The 2018 BMW M5 is scheduled to go into production at BMW Plant Regensburg in November 2017. The F90 M5 is suspected to have around 600 horsepower from its turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 and almost as many pound-feet—590—of torque.
We have heard that the next M5 will not be offered with a manual transmission, and may not even have a dual-clutch transmission; but rather, an M-tuned eight-speed automatic. We won’t believe anything until we see it for ourselves.
Perhaps the most significant development for the new M5’s driveline will be the rumored rear-biased all-wheel drive system that BMW thinks will be necessary to get all that power and torque transmitted to the pavement. How that goes over with traditional oversteer addicts remains to be seen.
The M5 test vehicle recently captured on video navigating the Nürburgring's Nordschleife doesn't seem to be sliding much going through or coming out of the turns. Whether this is a result of the skillful driver staying under complete control or an all-wheel-drive system keeping the car well-behaved is anybody's guess—but our money is on all-wheel drive. It's the only way to get all that power to the ground. But you won't get a manual transmission with this one, either, so if you want a rear-drive M5 with a six-speed stick, you'd better get to your dealer soon.
Enjoy this video of the M5 at the ‘Ring. It still wears a lot of camouflage. We expect BMW to start peeling that off fairly soon. With production starting late this year, we can’t be that far away from a photo reveal.—Scott Blazey
[Photo and video courtesy of Automotive Mike.]
