V10 Engine Era Ends for BMW M5

For some automakers, gaining fuel efficiency is as easy as reducing power, but when you’re BMW, less power is never the answer. BMW will be retiring the V10 engine that powered the previous-generation BMW M5 super sport sedan, but fans shouldn’t fret. Taking its place will be a twin-turbocharged V8 with even more power and torque, as well as improved fuel efficiency.
Slated to take a bow in mid-September at the Frankfurt Motor Show before making its debut at BMW dealerships next year, the fifth-generation BMW M5 will make major strides in fuel efficiency without sacrificing the power that has made it one of the world’s most-desired performance cars. According to BMW, engine output from the new V8 is about 10 percent greater than output from the outgoing V10, while fuel economy will improve by up to 30 percent.
As much as people love the M5, gas prices stuck above $3.50 a gallon do make buyers think about fuel economy general manager of Spring Valley
Wide World BMW. “The new M5 uses today’s best technology to preserve its heritage as a super-powered sedan, while also delivering the improved fuel efficiency that customers want and that federal regulations will soon demand.”

While the previous M5 sported a 5.0-liter V10 engine producing 500 horsepower, BMW has dropped a pair of cylinders and reduced displacement to 4.4 liters for the next generation. Generally, fewer cylinders and less displacement mean less power, but the addition of two turbochargers allows the new M5 to deliver 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. At the new M5’s launch, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox channel will send that power to the rear wheels. BMW has hinted that an all-wheel-drive version is also in the works.

the M5 will also get a diesel variant that will launch in the spring of 2012. Tentatively named the BMW 550dXM, this model will feature a modified version of the 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel found in the BMW 335d, with a new cylinder head design and a third turbocharger to virtually eliminate turbo lag. Engine output is projected to be between 500 and 550 horsepower, and an all-wheel-drive system may be the only configuration capable of handling the torque of the 550dXM, which could potentially exceed 650 pound-feet.

BMW has turned to turbocharging technology in several models to meet stricter fuel economy standards without sacrificing power. One example is the new turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the 2012 BMW 528i, 

dealers this fall. With just 2.0 liters of displacement, the four-cylinder 528i will produce the same 240 horsepower as its 3.0-liter, six-cylinder predecessor, generate 30 percent more torque and increase fuel efficiency. “BMW has a history of success with turbocharged powerplants that goes back to the BMW 2002 of the 1970sThat success is only going to increase with the engines in these new cars, which are on a different level. They combine power and fuel efficiency in ways that we have never seen before.”