BMW M5 – Mild refresh to keep the M5 ahead of the game
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after the launch of the RS6, the other fast car brand from Germany has followed suit with a seemingly halfhearted attempt of trying to be the top dog. This might not be all that difficult since the new RS6, at least in performance, seemed to not be up to there compared to the competition. The people need the RS6 performance, it is as simple as that, and, for some reason, BMW thought that there was a need to refresh their very successful M5. This also holds for the new E63, which I will write about another time. As always, I will go through everything you need to know about the updated BMW M5.
What BMW has done absolutely right, is to take inspiration from its older classics. The front is sculpted and the lines reminds me of the e39 M5. The rear is a different story. Huge and aggressive lights, which are new, together with a redesigned bumper and dark inserts makes it easy to know that you just got passed by the new M5. Further, new colors are available, such as the one shown in the pictures (Motegi red). Others include Brands Hatch Grey, Tanzanite Blue II metallic, Aventurine Red II metallic and matt Frozen Bluestone metallic. 20-inch M double-spoke wheels from the BMW M8 are also available.
Inside, the changes are also limited, but tasteful. The center screen is now a humongous 12.3 inches. New upholstery, buttons for the driving modes, now called setup and M mode buttons, and a new graphic design of sport and track mode. In the latter years, BMW has really stepped up their interior styling, and they made a good choice of keeping it as it is with the updated M5.
Under the shell, the only changes are shock absorbers from the M8 Gran Coupé and a retuned chassis. The competition is lowered by seven millimeters compared to the standard M5, which BMW claims will help on the track.
Power is the same as before, which means that the engine is the 4.4 L twin turbocharged V8 with 600 hp, or 625 for the competition. 0-100 km/h is done in either 3.4 or 3.3 seconds. Luckily, with Audis introduction of the new RS6, it got absolutely spanked by the M5 comp and the Mercs E63s, which meant that BMW didn’t need to focus their energy on the engine. However, once Audi introduced a performance RS6, things might change. Prices in Germany will start at €120,900 for the BMW M5 and €129,900 for the BMW M5 Competition.