2012 BMW M5 exceeds expectations at the Ascari Racetrack

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BMW Blog takes the 2012 M5 to a racetrack ex- perience at Ascari. This track is known to terrorize and bring out the flaws in most vehicles. But for this case, the M5 terrorizes the track instead. BMW Blog describes it as a true driver’s car, without much flaws to point out. They also think that this car is a very good gauge of the bright future for BMW’s M division. Here is an excerpt of their review:

BMW’s new M5 seems to defy physics to some degree during 10/10ths “seat of the pants” testing. Yes, I haven’t had much negative to say, but that’s because there isn’t much to pick on in this car. Okay, I lament the added weight – no question. And frankly, I would have rather seen the M5 grow smaller – not larger in size. I still feel the E39 M5 was the perfect size for such a car. I’m also a sucker for high rev – excuse me – extremely high rev engines. Perhaps I owe this to my affinity for riding sport bikes which rev out over 14,000 rpm. It’s true that the new M5′s engine redlines more than 1000 rpm lower than its predecessor. But these fundamental changes in design were not at the hands of the M division. M inherits new BMW cars, and redesigns them to their racy specifications – without moving the tent pins. In the F10 M5, they have done an incredible job.

The 4.4 liter twin-scroll, twin-turbo V8 is a monster. It churns out power like no M engine before it (save for the bonkers McLaren F1 S70/2 V12 – admittedly different in character but surprisingly not far off in power and torque. Remember that the S63tu (technical update) engine in the new M5 was tuned for a 30% improvement in economy – not power. There is plenty of performance potential left in this turbo unit; theoretically, had this gain in economy been tuned instead for power, the S63tu would be putting out 728 hp. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it). If mounted in a smaller, lighter car – say a tuned and beefed up version of the new BMW i8 sports car – the performance would be staggering. It’s impressive enough in this dialed-in four door.

In an era of steering feel angst – the M5 bucks the trend of electronic assist steering, in favor of old-school hydraulic assist. The F10 M5 still uses much of the pedestrian F10′s steering components, but with a much faster rack. The steering is excellent. Even in comfort mode, you can feel the texture of the road surface through the wheel. Okay, it’s not 100% perfect as we would like it – more like 98% of the way there, but we are really splitting hairs here. We feel a slight perception of filtering through the wheel and while feeling for grip near the limit on track, there were moments where more raw feel would have been appreciated if not required. But in Sport Plus setting the wheel is nonetheless alive in your hands and capable of providing ample information about the road or track surface. We would like to drive the new M5 with different rubber before passing final judgement on steering.

If you are in the market for a new car and have a hankering for performance, you would be hard pressed to find a more well-rounded package. The E63 AMG is also an impressive car – but it would be obliterated by the new M5 on track – we’re willing to bet the farm on that one. The E63 AMG should be commended for its lighter weight and impressively slippery drag co-efficient, but it is more luxury car with power where the M5 is sports car with luxury. The New Audi RS-6? Again, my money is on the M5, but it sounds like a comparo is in order. We would also throw in the Porsche Panamera Turbo as a viable competitor in future shoot-outs, but at a considerable gap in price. It appears BMW have also wrestled Cadillac’s CTS-V to the ground, but especially considering the American’s bargain pricing, we would still like compare the two back-to-back.

After mercilessly spanking the new M5 around Ascari racetrack, we are left in awe of its dynamics. It is rumored to lap the Nurburgring 20 seconds faster than its predecessor, so that should silence the doubters. This is a driver’s car – full stop – and it sheds light on a very bright future for BMW M.

For more information on BMW M, contact:

Munich Automobiles Singapore
30 Teban Gardens Crescent Singapore 608927
Showroom: 6899 6996 Service center: 6566 7666
http://www.munichauto.com.sg