Seville, Spain—When you first look at the specifications of the new M5, you might assume that BMW made its fifth-generation model tamer than its predecessor, what with two fewer cylinders than before. But as you look at the data more closely, you discover that not only does the new M5 possess more power, it’s 30 percent more fuel efficient than the model it replaces…but let’s start with the important stuff, the part about more power.
Simply put, the new M5, codenamed F10, is discreetly wicked. We sampled its performance at the Ascari Race Resort, a scenic-yet-challenging private racetrack outside of Seville, Spain, where the new M5 felt and sounded more like an exotic sports car than a midsize sports sedan. The 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, dubbed the S63Tü, produces a whopping 560 bhp from 6000 to a screaming 7000 rpm, with peak torque of 502 lb.-ft. coming between a low 1500 rpm to 5750. That’s an increase of 60 bhp and 119 lb.-ft. of torque when compared to the outgoing model’s V-10. BMW calls this turbocharging system “M Twin Power,” where the two twin-scroll turbochargers are placed within the “V” of the engine (see “M5 Tech”). The M Twin Power package also includes Valve-tronic (a first for M cars) and Vanos variable valve-timing system, a slick new cross-bank exhaust manifold and high-precision direct fuel injection. While this powerplant is indeed similar to the S63 engines in the X5 M and X6 M, they are in fact quite different, sharing only the block—everything else is new, including the heads, turbochargers and exhaust manifold.
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