices are yet to be announced, but with the regular M5 costing £89,645, expect this one to edge much closer to £100,000.

If you look at the 5 Series’ lineup right now, you’ll notice there is a pretty big power gap between the M550i xDrive and the top dog M5 in the non-Competition guise. The former offers 455 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (650 Newton-meters) of torque whereas the latter in standard flavor packs 600 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm). BMW will reportedly address this issue next year when it will launch the 2020MY M550i xDrive with the new specification of the biturbo 4.4-liter V8 as seen in the recently introduced M850i xDrive.

Sources close to Munich have told our friends at BMWBLOG the warm version of the 5 Series family could be upgraded to as much as 523 hp to be on a par with the 8 Series by utilizing the new-spec N63 engine. The report doesn’t say anything about torque, but we’re reminding you the M850i has 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) on tap. It goes without saying that adding more oomph will make the M550i xDrive quicker than the current variant, which is already seriously quick by doing 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) in just 3.9 seconds before hitting an electronically capped 155 mph (250 kph).

Interestingly, the report mentions all of BMW’s 50i-badged cars will eventually get the N63 engine, and the X5 xDrive50i together with the equivalent X6 and X7 model are going to receive the M50i badges while sharing the same 523-hp engine. That means if you’re not in a rush to get the recently introduced X5 xDrive50i, it would be better to wait a while for the X5 M50i to come out, quite possibly towards the end of next year when the M550i is also expected to go on sale.

As you are probably aware by now, BMW has been having some problems with the M550i xDrive in Europe where it has to modify the car to make it ready for the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Looking at the German configurator, the model is not listed as only the M550d can be ordered. The engineers have to install an Otto particulate filter to make the gasoline-fueled variant of the midsize sedan WLTP-friendly.

The E39-generation BMW M5 is now, definitively, a modern classic, and values for clean examples are climbing. This is just ridiculous, though. Next week, Gooding & Company will auction this silver 2002 M5 at its Monterey event, where it's expected to fetch between $140,000 and $180,000. No joke.

So, uh, why? It's virtually brand-new. Gooding & Company says the car was purchased by BMW collector Glen Konkle, who bought two of every car, "one to drive and one to preserve." This car was one of the latter group, and it has just 437 miles on its odometer. It even comes with the original introductory VHS BMW supplied with every E39-generation 5-Series.

Amazingly, $180,000 might not be the upper limit for low-mile E39 M5s. Bloomberg spoke with Eric Keller, who owns Enthusiast Auto Group, a dealer that specializes in low-mile BMW M cars like this. "If it was alpine white on black, it would sell for $220,000; if it was blue on caramel, it would sell for $200,000," Keller said.

When considering the relative rarity of E39 M5s—which is increasing, as these things often get beat up—and their status as one of the last old-school M cars, prices like this start to make sense, at least from a collector's perspective. It's still absurd when a quick eBay search turns up a clean 95,000-mile example for $24,000. Spend some time looking, and ratty examples can be had for well under $20,000.

We'll watch this car's auction closely to see what it ends up pulling.

It’s happening again, folks. Another German manufacturer is deliberately understating the performance numbers of a model it produces in the official specs sheets. The vehicle in question is the new BMW M5, which was put on the dyno by the folks over at Evolve Automotive. The tuning studio is preparing to put a lot of work into their M5 and make the car even more capable on the drag strip. But before that, it needed to learn the stock figures of the car and use them as a starting point.

“The time has finally come for us to strap our F90 M5 to the dyno and see what it makes on our Dyno Dynamics dynamometer. The car is still completely stock, and this will give us our baseline figures, along with 1/4 mile and 60-130 mph to begin tuning the car.”

The F90 M5 is rated by BMW at 600 horsepower (441 kilowatts), but the dyno graph shows it actually tops out at 631 hp (470 kW) at 5,750 rpm. The torque curve is equally impressive as it stands above 550 pound-feet (745 Newton-meters) from just over 2,000 rpm to about 5,750 rpm. The peak is at almost 600 lb-ft (813 Nm), significantly more than the stock number of 553 lb-ft (750 Nm).

We already know the new M5 can be tweaked to deliver much more power, and AC Schnitzer’s creation, which is now the fastest M5 around the Nurburgring, has 691 horsepower (515 kilowatts) and 850 Newton-meters (627 pound-feet) of torque from the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. We bet that at even higher turbo boost and further modified engine software the output numbers could go above the 700-hp (523-kW) mark.

The dyno test from the video at the top was performed in AWD mode and we’re just wondering wouldn’t it have given a higher output number in 2WD mode because of less drivetrain loss?

35 years ago, BMW Motorsport GmbH created a new vehicle category. The first high-performance sedan combined the driving dynamics of a sports car with the comfort and functionality of a top-of-the-range 4-door vehicle. Given the name of BMW M5 and powered by an in-line 6-cylinder engine from the mid-engine sports car BMW M1, the new model started an impressive career in which it is currently the BMW M5 Competition (combined fuel consumption: 10.6 - 10.5 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 241 - 238 g/km) that sets the pace. Today the BMW M5 is the world's most successful high-performance sports sedan, continuing to draw its fascination from the racing expertise of the company that is known today as BMW M GmbH. To mark this anniversary, BMW M GmbH presents a special edition of the BMW M5 which has the most powerful engine in the model's history under the bonnet - with an output of 460 kW/625 hp - along with a range of thrilling design and equipment features. The BMW M5 Edition 35 Years will be produced in a limited series of 350 units and will be available worldwide from July 2019.

Over six generations, the driving dynamics potential of the BMW M5 has continuously increased, but the high-performance sedan has constantly remained faithful to its character. As an independent model based on the BMW 5 Series, it offers that crucial extra in terms of performance that authentically expresses a passion for racing. The high-revving concept of the engine, the distinctive suspension technology harmonised perfectly with the high level of engine power and the M specific design features to optimise cooling air intake and aerodynamic properties guarantee driving properties that are defined by maximum dynamic performance, agility and precision - as is typical of the BMW M5.

Anniversary edition with exclusive BMW Individual fittings

The resulting M feeling and the exclusive character of the high-performance sports sedan come to life with particular intensity in the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years. The point of departure for the configuration of the Edition model is provided by the BMW M5 Competition, in which racing-inspired performance reaches a whole new dimension in a sedan. This is due to the V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology, a maximum output of 460 kW/625 hp and a maximum torque of 750 Nm along with the particularly direct engine connection, the distinctively configured suspension technology, the all-wheel drive system M xDrive and the Active M Differential in the rear axle transmission. The driving experience offered by the BMW M5 Competition is defined by powerful thrust, optimum traction, outstanding ride stability and handling that can be controlled precisely at all times. It completes the sprint from standing to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, passing the 200-km/h mark after 10.8 seconds.

The exterior and interior of the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years are as impressive as its driving performance figures. Particularly high-quality M design features developed especially for the Edition model and BMW Individual fittings give the vehicle the status of an exclusive collector's item. Its striking appearance is particularly ensured by the BMW Individual special finish in Frozen Dark Grey metallic which has a special pigmentation to create a silk matt surface impression Newly designed 20-inch M light alloy wheels in Y spoke design and the colour Graphite Grey were created exclusively for the Edition model. In addition, the calipers of the standard M compound brake system are finished in high-gloss black. The M carbon ceramic brake system is optionally available with brake calipers finished in gold.

In addition to M multifunction seats and the BMW Individual Merino full leather trim in black with beige contrast seams, particularly exclusive interior flair is created by the trim finishers in aluminium carbon structure gold anodized - which is presented here for the first time. These finely structured, exclusively shimmering surfaces are to be found in the area of the instrument panel, the door trim sections and the centre console. Door sill finishers bearing the inscription "M5 Edition 35 Jahre" and a lasing engraving with the inscription "M5 Edition 35 Jahre 1/350" on the cupholder cover in the centre console are further distinguishing marks of the Edition vehicles.

The BMW M5: at the top of its segment for 35 years

With its technology and design, the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years provides a particularly authentic embodiment of the philosophy on which the concept of the high-performance sedan is based. The engine, power transmission, suspension and design of the BMW M5 have always formed a carefully harmonised package. Constant engine power delivery across a wide engine speed range is just as much a hallmark feature as the car's agile and safe handling properties on the road, its thrilling driving dynamics on the race track and its stylishly understated appearance.

Even the first generation of the BMW M5 was remarkably inconspicuous, with an appearance that seemed virtually identical to the basic model. This made its engine properties all the more spectacular. The in-line 6-cylinder engine, taken from the BMW M1 and slightly modified, delivered 210 kW/286 hp - 9 hp more than in the legendary mid-engine sports car due to optimised digital engine electronics. "The suspension must always be faster than the engine" - this was the guiding principle for BMW M automobiles at the time, which was why the BMW M5 was given a tightened sports suspension and a high-performance brake system in addition to a reinforced five-speed transmission and a differential lock in the rear axle transmission with a 25 per cent locking effect.

The second generation of the BMW M5 also featured a stylish look: it initially went on the road with an output of 232 kW/315 hp and from 1992 onwards with 250 kW/340 hp. It now included such features as a standard self-levelling suspension on the rear axle to ensure the characteristic balance between race track performance and supreme everyday comfort. In the third generation of the BMW M5 launched in 1998, the two now typical twin rear exhaust pipes first provided a discreet indication of the model's outstanding engine performance. In addition, the V8 engine with 294 kW/400 hp now required considerably enlarged cooling air inlets at the front. The fourth edition of the BMW M5 featured an impressive engine that was even more spectacular than before: a 10-cylinder power unit derived from Formula 1 developed a maximum output of 373 kW/507 hp. In addition, the V10 took the high-revving concept of the M engines to a new extreme - with more than 8 000 rpm and a highly impressive sound.

With the return to the V8 engine in the fifth generation of the BMW M5, 2011 also saw the introduction of turbo technology. Two turbochargers arranged in the V space between the cylinder benches and a cross-cylinder-bench exhaust manifold were the highlights of the high-revving engine with an output of 412 kW/560 hp, whose power was tamed among other things by 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and an Active Differential Lock at the rear axle. The sixth and latest chapter of the BMW M5 success story is once again defined by a V8 engine. With the new power unit, output is increased to 441 kW/600 hp - in the BMW M5 Competition to as high as 460 kW/625 hp. For the first time, the intelligent all-wheel drive system M xDrive contributes to ensuring that engine power goes onto the road with maximum supremacy. It introduces a whole new level of driving dynamics and ensures that the latest and most powerful BMW M5 is easy for the driver to control - even when driven in sporty style and at high output levels.