While people are still waiting for BMW to unveil at least the upcoming G30 5 Series, the engineers are hard at work on the Green Hell. The upcoming BMW F90 M5 is not ready yet and testing seems to be picking up, with final details to be finalized soon. And since we don’t know exactly what the M5 will bring to the table, videos such as this one are a gentle sedative to keep us calm in the meantime.
According to our sources the new BMW F90 M5 will only be available with all-wheel drive. While this info remains to be confirmed, it is dire news for most fans of the car. This would probably be the first all-wheel drive version of the M5 in its history but it will mark other premieres as well.
Even so, Frank van Meel, the man in charge of the M division right now, said numerous times that the AWD system will be configured only to help out in specific situations, when added grip is necessary. That includes launches, where the rear axle can easily be overcome by the huge amounts of power and torque.
Speaking of which, the F90 M5 is likely to also be the first M car in history that uses the same engine for two generations. Info coming from Munich suggests that the new model will be using a revised version of the S63 4.4-liter V8 twin turbo mill that is also used on the X5 M and X6 M models. Those too have been launched with the same engine as their predecessors but with drastic improvements. It remains to be seen exactly what will hide under the hood of the new M5.
One thing is for certain though: weight reduction will be important. The roof of the new F90 M5 will be made of CFRP just as it is on the M3/M4 and M6 models. Furthermore, the side mirrors will get a new design that will set the car apart from its regular brothers while the driveshaft will also be made of CFRP. This and plenty of other inventive designs will shave at least 220 lbs off the hips of the new car.