The production version of BMW’s all-new M5 has been spied in testing as it nears its launch in the autumn.
BMW showed a thinly veiled concept version of the new super-saloon at last month’s Shanghai motor show.
It is set to appear in production form at September’s Frankfurt show, complete with revised door sills, front and rear bumpers and wing mirrors, all of which are camouflaged in this test car caught near the Nürburgring.
The new M5’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine makes 552bhp and 510lb ft of torque — a solid 52bhp and 126lb ft more than the outgoing model’s naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10, which is being discontinued after just seven years.
It should be capable of a 0-62mph time of around 4.5sec. Top speed, like all M division cars, will be limited to 155mph, although a longer final drive ratio and taller gearing, made possible by the turbo V8’s hefty torque, lift the theoretical top speed to over 180mph.
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BMW also claims a significant 25 per cent improvement in fuel economy over the outgoing V10, thanks to the inclusion of EfficientDynamic features such as brake energy recuperation, a disengaging alternator and stop-start function.
A four-wheel-drive M5 is also on the cards, to satisfy demand from the snow belt in the US, where all-wheel-drive Mercedes/AMG and Audi models are selling well.
The car will go on sale in the UK in November, priced at around £75k.
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