2018 BMW M5: Here It Is, With 600 HP and All-Wheel Drive
Let's cut right to the chase: for the first time ever, this M5 comes with all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission.
Primarily, it sends most of its power to the rear wheels, only diverting some to the front when its needed. Except in 2WD mode. Yes, the M5 offers a setting that disconnects the front axle entirely, turning it into a crazy drift machine.
The previous two generations of M5 were offered with optional dual-clutch transmissions, but this one is getting an eight-speed automatic with a proper torque converter. There is no manual option.
The new M5's engine is a development of the old model's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that now offers 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. That motor combined with the M5's new all-wheel drive system and automatic gearbox results in silly fast acceleration. Sixty mph comes up in 3.2 seconds and 124 mph arrives in 11.1. Top speed, when equipped with the optional M Driver's Package, is 189 mph.
The old M5 weighed 4300 lbs on our scales, while BMW says the new one weighs 4255 lbs.