The introduction of any new BMW M series is an exciting occasion on the high-performance motoring scene. The latest M5 is of particular interest because it points to the future of engine design in a company famed for its outstanding powerplants.
BMW has taken out no fewer than 55 International Engine of the Year awards – that’s more trophies than every other car company combined. Having just spent a terrific day at Phillip Island raceway at the wheel of several brand new BMW M5s we can testify to the expertise of the latest example of the work of the engineers at BMW.
The newest BMW M5 engine takes an all-new direction. The previous powerplant was a naturally aspirated V8 displacing 5.0 litres, the new unit is slightly down on size, at 4.4 litres, but has two twin-scroll turbochargers that pump in extra air to more than make up for the drop in size. The raw numbers are impressive: power has increased by 10 per cent to 412 kilowatts (that’s 550 horsepower in performance car terms), torque is up by 30 per cent - and fuel consumption is down by an amazing 30 per cent.
And, if it really matters at this end of the market, the price of the BMW M5 has also been trimmed, by $12,000 to $230,000. BMW Australia has added extra standard equipment it estimates to be worth $13,000 so effectively the car is $25,000 better value than before.
Let’s forget about the dollars and start talking about BMW’s superb engineering. By now driving purists will have thrown up their hands in horror at the word ‘turbocharger’ and will be muttering about the dreaded turbo lag. Fear not, because we have never before driven an engine with less lag than this. A lag that’s so short as to be virtually non existent.
The secret is the positioning of the turbos in the centre of the engine’s V. The cylinder heads are in what could be called a ‘back-to-front’ arrangement, with the intakes manifolds on the outside of the block and the exhaust manifolds in the centre of the V. So the engine has ultra-short manifolds sitting only centimetres away from the turbo. The turbos are kept spinning virtually all the time, so winding them up to their full fury when you hit the pedal on the right takes only moments.
This results in the most responsive turbocharged engine we have ever driven. Naturally it has all the usual BMW high-performance features of direct injection, variably timing on all valves by courtesy of the company’s ‘double vanos’ system. We have mentioned the increase in torque is an impressive 30 per cent compared with the outgoing engine. Even more impressive is the fact that the peak torque of 680 Nm is available all the way from 1500 to 5750 revs. The torque graph looks less like a peak and more like a table!
Sit that engine in front of a seven-speed double-clutch transmission with very fast changes – that can be electronically improved to lightening fast changes when the driver is in the mood – and you have some exciting motoring at your beck and call. Double-clutch transmissions are recognised for their performance and economy benefits but can be jerky and irritating in slow stop-start driving, particularly at very slow speed such as in heavy traffic. However, a special low-speed electronic mode has been developed by BMW to smooth out the transmission.
BMW was one of the first to use an automated manual transmission – Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) in its terms – and it was a shocker. This latest unit totally cancels out all memories of the SMG and shows how automated manual gearboxes can be done.
The latest BMW M5 is a stunning piece of automotive engineering that can be used as a peaceful daily commuter, or taken to the track at weekends and turned into a fire-breathing monster. Simply change the multitude of settings on offer for the engine, transmission, differential and suspension and you transform this car in moments.
There’s plenty of good news listed above, the bad news is that if you haven’t already put a deposit on the new BMW M5 then you are staring at a waiting list of at least three months.
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