The 2018 BMW M5 spins all four wheels, hasn't lost character
The 2018 BMW M5 spins all four wheels, hasn't lost character
8:23

The 2018 BMW M5 spins all four wheels, hasn't lost character

Cars
[BLANK_AUDIO] Welcome to Portugal someone in Lisbon and the launch of the brand new BMW F90 M5. It's for 553 lb/ft of torque. 592 break horse power but the big news is that now some of that power is now going to the front wheels. So, we though M Xdrive, clearly it wants us to take it off road. I'm only joking, that's the real reason we're here let's go see if it's any fun. [MUSIC] Having managed to extract the M5 from our rocky retreat without any embarrassing punctures, we headed straight for the circuit. [UNKNOWN] was built in 1976 and hosted Formula One races between 1984 and 1996 So as a child I remember avidly listening to Maurie Walker's commentary with the likes of Andrea [UNKNOWN] and [UNKNOWN] Today it has a slightly faded glory to its infrastructure which somehow only adds to the nostalgic appeal. And the circuit itself is fantastic to drive. Designed to begin in appropriate fashion on the front row With remote control start. So at [UNKNOWN], we're pretty much pole position, at [UNKNOWN]. When Grand Prix cars first came in, they probably wouldn't accelerate as quickly as this is about to. MDM mode, sport plus, drive. See how we go. Left goot haul on the brake. [SOUND] Yeah that's 100 miles an hour Wow. [LAUGH] MW claims an entirely believeablet 3.4 seconds for the sprint to 62 miles per hour, matching Mercedes E63SMG. Perhaps with more interest is it's second quicker than the old rear wheel drive M5. Showing just how much traction those front wheels add. Afterall, the 4.4 Liter twin turbo V-8, now with electric waste gates on the turbos, has gained less than 10% in terms of power and torque over the old car. But what effect has the addition of a center clutch and front drive shafts had on the handling? So what we're going to do now, is if we turn DSC all the way. Off. Then gives us options to configure in X drive. This is where it gets fun. So we'll try 4 wheel drive sport with DSC. We'll lay off and see how that works. This is tame here. It's sort of uphill. [SOUND] It's really Okay, really really fast, but you can just hold that little bit of angle, not too much steering out there, and that throttle, constant throttle and it will help your angle slide, you also get better turning with a four wheel drive sport So it's really nice particularly when you're just lining the circle, the tricky double A pack set seems to [INAUDIBLE] in the exit, [SOUND] it's a really could circle it is, you do still feel the weight of this car undeniably but that's half the excitement I think with these things it's actually just managing the wait [BLANK_AUDIO] Being it moves around. We've now got an eight speed auto as opposed to the seven speed [UNKNOWN] clutch. And on off shifts, it [UNKNOWN]. Just occasionally when you're driving you don't quite get the crispness that you'd expect with the [UNKNOWN] clutch box. It was pretty good. And I think makes it, should make it. A better road car, [UNKNOWN] two wheel drive [UNKNOWN] off. See how that feels. Have they sanitized the M5? We're about to find out. [SOUND]. [BLANK_AUDIO] Nope. It's just so nicely balanced. [LAUGH] When it's up over there, for a big car it becomes insanely [UNKNOWN] really. [BLANK_AUDIO] [LAUGH] I know it's ridiculous, but it's so much fun doing this in a big car. Incidentally, this car is painted Marina Bay blue, not [UNKNOWN] blue, which is weird given our location. Anyway, other more important details about this car include the fact that it is spected with optiona carbon automatic brakes as indicated by the gold caliphers and also has the optional sports exhasut fitted. The car certainly sounds better than the previous generation, particular in Sport plus mode, and before you say anything, no, it's not all constructed the speakers. It's a combination of a new exhaust resonator, the 350 bar injection system and the enw electric adjustments for the flats and the exhaust they've all helped them more to find a voice. So, that's a few laps of esteral in the big M5, see if it's any good as the road car, before the tires wear out. It's fair to say that on an empty track the new M5 was so deliciously progressively over steary that at times I felt I ought to be wearing a velvet smoking jacket But let's get realistic, many M5s will never get near the pit lane. So it's [UNKNOWN] as a decent road car as well. So the first thing we need to discuss about driving this on the road is, well the comfort aspects. See the trouble is. Sports cars and even super cars these days have become so multi talented, multi faceted I suppose in their ability to do long journeys and posh around town but something like this, you don't have to be, well even better, it has to be absolutely peerless as the every day stuff. And it is. I mean, this is all lovely, I drive, I was always a fan of it with the rotary control down here and the buttons, but now having this touch screen just works really well as you can even the adjust your control, if you want to feel like you are Harry Potter. Illuminatis. The ride comfort is Everything you'd expect. I think because this is the M5, this actually feels slightly, it's just slightly sharper even in its most comfortable mode. Which is nice because the five series is a big car and so it's actually more relaxing I find in this car because you can place it just that much more easily. The seats are wonderfully comfortable. Generally, it's just a very, very lovely place to be. So the M5 is comfortable, and everyday useable. But what about the middle ground. The second question I have for the new M5 is, is it actually that engaging when you find piece of road. The trouble I had with the last F10 model, was that you just had to drive it so fast to feel like you were getting anything out of it really. This one is much better. We'll put it into M1 which is everything on sport and then the MDM, so the rear-biased four-wheel drive mode. It's like, because it's four-wheel drive, then you have to give it Much more agility, and actually make it more fun. It's still feels like a big car, partucullary on the road, so I have to say. But, it's just the balance of the car that's whats so important to a fast and a BMW, and this feels like it's got it. First dynamic impressions of the New M-5 on road are definetely positive. It even seems to ride the bumps well. Although, admittedly this road wasn't much of a test on that front. More time is definetely needed on a greater variety of tarmac to really determine whether enough of that on trac and tamet is available at twin speeds. I feel a twin test with an E63 is required. What we can say is the ability to send power to all four wheels certainly hasn't muted the appeal of the M5. If anything, it has done just the opposite. [MUSIC]

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