It’s the original super saloon.
BMW has unveiled the latest version of its iconic M5.
The headline news on the sixth generation M5 is a move to four-wheel drive.
That’s to accommodate a quite astonishing 592bhp – a power output that would be nigh-on impossible to usefully put down through the rear-wheels alone, especially on wet roads.
That power is generated by a 4.4 litre V8 petrol engine with two turbochargers.
It’s capable of 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds with a top speed electronically capped at 155mph.
The gearbox is an eight-speed Steptronic auto and an electronic steering system has three modes depending on how you’re planning to drive.
Die hard M5 fans may be upset that the new model isn’t rear wheel drive, however BMW says its 4×4 system only sends power to the front wheels when the rear wheels lose grip.
M division boss Frank van Meel said: “Thanks to M xDrive, the new BMW M5 offers true rear-wheel-drive-like driving traits as well as significantly enhanced directional stability and controllability right up to the limits of performance, even when driving in adverse conditions such as in the wet or snow.”
The new M5 will go on sale in the UK priced from £89,640 in February next year, following its public unveiling at the Gamescom video game show in Cologne, Germany, this week.
The new model is 55mm longer, 12mm wider and 16mm taller than the model it replaces.
It may be bigger but overall weight is down by 25kg over the outgoing M5 and the new car has a much stiffer chassis.
Despite its supercar-baiting performace figures, the M5 is perfectly happy to masquerade as a comfortable saloon car, with room for four large adults and a 530 litre boot.
jmckeown@thecourier.co.uk