2011 M5: Now with V8 and KERS ?

[D-Fence]

BMW has been hitting the Ring with the prototypes of the new M5, and they have additional cooling intakes in the front:





Rumor was it has a biturbo slapped to the V10, but it looks more and more like it has the X5M and X6Ms Biturbo V8 with 555hp and a Kers-like system ..... could reach around 600 with Kers.

This might be fun

[_HighVoltage_]

Meh. I think 500hp was enough in the M5. I don't think 100 extra (or whatever) is going to make a big difference.

[matt2000]

Put a NitroTurboCharger on it and go drink some cold beer.

[MadCow809]

Sounds pretty good.

[stevanford1]

Originally Posted by D-Fence

Rumor was it has a biturbo slapped to the V10, but it looks more and more like it has the X5M and X6Ms Biturbo V8 with 555hp and a Kers-like system ..... could reach around 600 with Kers.

I read a few months ago that they were going twin turbo V8 from the X5M and X6M. Inclusion of KERS is interesting considering their F1 team just stopped using it and announced they won't be using it again this season.

[vRS]

R.I.P. BMW M cars

No more glorious N/A engines. Idiots. (if true)

There making the M5 shiter and shiter.

[Aston Martin]

That bottom picture has been around for years.

[Hidden_Hunter]

I'd hazard a guess that even a twin turbo v8 is cheaper to make than their v10

[Ilpav]

Those are some ugly ass intakes.

[Wizegui]

Why would the more fuel efficient, more powerful, and more torquey twin turbo V8 be inferior to a peaky normally aspirated V10 that's probably more complex and expensive to produce?

[Der Stig]

If they don't offer a manual gearbox, I'm going to Muenchen and punch some M-Division people in the face. And then roundhouse kick them for the new Z4.

[Disciple]

Originally Posted by vRS

R.I.P. BMW M cars

No more glorious N/A engines. Idiots. (if true)

There making the M5 shiter and shiter.

... And you're one of their loyal customers are you? What was the last brand new M5 you bought from BMW?

Originally Posted by Hidden_Hunter

I'd hazard a guess that even a twin turbo v8 is cheaper to make than their v10

Not only cheaper, it'll be lighter, more economical, produce less emissions, have more power and more torque. Of course being lighter will mean better turn in, less understeer, more balance, better weight distribution, better acelleration, higher top speed. I don't see the problem here people. Turbo engines are the future if manufactures want to make big HP while staying true to emissions targets.

[JohnnyRacer]

My favorite M5 is still the E39. I loved driving it.

[thedguy]

Why don't they pull a Nissan (with the 370) and instead of just trying to throw more power at it, as that is the Americans job, try tossing out some of that weight?

[bartboy9891]

Originally Posted by thedguy

Why don't they pull a Nissan (with the 370) and instead of just trying to throw more power at it, as that is the Americans job, try tossing out some of that weight?

Because they've recently been out-gunned and they think they need headline grabbing numbers. Just last year, BMW claimed that their M cars wouldn't need to go the forced induction route. It looks like that's out the window.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by Disciple

Not only cheaper, it'll be lighter, more economical, produce less emissions, have more power and more torque. Of course being lighter will mean better turn in, less understeer, more balance, better weight distribution, better acelleration, higher top speed. I don't see the problem here people. Turbo engines are the future if manufactures want to make big HP while staying true to emissions targets.

What makes you think a twin turbo V8 will be lighter than an N/A V10? Those turbos add quite a bit of weight to the engine. Add to that all the extra plumbing required plus intercooler(s) and you may end up with either similar or extra weight.

N/A produces power differently and is generally considered to be a more sporty engine. I think turbo might have been the wrong way to go with the M cars a belt driven supercharger would have faired better. Audi did that with their S4/5 and all the reviews rave about it.

[Hercules286]

Ultimately, a performance luxury car is about performance... And luxury. It was no DTM racer to begin with.

[Disciple]

Originally Posted by prizrak

What makes you think a twin turbo V8 will be lighter than an N/A V10? Those turbos add quite a bit of weight to the engine. Add to that all the extra plumbing required plus intercooler(s) and you may end up with either similar or extra weight.

N/A produces power differently and is generally considered to be a more sporty engine. I think turbo might have been the wrong way to go with the M cars a belt driven supercharger would have faired better. Audi did that with their S4/5 and all the reviews rave about it.

If you can find the weights for each engine would make for a good comparison. The V10 in the BMW was always a heavy engine from what I've always read.

High revving NA engines sound great, but lose driveability due to low torque levels at sedate city driving RPMs. With 600Nm on tap from 1750RPM, it'll make the car far more driveable. Isn't an M5 a luxury GT cruiser anyway, not a balls out race car?

[stiggles]

KERS, eh? Just means that it'll be impossible to overtake it on the motorway.
BMW seems to be rather good at twin-turboing stuff these days, so we'll have to wait and see.

[MadCat360]

I don't see the value in KERS.