Other than dropping the possible scenario of dropping the manual transmission, the next generation of the BMW M5 is set to adopt all-wheel-drive. Why’s that? To keep the mountains of torque and its biggish curb weight under control, of course.
BMW M division chief executive officer Frank van Meel suggested that all-wheel-drive is the only way to go for powerful cars, especially in the colder markets around the world. AWD is very likely to be an optional extra on the BMW F90 M5, but that’s fine with us. Even if the mid-size sports sedan will go down the path of the xDrive, it’s natural to assume that the BMW M division will calibrate it to have a rear-biased setup.
It’s rather hard to tell if xDrive is present in the BMW F90 M5 prototype our spy photographers caught on camera recently. Still, watch the clip and think for yourself. What’s with all that tire squeal? What’s with the fresh set of rubber on all four corners at the 24-second mark? To boot, did you see the countersteering action at the 15-second mark?
It’s a given all-wheel-drive will find its way into the 2018 BMW M5, one way or another. Under the hood, however, nothing much will change. A 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 will continue to motivate the German interloper. If rumors are to be believed, 600-plus horsepower is what we should look forward to.
The output is doable if the M5 wants to keep the Mercedes-AMG E63 S (604 horsepower) on its toes. Thanks to the adoption of the CLAR platform and the use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, the BMW F90 M5 is expected to shed just about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) over the F10 M5. On the technological front, the new kid on the block will receive the autonomous driving features of the G11 7er, OLED taillights, optional laser taillights, and so forth.
The 2019 BMW M6 will follow in the footsteps of the all-new M5 in 2018.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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