BMW M5 with four wheel drive confirmed

It’s been confirmed that our story last month that the 2012 BMW M5 will get a four-wheel-drive option is true.

We thought that when we reported the 2012 BMW M5 was going to get a 4WD option that we would hear from every keeper of the BMW M-faith with their plans to protest this sacrilege around the world. But we heard nothing.

Maybe the story we ran didn’t ring true for the M-Nutters so they didn’t react, or maybe they’re all on holiday. But they’re going to have to wake up now as it looks like the 4WD option on the 2012 BMW M5 is confirmed.

Autocar are reporting that our story last month is right, and that BMW has confirmed that AWD will be an option. Which, as we said when we ran the story last month, is very sensible.

Properly set up, a 4WD system is going to feel very like a RWD setup for much of the time. Only at the limits – limits you’d be daft to explore fully on a public road – will the 4WD setup became apparent. Or in the slippery stuff, where 4WD will be of huge benefit – as long as you remember to fit winter tyres.

And of course this is all about covering all the bases. the M5 needs to compete with the Mercedes E63 AMG and with the XFR. And with an XFR-S probably in the offing – and a 4WD platform likely to surface before too long for the XF as well as the already confirmed 4WD Jaguar XJ – BMW are being pragmatic.

The purists might hate it, but the buyers will love it.