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Sports Car Interior with Premium Ambience
The interior of the
2012 M5 brings together an inimitable combination of the driver-oriented cockpit
design of a sports car, the spaciousness of a prestige saloon and the luxurious
feel of a premium model. Bespoke M sports seats, fine-grain Merino leather
upholstery with extended features, door sills with "M5" lettering, an M driver's
footrest, exclusive Aluminium Trace interior trim strips and the BMW
Individual roof liner in Anthracite are all standard equipment, as is the iDrive
control system with an up to 10.2-inch Control Display. This screen is centrally
positioned and, like the controls in the central section of the instrument
panel, tilted slightly towards the driver.
The instrument cluster with
black-panel-technology includes classical circular instruments in traditional
BMW M car style, with red needles and white illumination, as well as
model-specific displays and the M logo in the rev counter. The shift program
currently selected and gear engaged are shown in the center of the instrument
cluster. Feedback from all the drive and chassis settings selected at the touch
a button is also displayed in the cockpit.
M Drive Buttons
The multifunction buttons on the M leather steering wheel in the new BMW M5
allow the driver, among other things, to operate the cruise control system and
the audio and telephone functions. On the left-hand steering wheel spoke the
driver will now find two M Drive buttons, which he can use to call up a
pre-configured set-up for the car. For example, the driver can save a sporty
configuration using the "M1" button and a comfort-biased set-up via the "M2"
button. The set-up selected will remain activated until the driver either
cancels it by pressing the button again or switches to another M Drive setting.
Once the system has been switched off - as when the engine is started - it
reverts to a default configuration focusing on efficiency and ride comfort.
The M Drive system in the new BMW M5 allows the driver to adjust no fewer
than six parameters: the engine management, the responses of the Servotronic
steering system, the M DCT Drivelogic shift program, the DSC mode, the responses
of Dynamic Damper Control and the information in the Head-Up Display. The
desired settings for the engine, chassis systems and Head-Up Display can be
configured in any combination via the iDrive menu. Plus, the driver can also
save the current set-up configuration selected earlier using the buttons on the
center console by holding down one of the two M Drive buttons for a few seconds.
For safety reasons, a set-up involving the DSC settings "MDM" or "DSC Off"
requires confirmation from the driver - by pressing the M Drive button again -
before it can be activated. The set-up configuration selected is shown by a
clear symbol displayed in the instrument cluster.
Head-Up Display as
Standard
The M Drive configuration also includes the information
shown on the Head-Up Display, which comes as standard on the new BMW M5 and
projects important information onto the windscreen directly in the driver's
field of vision. The full spectrum of colors is used to display graphics and
symbols, and this all-color capability means road sign symbols can be reproduced
extremely realistically. In addition to a digital speed readout and tips from
the optional Speed Limit Info, the M-specific version of the Head-Up Display
also shows the gear currently engaged and a multicolor rev counter symbol,
complete with Shift Lights.
As well as the Head-Up Display, numerous
other driver assistance systems and mobility services available from BMW
ConnectedDrive are also unique in the segment occupied by the 2012 M5. The
selection of optionally available systems includes Park Distance Control, a rear
view camera, High-Beam Assistant, Speed Limit Info, the Lane Change Warning
System, the Lane Departure Warning System, Surround View and BMW Night Vision
with pedestrian recognition. Plus, innovative technologies optimize the
integration of the Apple iPhone and other smartphones, as well as music players,
including the use of internet-based services. The apps option allows iPhone
owners to receive Web Radio stations, for example, and display Facebook and
Twitter posts on the on-board monitor. The likewise new real-time traffic
information function keeps the driver supplied with impressively accurate
traffic bulletins and diversion recommendations.
The new BMW M5 also
comes as standard with four-zone automatic climate control, heated seats and
electric seat adjustment including memory function for the driver and front
passenger, xenon light with Adaptive Headlights, ambient light, an alarm system
and the BMW Professional radio including CD player, AUX-IN socket and six
speakers. In addition, almost all of the items of optional equipment available
for the BMW 5 Series Saloon can be ordered as an option. Among the highlights
are the Navigation system Professional with a hard disk for storing maps and
personal music collections, the electrically operated glass roof, the M
multifunction seats, the active seats, active seat ventilation, Comfort Access,
the Soft Close Automatic function for the doors and a trailer coupling with
electrically pivoting trailer hitch ball.
High-Revving V8 Engine with
M TwinPower Turbo
The 2012
BMW M5 adds a fresh, contemporary and fascinating angle to a variety of
distinctive features. This applies to both a vehicle concept now in its fifth
generation and the car's engine technology. For the first time, a BMW M5 has a
turbocharged engine to thank for its outstanding dynamics. The high-revving V8
unit with M
TwinPower Turbo technology lends a whole new intensity to the powerful thrust
sustained into the higher rev ranges for which M cars are renowned. The
4.4-liter engine develops top output of 560 hp (412 kW) at 6,000 - 7,000 rpm,
while its maximum torque of 502 lb-ft (680 Newton meters) is on tap between
1,500 and 5,750 rpm. The rev limiter intervenes at 7,200 rpm. The rev band,
which offers extremely dynamic acceleration between the arrival of peak torque
and the availability of maximum output, is therefore almost three times as wide
as that of the predecessor unit.
The drive unit in the new BMW M5
mobilizes the highest output ever generated by a BMW M car, and at the same time
provides the most efficient balance yet between performance and fuel
consumption. The new engine produces around 10 per cent higher output than its
predecessor and torque is up by over 30 per cent. Fuel consumption and CO2,
meanwhile, have been cut by more than 30 per cent. This progress in terms of
both driving dynamics and efficiency marks the new BMW M5 out as an extremely
pioneering interpretation of a premium high-performance saloon.
The
driver can use a button on the center console to adjust the engine's performance
characteristics to the demands of the situation and his own individual
preferences. "Efficient", "Sport" and "Sport Plus" modes are available.
The turbochargers developed specially for the engine powering the new BMW M5
stand out with their particularly high level of compressor and turbine
efficiency, and deliver maximum charge pressure of 1.5 bar. Their innovative
construction principle uses the potential of turbocharging to deliver an
efficient output boost of unprecedented potency. The latest version of M
TwinPower Turbo technology provides a level of responsiveness, intensity and
smoothness in its power delivery unmatched in the segment.
The
construction principle of M TwinPower Turbo technology also shapes the
development of the V8 engine's soundtrack. The concept of cross-bank exhaust
manifolds plays a key role in delivering a multilayered collage of sound. The
twin-tailpipe exhaust system of the new BMW M5 runs largely in a straight line
and has a large cross section. The two exhaust gas ducts feed into a single
muffler, from which the customary M twin tailpipes jut out through the far left
and right-hand sides of the rear apron.
The 2012 BMW M5 records average
fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of 9.9 liters per 100 kilometers (28.5 mpg
imp) and CO2 emissions of 232 grams per kilometer.
Seven-Speed M
Double Clutch Transmission
The 2012 BMW M5 is kitted out with a
seven-speed double-clutch transmission to ensure that the transfer of engine
output to the rear wheels serves up the time-honored M experience. The M DCT
Drivelogic system developed specially for the M5 has been tuned precisely to the
performance characteristics of the V8 engine. Both in automated mode (D) and
manual (S) it delivers exceptionally fast and clean gear changes. The system's
control concept follows similar lines to the sequential M transmission in the
predecessor car. Again, no clutch pedal is required for manual gearshift, and
the driver can keep his foot on the accelerator during gear changes. The driver
uses the model-specific M gear selector to choose between D and S mode, and to
engage reverse. The transmission offers a sequential shift pattern for the
manual gearshift mode. Alternatively, the driver can also change gear manually
using the standard-fitted shift paddles on the steering wheel - the right-hand
paddle for upshifts, the left-hand paddle for downshifts. Comfort is further
enhanced by the new Low Speed Assistance function, which keeps the car moving at
minimal speed through stop-start traffic with a light nudge of the accelerator
pedal.
When the stability control system is switched off, Launch Control
allows the driver to achieve the maximum acceleration force possible from a
standstill - as permitted by the condition of the road - by pressing the
accelerator down with maximum force. Each gear change takes place automatically
and at the optimum engine speed.
M-Specific Chassis, Electronically
Controlled Dampers, M Dynamic Mode
The 2012 BMW M5 comes with bespoke
chassis technology whose construction and set-up are defined by extensive
expertise from the race track. Specially developed axle kinematics and newly
developed components boasting impressive strength and minimized weight meet both
the requirements of everyday road driving and the specialized demands of track
use. As with every BMW M car, the engineers carried out the fine-tuning that
underpins the perfect M experience during extensive testing on the Nürburgring's
Nordschleife circuit.
The 2012 BMW M5 is equipped as standard with
electronically controlled dampers. Dynamic Damper Control uses electrohydraulic
damping force adjustment to provide a set-up suited to the driving situation or
the wishes of the driver. The damper settings can be adjusted at the touch of a
button. In "Comfort" mode the dampers respond adaptively to the condition of the
road surface and the driver's style. "Sport" mode activates a noticeably stiffer
damper set-up, while "Sport Plus" allows further stiffening of the suspension to
achieve maximum longitudinal and lateral acceleration in ultra-dynamic driving
situations.
In addition to applying brake impulses and reducing engine
output to stabilize the car, the DSC system in the new BMW M5 also employs the
services of the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC),
Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assistant, Fading Compensation, Brake Drying
function and Start-Off Assistant. M Dynamic Mode (MDM) can be activated to
override the basic setting by pressing the DSC button on the center console.
This mode generates the familiar M self-steering response by raising the
intervention thresholds of DSC. "DSC Off" mode can also be activated at the
touch of a button.
High-Performance Compound Brakes
The
high-performance braking system of the new BMW M5 guarantees outstanding
stopping power. The further development of the remarkable compound construction
has resulted in further optimized braking performance - resisting fade even
under heavy loads - and an enviable degree of feel. The six-piston fixed-caliper
brakes are radially bolted to the pivot bearing. The M-specific light-alloy
wheels for the new BMW M5 come in 19-inch format as standard and are fitted with
265/40 R19 tires at the front and 295/40 R19 items at the rear. 20-inch forged M
light-alloy wheels can be ordered as an option.
BMW M5 (Euro-spec): Photo Gallery, Review (1/2) and Specifications