Revealed and pushed: The brand new BMW M5 with a 717 hp V8

Standing subsequent to me within the pit is Bernd Barbisch, the chief powertrain engineer. Requested if changing the V8 with a straight-six would have shaved a few of the M5’s 2,400kg or so, he says downsizing is “not an possibility”. Had they used a hybrid model of the three.0-litre engine from the M3 as an alternative, they might have saved simply 50kg. In any case, the sensation in Garching was that the twin-turbo V8 is now an integral a part of the trendy M5’s character. Truthful sufficient.

This S68 unit alone produces 577 horsepower. Sure, lower than the S63 within the previous M5 competitors. Nonetheless, on this state of tune, it is future-proof for emissions requirements, with the engine filling within the lack of grunt. What’s much less forgivable is that the general power-to-weight ratio of the previous M5 continues to be superior. Oh.

The scale of this new hybrid powertrain hits house when Barbish asserts that there was no likelihood in hell they might have been capable of connect it to the previous M5, which wasn’t an Isetta.

The eight-speed automated transmission is carried over from the common 5 Sequence, albeit with strengthening measures that not solely permit the M5 to hit a prime pace of 189 mph but in addition forestall it from disintegrating when offered with 738 lb-ft of torque. That’s not an empty declare. The previous M5 CS’s torque converter was already maxed out, with simply 553 lb-ft to take care of. The crown wheel contained in the rear differential has additionally been elevated in measurement by 10mm and is now the scale of a dinner plate. At 235mm in diameter, Barbish says, it’s fairly large on this planet of differentials.

In the end, essentially the most intensive contact patch ever discovered on the M5. The 285-section entrance tires are the identical measurement because the rear tires on the previous M5 CS; The again is made from 295 sections. There can be a large selection of rubber, however head of dynamics Klaus Huber prefers it should you go for the Michelin Pilot Sport S5 or the brand new Pirelli P Zero R. He says each generate a extra delicate contact that’s noticeable on a street.

Street impressions should wait. For now, we’re caught on the quick and winding Salzburgring. BMW R&D boss Dirk Hacker leads us out of the pits in an M4 CS. As a PHEV, the M5 has an 18.6kWh battery pack suspended between its axles. That may yield 40 miles or so of electric-only vary and means you’ll be towing the tag in silence. Immediately, the silence doesn’t final lengthy, as a result of Hacker isn’t hanging round.