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Click for BMW M5 Gallery
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| PERFORMANCE RATING: |
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Truly astounding. Though BMW says it's limited to 155mph, we tried acceleration runs on an airfield taxiway and the M5 was still pulling strongly when the speed limiter made itself known at 174mph. Downhill, it's possible to get 180mph out of it, and unrestricted, 205mph is achievable. De-restricting electronic gizmos will probably become available over the internet before long, too. From a standstill, BMW claims the M5 will reach 62mph in 4.7seconds, and we can certainly believe that: the 5.0-litre V10 is one of the world's magnificent engines, developing its 500bhp (373kW, 507PS) at 7,750rpm, and 384lb ft (520Nm) of torque at 6,100, while it redlines at 8,250rpm and makes a superb noise higher up the rev-range. At lower revs, its sound is not unlike the VW-group V10 diesel, but higher up it has some F1-esque qualities, with shades of a five-pot Audi Quattro rally engine, only twice as nice. In-gear acceleration is excellent, too; it's a flexible unit, with positive pull from anything over 2,000rpm. In truth, it's so flexible that it really doesn't need the seven speeds which the SMG gearbox comes with, six would be plenty, even five would suffice, and that's a decision which we expect is more marketing- than performance-led.
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