Thabiso Malimela
Although Father’s Day is already a month behind us, you can still get your dad BMW’s latest iteration of the super-saloon, the M5, which is now available (for the first time ever) in all-wheel drive – which means he can smoke all four tyres while ferrying the whole family to dinner.
Here are some of the interesting bits of the M5:
Powertrain
Under the creased aluminium bonnet sits a 4.4 litre twin-turbocharged V8 masterpiece that makes emotive noises that range from rumbling at low revs and intensifies into a ferocious snarl at higher engine revs – it sounds much like the old one (the F10) but that’s nothing to complain about. Power figures for this new F90 M5 sit at a beefy 447kW and 750N.m of tyre-destroying torque. According to BMW, the M5 is the fastest accelerating car they’ve ever made, and rightly so – 0-100km/h is dealt with in 3.2 seconds and it’ll pass 200km/h 7.7seconds later (11.1 seconds in total). The top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h but BMW will increase it to 305km/h if you give them more money – wait a second, that sounds like a bribe!
Drivetrain
Unlike the M5s of old, the F90 will be offered with BMW’s M xDrive all-wheel drive system which has a variety of settings to alter it’s tyre eating abilities – yikes! Power is sent to all four wheels via a ZF eight speed automatic transmission and on to a rear Active M Differential that achieves different states of lock. The M xDrive system is available in three modes: 4WD, 4WD Sport and finally, a purist-pleasing 2WD mode (these were listed in ascending order of drifty-ness). The M xDrive system works hand in hand with the Dyanamic Stability Control (DSC) to achieve contrasting ways the executive sedan will go around a corner. If you want to shatter lap records, I recommend leaving the DSC off and M xDrive on 4WD Sport. Or, if you’re in the mood for some “smoking”, I recommend leaving the DSC off, M xDrive on 2WD and your will signed.
Exterior
The front is all new as the headlights now feature the signature BMW hexagonal LED design along with a bumper design that is a throwback to the BMW M2 – a great place to draw inspiration from. The rear is a typical BMW “put four exhaust pipes on it and it’ll be alright” style which makes it look like a 3-series facelift. But there’s nothing wrong with keeping it in the family, so no love lost for BMW when it comes to styling. The roof is a double-bubble made from carbon fibre to further lower the centre of gravity of a car that already weighs 1930kg – it’s like spitting on fire really.
Interior – or Cockpit, rather
The dashboard of the M5 looks like a neat freaks desk with all the buttons and dials clearly and ergonomically laid out. The gear selector itself could pass as a cool ornament for a young male adult. However, the red M1 and M2 buttons (adjacent the thumb positions of the steering wheel) look like they were put there by the son of the person who designed this car as they look really out of place. Inside the car, you’ll be able to alter the engines, electric steering and adaptive dampers’ personality between various modes. The engine vary’s from Efficient, Sport and reaches it’s maximum potential in Sport Plus mode. The electric steering and adaptive suspension can be configured between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus depending on driving conditions.
M5 First Edition
To usher the F90 into the world, BMW say they will build 400 worldwide examples of the M5 First Edition. This special edition of a car that is already special will feature a dark red (maroon perhaps?) matte paintjob and surely is going to be more expensive than the regular M5.
Expect this super sedan to be fully introduced in South Africa in the first quarter of 2018, with pricing to be fully revealed before then. If you start saving early enough, you should be alright for Father’s Day 2018.
Listen to the M5 tear up the racetrack:
