BMW M5 (F10): Drive System

When BMW released the technical details of the 2012 BMW M5, enthusiasts were livid. BMW’s M division was known for their high-revving naturally aspirated petrol engines and the decision to shift to a turbocharged engine that was smaller than its predecessor’s raised questions everywhere. 

Nonetheless, this is the BMW M division we are talking about and needless to say, the all-new M5 trumps the previous E60 M5 in just about all aspects. As always, the new M5 have been designed from ground up with a motorsport pedigree.

The 4.4-litre V8 engine in the F10 BMW M5 features direct injection, variable valve timing, two turbochargers, new injectors, double-vanos fully variable camshaft control, cross-bank exhaust manifolds and an elaborate cooling system. 

BMW has accommodated catalytic converters between the two banks of cylinders for a compact design. This also benefits the intake and exhaust ducts as their short pipe length minimises exhaust pressure losses. The cross bank exhaust manifold provides exhaust gas recirculation to one of the turbos to provide a constant airflow to the engine, thereby negating turbo lag. The new high pressure injectors in co-relation with variable valve timing use multiple injections for precise air/fuel mixture to create an efficient combustion cycle.

The result is maximum torque of 680Nm available from as low as 1,500rpm all the way to 5,750rpm. The torque combined with 560PS of power generated allows intoxicating acceleration every time the throttle is nudged. The 0-100km/h comes up in a tight 4.4 seconds while top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. 

The engine is mated to a seven-speed double clutch gearbox that can be operated manually in (S) mode and (D) mode. In manual mode gears can be changed via the M gear selector on the centre console or the paddleshifters behind the steering wheel.

The driver can choose from three performance settings; the first S1 mode delivers smooth gear changes for a luxurious drive, the second S2 mode speeds up gear changes and the third S3 mode delivers razor sharp gear changes with launch control to get off the line quickly. The S2 and S3 modes also firms up steering responses and feedback. S1 allows for easy manoeuvrability with light steering responses at slow speeds.

The new M5’s engine is equipped with a wet oil sump with overflow barriers to operate in a stable manner under all conditions including top end longitudinal and lateral acceleration while managing to maintain optimum lubrication under dynamic acceleration, cornering and braking. In case of oil overflow the barriers route oil on a defined return channel, there is even an additional return pump. 

The cooling system has been designed to operate in a stable manner under all temperature conditions, high temperature circuit and one low temperature circuit with two water pumps with a coast down function to ensure proper cooling even after the engine has been turned off. There are 10 cooling units in the new M5 for optimum performance across the all speeds under all conditions, and there is a cooling unit for the power steering fluid.