BMW M5 the fastest Beemer yet

Not even the best efforts of Holden Special Vehicles and Ford Performance Vehicles in Australia will remotely threaten the upcoming twin-turbo German.The new M5 has a potential top speed of 305km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.4 seconds. It is also packed with more technology than any previous M5, including six driving modes for the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, launch control for quickfire starts, a special active M differential and driver aids including dynamic drive control. BMW has just released the first pictures of the new M star with the promise of European sales at the end of the year, pointing to Australian deliveries in the first half of 2012.
As yet there is no comment from BMW Group Australia on prices, delivery dates or the other crucial information for M5 shoppers. The first official pictures of the car - in the M division's signature dark blue bodywork - point to a car that is typically restrained apart from giant 19-inch alloys and extra air intakes in the nose. There are flared guards but they are integrated into the overall look, just like the small aero lip on the bootlid.
It's the fifth generation of the car but the start of something new and different. The biggest change for the new M5 is the switch from an unsuccessful and one-off V10 engine to the twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 already fitted to the M versions of BMW's X5 and X6. It has more torque than the outgoing powerplant with a smoother power delivery - at the expense of 1000 revs less at the top end and the sonorous engine note of the Formula One-inspired V10.
The official output figures are 412 kiloWatts and 680 Newton-metres, numbers that trump the new 5.5-litre V8 developed by AMG for its hotrod Mercedes-Benz sedans and coupes and even the supercharged V8 fitted to the latest Jaguar XFR.