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Written by Jeff Seabrook
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Friday September 17, 2004 |
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Page 1 of 4
1.World premiere of the new BMW M5.
(Short story)
The ultimate in sports saloon motoring has got a name: M5. This finest 5 Series vehicle is the most powerful of all time: five litres of cubic capacity,
ten cylinders, a maximum output of 507 bhp (373 kW), a peak torque
of 520 Newton metres and engine speeds redlining at 8,000 rpm, these are figures that speak for themselves. In an unprecedented way, these figures
blur the lines between a car for everyday use and a vehicle for ambitious motor sport racing.
A successful recipe for two decades: power without overstatement.
With its performance figures, the fourth-generation M5 once again sets the benchmark in the segment of powerful sports saloons, a niche which the first M5 carved for itself back in 1984. During the last 20 years, this first M5 and all its successors have made their mark, always setting the standard as a perfect symbiosis of a comfortable, elegant saloon for everyday use,
abundant output delivered by a powerful engine and ultimate sportiness.
With sales figures exceeding 20,000, the M5 has proved to be an economically successful concept which combines prodigious performance with understatement, a basic feature of all M automobiles.
This principle reaches its culmination in the new M5: this "extreme athlete" with its subtle appearance and the seemingly endless power of its ten-cylinder high-revving engine, which interacts perfectly with the seven-speed SMG gearbox, introduces the driver to completely new dimensions of effortlessness. To put it in a nutshell: in its class, which it shares with top-class competitors, the M5 excels due to the most innovative drive concept, the best power-to-weight ratio, supreme handling and excellent everyday driving qualities. It is a fully roadworthy saloon with the heart of an athlete, a sports car which is perfectly suited for everyday motoring. The new M5 skilfully combines these two virtues.
First high-revving V10 engine to be featured in
a regular-production saloon.
The V10 is the only high-revving power unit to be featured in a series-production car. Featured in the most powerful production car within the BMW model family, this new engine once again sets the benchmark in its class.
There is, however, more to it than pure performance. What is important for M automobiles is acceleration and driving dynamics, the latter which is dependent on the actual forward thrust and the vehicle's weight. The drive forces at the driven wheels are significantly influenced by the engine torque and the total ratio. The high-revving concept caters for an optimum transmission and rear-axle ratio, thus guaranteeing an impressive forward thrust.
The perfect choice: high-revving concept.
For the BMW M engineers the compact, high-revving normally aspirated engine was the ideal choice. With a red line of 8,250 rpm, the ten-cylinder engine has ventured into terrain which has so far been reserved for red-blooded racing cars. Compared to the previous M5 eight-cylinder engine, performance has increased by more than 25 percent. The M5 has also surpassed the magical 100 bhp per litre limit, its specific output being on
par with that of racing cars.
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Thursday December 04, 2008
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