Although the 2018 BMW M5 that debuted this week is more powerful and quicker than the outgoing model, that’s not the biggest part of the story. It’s that for the first time ever, this sedan will offer a standard M xDrive all-wheel drive setup instead of rear-wheel drive. Now making 600 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, the new M5 will go from static to sixty in 3.2 seconds.
Quick? That’s not even the prologue. Although the move to AWD might upset purists, the faster sprint time and option to toggle RWD-only mode should sate even the staunchest of enthusiasts. But with all that power comes some pretty mighty brakes. M Compound brakes with blue calipers are standard at all four corners, with steel rotors of 15 inches out back and 15.5 up front providing stopping power. To save weight and the environment, M Carbon Ceramic Brakes with gold calipers are an option that sheds 50 lbs. of weight.
The new M5 will arrive next spring in standard and First Edition models, of which only 50 will come to the U.S. Have an interest in either one? While we won’t know availability information for some time yet, contact our BMW dealership in Southampton, NY so we can prioritize your curiosity.