BMW has tweaked up the M5’s styling to match a recent 5 Series model facelift, but along with the facial refresh, the new M5 can now be had with the rather tempting-sounding Competition Package, making it the most powerful production Beemer ever. The rear-driving super-saloon with this £6,700 power-up will now push 575bhp; up from 560bhp. The to-62mph sprint of 4.2 seconds is too a BMW record-breaker. The super-saloon market just got really spicy!
There’s been a raft of big-bhp figures coming out of Germany recently, with the super-saloon gunslingers – Audi, BMW and Mercedes – all jacking up the horsepower of their full-size saloons to the point where 600bhp and more can only be the next step. Yes, 600bhp saloons. It’s incredible. With the addition quite recently of turbochargers to already pretty big capacity engines, it’s now far easier to eke out a little extra grunt by way of a turbo boost increase than it is to tune extra horses out of a naturally-aspirated engine. And so the power figures continues to climb.
BMW further prod the competition with their new Competition Package for the M5. You can get it for the M6 too, with the same power increases to the same engine. But, on the M5, it goes a little something like this: 575bhp, 680Nm of torque, 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds (down from 4.4 secs) , 155mph top speed (limited), 28.5mpg combined and 232g/km of CO2. Basically, a super-rapid, rear-driving, big-drifting saloon that’s not too shocking on fuel or emissions. All for £80,205, and coming to BMW dealers soon.
Wrapped around the extra engine grunt like a snug-fitting, logo-heavy racesuit are some sweet styling upgrades for the new M5 C.P. too. The pilot gets new interior trim and upholstery choices, a new M steering wheel with M DCT paddles, with these paddles and the power pedal now linked to an M Dynamic Mode (MDM) that’s tuned to allow higher thresholds of slip before the DSC cuts in; working with the active M Differential at the rear. The Competition Package also includes Sport suspension settings, Sport steering, a Sport exhaust with black chrome exhaust tailpipes and a set of handsome and exclusive 20-inch double-spoke M light-alloy wheels.
The ‘standard’ BMW M5 is already a big bit of a beast, but those that insist on the sharpest of claws can now add the new Competition Package for a cost of £6,700, on top of the £73,505 M5 base price. You’d be mad not to!
By Dan Anslow
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