Today marks the public release of the all new BMW Concept M5 ahead of its formal debut in Shanghai.
Now as you may have quickly noticed, the word 'concept' sits between BMW and M5, meaning this car is not yet the full production vehicle. In typical BMW M fashion, first a "concept" version of the car is rolled out to the public, in order to showcase what the car will look like, painted in stunning Chrome Shadow. After this car has been shown to the world, the full production version will then be released (including the technical details).
Styling
Here is what we know about the 5th Generation M5. Following the base F10 5-Series' intention, this car strikes a more subtle aesthetic look in the M car lineup, reflecting its more mature personality. No extra vents or hood bumps are to be found on the M5, only the performance requisite M front and rear aprons and a subtle rear lip spoiler. In fact, the most striking feature of the M5 is going to be the chrome front fender vents, which have an all new take when compared to M vents of the past. Overall, there is a good visual balance. Q car fans can get this car in a dark color and pass under the radar; those that want to stand out a bit more can dress the car in a bright defining color and there will be no mistaking the M trademarks, especially from the rear view mirror (see image above
Engine
The technical details, including the most important one: Horsepower, is still a closely guarded secret by BMW. What BMW does say is that the engine is significantly increased in output level. The engine will indeed utilize a high-revving V8 with M TwinPower Turbos, albeit different from the X5/6 M. BMW claims to have been to at the same time increase performance and fuel efficiency, when compared to the V10 unit in the previous M5. The increase in fuel efficiency on the F10 M5 is up by a staggering 25%.
Accompanying this engine is a standard7-speed M DCT with M Drivelogic and of course the M-specific suspension. M Drivelogic will also incorporate Start-Stop technology. No word as of yet on a manual transmission option. In our interview with Dr. Kay Segler, outgoing M chief, the question was asked and BMW would neither confirm or deny.
M Differential
BMW makes note to remind us that the M5 has been tested and tuned on the Nurburgring, as we know, thats what makes our BMW's drive the way we like them to. For the M5, a special Active M Differential was developed to optimize vehicle stability using targeted variation of locking torque between the right and left drive wheels. Active control of the multi-plate lock inside the rear differential is highly accurate and fast. This ensures that wheel spin is prevented even on slippery road surfaces and in the event of differing friction coefficients between the right and left wheels, in narrow bends or during sudden lane changes. M differential is so important to maintaining true M car stability and acceleration.
Wheels/Tires
BMW has shod the M5 with M-specific double spoke wheels, which are reminiscent of the lightweight pieces used on the X6M,the 20" forged wheels are shod with 265/35 ZR20 on the front and 295/30 ZR20 on the rear, we are still not sure if this is the final tire spec for the production vehicle, but we would assume so.
BMW Concept M5
このたびの東日本大震災 
