The 2011 BMW M5 at the Nurburgring - with twin turbo V8
BMW M Division boss Kay Segler has finally confirmed that the next M5 (F10 for 2011) will be a twin-turbo V8 and that there will be no diesel powered M Models.
It hardly seems like news, we know, but there has finally been confirmation from BMW of what we’ve known for rather a long time. The next generation BMW M5 (F10) will shed the V10 of the current generation and instead get a twin-turbo V8.
That twin turbo V8 will be a modified version of the lump that powers the X5M where it delivers a rather impressive 555bhp and 442lb/ft of torque. Expectations for the M5 mostly hover around the 600bhp mark, some 20% more than the current car. Couple that with the inevitable weight shedding and there won’t be too many tears shed over the loss of the V10.
The source of this final confirmation is the head of BMW’s M Division – Dr Kay Segler – who was also asked about the enduring prospect of a diesel-powered M car. Dr Segler doesn’t feel it’s an option at present as there is no love for diesels in North America or Asia, and he feels the lack of a high-revving diesel precludes the possibility.
Check out the HUGE 2012 BMW M5 Official Photo Gallery
But we don’t really believe that. The wall of torque in diesel engines is rapidly making up for the lack of a high rev range, and the ability for high-performance diesels to offer the Holy Grail of supercar performance on demand and real frugality when poodling will, eventually, be too tempting a prospect.
Despite the lack of revs.
