The most powerful M5 ever to go on sale is getting closer to reality. Our spies have trapped this mule at the Nurburgring in Germany which shows the dimensions of the deep front splitter, and reveals the giant brakes and trademark quad exhausts in all their glory.
Downsizing is the name of the game, so the old naturally aspirated 507bhp V10 has been ditched in favour of a new, smaller unit. The newcomer will be the first M saloon to feature a turbocharged engine. The M5 will use the innovative direct injection 4.4-litre V8 from the X5 M, which features two turbos nestling in the 90-degree vee of the engine block.
In the big SUV the unit cranks out 547bhp, but in the new saloon, the unit will be boosted to around 572bhp. But the biggest change is that massive increase in torque – the old unit produced 521Nm at very high revs, but the new car will have around 650Nm, making it more flexible to drive, more of the time.
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