Officially Official - 2018 600hp BMW M5

Mook

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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.

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Mike K

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Apr 11, 2008
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I love my BMWs but I'm not entirely impressed by the numbers here relative to what they gave up. The car became more complicated, lost rear wheel drive (I know there's a RWD mode) and lost the DCT transmission for a bump of just 40hp and a drop of 4/10ths from the 0-60 time. An improvement no doubt but not quite leading the charge any longer.

0-60 in 3.2 seconds (likely under super ideal conditions) does not seem that impressive any longer. The M5 used to be the benchmark for performance sedans.

And before anyone makes this a Tesla thing, let me just state that I was planning on making a post today about how the last generation (2011-2016) 535 is probably the best deal in terms of performance sedans right now and that's a car that scoots to 60 in 5.4 seconds. There's a 535 in my driveway right now and it's taking every ounce of self control to give it back to it's owner because it is just an absolutely amazing overall machine.

It just seems like BMW gave up a lot for a nominal gain. In 10 years the M5 has gone from being a true 4 door exotic sedan with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and and lightning fast semi-automatic transmission to just being another high powered executive sedan and if that's all it is you may as well just get the M550.
 

Chet Donnelly

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I love my BMWs but I'm not entirely impressed by the numbers here relative to what they gave up. The car became more complicated, lost rear wheel drive (I know there's a RWD mode) and lost the DCT transmission for a bump of just 40hp and a drop of 4/10ths from the 0-60 time. An improvement no doubt but not quite leading the charge any longer.

0-60 in 3.2 seconds (likely under super ideal conditions) does not seem that impressive any longer. The M5 used to be the benchmark for performance sedans.

And before anyone makes this a Tesla thing, let me just state that I was planning on making a post today about how the last generation (2011-2016) 535 is probably the best deal in terms of performance sedans right now and that's a car that scoots to 60 in 5.4 seconds. There's a 535 in my driveway right now and it's taking every ounce of self control to give it back to it's owner because it is just an absolutely amazing overall machine.

It just seems like BMW gave up a lot for a nominal gain. In 10 years the M5 has gone from being a true 4 door exotic sedan with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and and lightning fast semi-automatic transmission to just being another high powered executive sedan and if that's all it is you may as well just get the M550.
Whats amazing to me...is BMW is touting the 3.2 second 0-60, and it is still not as fast as the Model S.

This is a cool car for sure, but once again, for the price I just don't see the value over a Model S.
 

Mike K

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Apr 11, 2008
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Whats amazing to me...is BMW is touting the 3.2 second 0-60, and it is still not as fast as the Model S.

This is a cool car for sure, but once again, for the price I just don't see the value over a Model S.

Fuck man, come on. Stop trolling me. :rofl:

You won't find a bigger Model S fanboy on this site than me but this car would run circles around an S in any metric but 0-60. Independent of that I think they gave up too much to gain too little.

But just to stir the shit pot a bit, it's not even as fast as the two year old P85D's 3.1 seconds to 60 which is honestly why I thought they'd really make a push to get it sub-3 seconds. Nobody is asking for Hellcat/ P100D acceleration in what's supposed to be an all around track car but then again, nobody's asking for all wheel drive and a torque converter transmission in an all around track car. So who's this car for then? It seems like it has an identity crisis which is why the M550 appears to be the better car.
 

Chet Donnelly

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Honestly though, the Model S looks better, has more seating, and is an overall "cooler" car.

Can the M5 go around a track better? Sure, but who is buying any of these sedans to take around a road course? Model S will smoke these at stoplights all day long, and that is what the competition will be 99.99% of the time.
 

sickmint79

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Mar 2, 2008
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Whats amazing to me...is BMW is touting the 3.2 second 0-60, and it is still not as fast as the Model S.

This is a cool car for sure, but once again, for the price I just don't see the value over a Model S.

you act like there is no diminishing ROI for this one metric of straight line speed and as if it (and 1/4 mi) are the only numbers that matter for a car. it's ridiculous to start.

chasing some EV 0-60 in particular only seems a worthwhile endeavor if one is going more complicated and making some type of full EV or hbyrid hypercar in the first place, not some mainstream or top trim level sedan.

I love my BMWs but I'm not entirely impressed by the numbers here relative to what they gave up. The car became more complicated, lost rear wheel drive (I know there's a RWD mode) and lost the DCT transmission for a bump of just 40hp and a drop of 4/10ths from the 0-60 time. An improvement no doubt but not quite leading the charge any longer.

0-60 in 3.2 seconds (likely under super ideal conditions) does not seem that impressive any longer. The M5 used to be the benchmark for performance sedans.

And before anyone makes this a Tesla thing, let me just state that I was planning on making a post today about how the last generation (2011-2016) 535 is probably the best deal in terms of performance sedans right now and that's a car that scoots to 60 in 5.4 seconds. There's a 535 in my driveway right now and it's taking every ounce of self control to give it back to it's owner because it is just an absolutely amazing overall machine.

It just seems like BMW gave up a lot for a nominal gain. In 10 years the M5 has gone from being a true 4 door exotic sedan with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and and lightning fast semi-automatic transmission to just being another high powered executive sedan and if that's all it is you may as well just get the M550.

isn't the 550 generally considered to have a big brute of an engine but not be (comparatively) nearly as nimble as an M5 (separate argument of whether that is worth the $) - when push comes to shove does not the M5 now and of the future put down more smiles/fun/faster everything times than the 550? you sound disappointed (ok) but what would have made you not disappointed, and at what point is it even really worth the effort to reach those heights? this car could have had 700 or 800 horsepower too, but then what? 99% of the people who buy it just to go starbucks with it anyway. you can tool around in the california hills but your average person is nowhere near the limits of either car. once you're at 700 hp you have all sorts of new heating and other issues to solve, even more as you go up of course. at what point is that even worth doing for top trim of a sedan, where most owners couldn't even push an e28 M5 and who pick an M5 over a 550 anyway just to tell people that they own and drive one? like i struggle to understand how anyone could feel sheepish about this car.
 

Mike K

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Apr 11, 2008
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isn't the 550 generally considered to have a big brute of an engine but not be (comparatively) nearly as nimble as an M5 (separate argument of whether that is worth the $) - when push comes to shove does not the M5 now and of the future put down more smiles/fun/faster everything times than the 550?

See that's the thing right... The 550 with the sport package was always a ridiculously agile car. I had the pleasure of rolling down Mulholland in an M-Sport 535i the other day with the passive M-Sport suspension and in terms of a street car, I can't imagine either it or an M5 coming anywhere near the limits, even on a complex stretch of pavement like Mulholland, driving anywhere near the legal threshold.

That's one of the points I made when I wrote my article about the 535 being better than the M5 for basically anyone but those that were planning on tracking their car: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/10-reasons-the-e60-535i-is-better-than-the-m5-1608323644

And so armed with that knowledge, you'd buy the M5 because it's faster or because you planned on taking it to the track but let's be honest, almost nobody is taking them to the track and of those that would, how many do you think would be happy with a slush box? A competent slush box but a torque converter auto nonetheless? So in sacrificing that equipment they really remove some of that track-worthiness (in my opinion) which reduces this to a really fast street car for me and there's plenty of those already. No doubt it's an impressive piece of kit but relative to the 4 door exotic car it once was, the current setup is pretty meh.


you sound disappointed (ok) but what would have made you not disappointed, and at what point is it even really worth the effort to reach those heights? this car could have had 700 or 800 horsepower too, but then what? 99% of the people who buy it just to go starbucks with it anyway. you can tool around in the california hills but your average person is nowhere near the limits of either car. once you're at 700 hp you have all sorts of new heating and other issues to solve, even more as you go up of course. at what point is that even worth doing for top trim of a sedan, where most owners couldn't even push an e28 M5 and who pick an M5 over a 550 anyway just to tell people that they own and drive one? like i struggle to understand how anyone could feel sheepish about this car.

For such a modest bump in power, I don't understand why they had to ditch the DCT. So the loss of the DCT to me is a disappointment. But if you are going to lose that then I think it would have been fun to dive a bit deeper into the 0-60 wars to justify the switch to all wheel drive and the loss of DCT. Then again, as I'm searching for cars to compare it to, it appears 3.2 is still stupid fast in terms of sedans. So maybe my performance expectations are a bit unreasonable. That said, I genuinely don't understand the loss of the DCT and I think that will be a deal breaker for many. With the M550 being more sport oriented than the outgoing 550i and offering a 0-60 time equal to the outgoing M5, that seems like the car to buy. You can have your cake and eat it too.
 

sickmint79

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Mar 2, 2008
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See that's the thing right... The 550 with the sport package was always a ridiculously agile car. I had the pleasure of rolling down Mulholland in an M-Sport 535i the other day with the passive M-Sport suspension and in terms of a street car, I can't imagine either it or an M5 coming anywhere near the limits, even on a complex stretch of pavement like Mulholland, driving anywhere near the legal threshold.

That's one of the points I made when I wrote my article about the 535 being better than the M5 for basically anyone but those that were planning on tracking their car: deadspin-quote-carrot-aligned-w-bgr-2<\/title><path d="M10,3.5l3-3,3,3Z" style="fill:%23fff;stroke:%23fff"/><path d="M0,3.5H10l3-3,3,3H26" style="fill:none;stroke:%231b3a4d"/><\/svg>')}.f_branding_on.blog-group-deadspin .editor-inner.post-content .pu

And so armed with that knowledge, you'd buy the M5 because it's faster or because you planned on taking it to the track but let's be honest, almost nobody is taking them to the track and of those that would, how many do you think would be happy with a slush box? A competent slush box but a torque converter auto nonetheless? So in sacrificing that equipment they really remove some of that track-worthiness (in my opinion) which reduces this to a really fast street car for me and there's plenty of those already. No doubt it's an impressive piece of kit but relative to the 4 door exotic car it once was, the current setup is pretty meh.




For such a modest bump in power, I don't understand why they had to ditch the DCT. So the loss of the DCT to me is a disappointment. But if you are going to lose that then I think it would have been fun to dive a bit deeper into the 0-60 wars to justify the switch to all wheel drive and the loss of DCT. Then again, as I'm searching for cars to compare it to, it appears 3.2 is still stupid fast in terms of sedans. So maybe my performance expectations are a bit unreasonable. That said, I genuinely don't understand the loss of the DCT and I think that will be a deal breaker for many. With the M550 being more sport oriented than the outgoing 550i and offering a 0-60 time equal to the outgoing M5, that seems like the car to buy. You can have your cake and eat it too.

in the end, both are flappy paddles, isn't all i care about that from old to new that the shift is as fast if not faster - which it seems to be? it would be particularly interesting for going down 2 gears instead of just 1.
 

EmersonHart13

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I love my BMWs but I'm not entirely impressed by the numbers here relative to what they gave up. The car became more complicated, lost rear wheel drive (I know there's a RWD mode) and lost the DCT transmission for a bump of just 40hp and a drop of 4/10ths from the 0-60 time. An improvement no doubt but not quite leading the charge any longer.

0-60 in 3.2 seconds (likely under super ideal conditions) does not seem that impressive any longer. The M5 used to be the benchmark for performance sedans.

And before anyone makes this a Tesla thing, let me just state that I was planning on making a post today about how the last generation (2011-2016) 535 is probably the best deal in terms of performance sedans right now and that's a car that scoots to 60 in 5.4 seconds. There's a 535 in my driveway right now and it's taking every ounce of self control to give it back to it's owner because it is just an absolutely amazing overall machine.

It just seems like BMW gave up a lot for a nominal gain. In 10 years the M5 has gone from being a true 4 door exotic sedan with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and and lightning fast semi-automatic transmission to just being another high powered executive sedan and if that's all it is you may as well just get the M550.

I could use a good ole Mike K review, BRING IT
 

SinisterSHO

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Jul 20, 2007
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I love my BMWs but I'm not entirely impressed by the numbers here relative to what they gave up. The car became more complicated, lost rear wheel drive (I know there's a RWD mode) and lost the DCT transmission for a bump of just 40hp and a drop of 4/10ths from the 0-60 time. An improvement no doubt but not quite leading the charge any longer.

0-60 in 3.2 seconds (likely under super ideal conditions) does not seem that impressive any longer. The M5 used to be the benchmark for performance sedans.

And before anyone makes this a Tesla thing, let me just state that I was planning on making a post today about how the last generation (2011-2016) 535 is probably the best deal in terms of performance sedans right now and that's a car that scoots to 60 in 5.4 seconds. There's a 535 in my driveway right now and it's taking every ounce of self control to give it back to it's owner because it is just an absolutely amazing overall machine.

It just seems like BMW gave up a lot for a nominal gain. In 10 years the M5 has gone from being a true 4 door exotic sedan with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and and lightning fast semi-automatic transmission to just being another high powered executive sedan and if that's all it is you may as well just get the M550.
:squint:
 

Pressure Ratio

....
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My ADD won't let me read all of Mike K's posts lol But BMW has stated the dual clutch trans will be dropping from it's cars. The dual clutch is expensive. The standard automatics are super quick shifting, have 8 & 10 speeds nowadays, and strong lock-up converters. The reason to have a dual clutch trans was needed when standard automatics sucked.

As far as the N/A motor for the car, I agree they were cool. But smaller engines with turbos are they way of the future. Hard to get away from that.

The AWD I can only see as they felt the power was too much for just real wheel drive.
 

Bru

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The ZF eight speed is a brute. Look what they're doing with it in the Hellcat; Demon included. And at BMW, it's what's behind the V-12 TT M760, which will soon be the second-fastest accelerating BMW when this M5 launches.
 

Mike K

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Apr 11, 2008
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Actually, I was going to message you today and ask how long before the current generation m5 comes down in price because the new one is released.

lol. You don't want one of those turds anyhow. Awesome cars under warranty but a quick trip to bankruptcy once they're out.

My ADD won't let me read all of Mike K's posts lol But BMW has stated the dual clutch trans will be dropping from it's cars. The dual clutch is expensive. The standard automatics are super quick shifting, have 8 & 10 speeds nowadays, and strong lock-up converters. The reason to have a dual clutch trans was needed when standard automatics sucked.

As far as the N/A motor for the car, I agree they were cool. But smaller engines with turbos are they way of the future. Hard to get away from that.

The AWD I can only see as they felt the power was too much for just real wheel drive.


You got me on everything but the last one. Automatic transmissions are lightning quick now and the ZF 8 speeds BMW use are top notch. Maybe the demographic that's driving these cars to Chipotle won't care about that. The market is shifting towards turbo cars as well. You know what I think I was hoping to see? Some sort of I8 type setup where you have a couple small electric motors to boost off the line power and take advantage of that switch to all wheel drive.

I guess my expectations were just unreasonable.
 
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