Hail BMW's M5 turbo V8 07 | 04 | 2011

THIS, ESSENTIALLY, is the all-new BMW M5; only 'essentially' because it's the thinly disguised ‘concept’ which will make its appearance at the Shanghai show later this month. And the company's M division has gone back to the drawingboard with the new car.

Out goes the highly strung naturally aspirated powerplant present in the previous four generations to be replaced by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine.

It's fully expected the full production version — which will be launched at the Frankfurt show in the autumn before appearing in Scottish dealerships in November — will differ only slightly from this 'concept'. It's expected to cost around £75,000 when it goes on sale in the UK.

The new turbocharged engine pumps out 552bhp; that's 52bhp more than the outgoing model’s naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10.

“Turbocharging provides more power and performance but with better fuel economy and emissions,” Albert Biermann, BMW M’s head of R&D, explained.

We'll have to wait until Frankfurt before we get official performance figures, but it's expected the M5’s 4395cc forced-induction engine will be good for a 0-62mph sprint of around 4.5sec. Top speed, as normal, will be electronically limited to 155mph.

But with enhanced performance also comes better fuel economy. Thanks to the inclusion of EfficientDynamic features such as brake energy recuperation, a disengaging alternator and stop-start function, BMW claims a significant 25% improvement in fuel economy over the outgoing V10.

One thing which hasn't changed is BMW's subtle approach to the styling of the M5; changes have been kept to a minimum. There's subtly wider front wings and a deeper front bumper, with large central cooling duct for the intercooler. Expect the signature, chrome-rimmed side air vents and LED repeater lamps to also make it to the production model. Oh, and the 20in alloys are likely to be standard too.

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