Unlike rival super sedans from Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the M5 has been optimized for high horsepower over gut-wrenching torque. This may not make it quite as quick off the line, but BMW reports it becomes much more exciting at high speed when the engine revs begin to climb to otherworldly levels.
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| BMW's high-tech high horsepower V10 and 7-speed SMG transmission are well beyond what's offered from Mercedes in this class. (Photo: BMW Canada) |
BMW is counting on purist sport sedan fans opting for the M5's naturally aspirated high-tech power over comparatively crude SOHC V8 engine architectures featuring a simplistic supercharger, in the case of Mercedes-Benz' E55 and CLS55 AMG, and turbochargers in the rumored CLS65 AMG. The Bavarian brand's rivals also only offer 5-speed automatic gearboxes with manual-mode actuation, nowhere near as sophisticated as BMW's updated 7-speed SMG transmission.
Since the M5 came into existence in 1985, it has set the benchmark for sport sedan performance. The new E60-based model carries on a tradition of more than 33,000 M5s, all having been built in BMW's Dingolfing, Germany facility.
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| Expect the price of the new M5 to be only slightly higher than the 2003 M5 (the last model sold here) when it arrives. (Photo: BMW Canada) |
The new M5 will arrive in European dealerships in January, 2005, with a price tag of 86,200 euros, the direct equivalent of $140,500 CAD ($105,950 USD). Being that most European models sell for less in North America than in their own countries, and even less in Canada than the U.S., expect the price of the new car to be only slightly higher than the 2003 M5 (the last model sold here) when it arrives later in 2005.
With the introduction of the new M5, once again BMW sets the bar for performance sedans. This time around, however, the competition is as fierce as on the track of an F1 event. No doubt, sports sedan enthusiasts have an exciting decade ahead.