Take five for the new M5

The fifth generation, 2012 BMW M5 saloon is now on sale in the UK and it’s priced at £73,040 OTR. But for this bank manager-bothering pricetag, you will get a car with the most powerful production engine yet made by BMW.

Power is up by 10% on the last model - 560bhp from a TwinPower Turbo V8 to be precise - and fuel consumption is down 30% to 28.5mpg on the combined cycle. It’ll take you to 62mph in 4.4 seconds, top speed is 155mph and there’s 501lb-ft of torque. If anyone is thinking about the environment at those speeds, CO2 emissions are at 232g/km.

BMW boffins have improved the differential with the new Active M diff for comfort on the open road and track car dynamics when you fancy thrashing it. The gearbox is a seven-speed double clutch that features all the latest transmission kit from BMW: Drivelogic and Efficient Dynamics technology along with Auto Start-Stop and Brake Energy Regeneration. There’s a manual option, called “S” and a fully automated option called “D” as well as other modes to choose at the push of a button on the centre console, Efficient, Sport and Sport Plus to suit different driving conditions.

Even the chassis is smart - the Active M diff is electronically controlled so it can intervene to control wheelspin and keep the car on the road. The control unit is connected via FlexRay high-speed data transfer (which sounds very space age) to the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system to calculate the locking force needed.

There are even more fancy acronyms keeping the car safe as well as agile with the DSC system linked to the anti-lock brakes (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assistant, Brake Fade Compensation, Brake Drying function and Start-off Assistant. By pressing the DSC button the driver can override the basic settings and select M Dynamic Mode (MDM) to raise intervention thresholds or turn them off completely.

BMW fans can expect a true driver’s car - and a relaxed cruiser when that’s more appropriate too. Even in this era of austerity, BMW UK has high hopes for M5 sales and expects to sell around 550 fifth-generation M5 Saloons in the first full year.

www.bmw.co.uk





















































By Georgia Lewis

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