Amidst the hulla-baloo that surrounded the BMW stand at the Auto Expo 2018, the brand had displayed this – the M5, the elder brother of the legendary M3 which is considered to be the holy grail of all performance sedans world over.
The car screams BMW-M all over – the svelte matt red hue, the aggressive air dam, side skirts, spoiler and diffuser make it impossible for anyone to mistake it for anything else. The body also gets functional upgrades like the ultra-lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic and the all-aluminium hood help keep the centre of mass low.
Inside, the cabin gets a driver centred design with a sporty three-spoke multi-function steering, stainless steel pedals and M seat belts. Ambient lighting and fine-grain wood trim lifts the ambience inside the cab. Customers get a 600 Watt 16-speaker Harman Kardon system as standard but audiophiles can also opt for a Bowers and Wilkins system instead.
Features include BMW Gesture Control which recognizes pre-defined hand movements to control various functions, the Parking Assistant, wireless charging for your smartphone, auto start-stop function and the fancy BMW Display Key with an integrated touchscreen.
But all of that, in a car like this, is secondary. This car is all about the performance which comes in the form of a 4.4 Litre M TwinPower Turbo 8-cylinder petrol engine delivers 600 HP and 750 Nm of peak torque through an 8-speed Steptronic auto box. Now, this is a 4WD but purists don’t need to cringe at the thought because they can simply flick a switch and they can get back to the RWD M5 that they adore.
Safety equipment includes Dynamic Stability Control, ABS, Automatic stability control, Automatic Stability Control, M Dynamic Mode, Cornering Brake Control, Dynamic Brake Control, Dry Baking function and an Active M Diff (Phew). If, however, you still manage to mess up, the M has head and side airbags for the people up front and head airbags for the rear seats as well.
The M5 is available as a Completely Built Up unit from today. Prices start at a steep INR 1.43 Crores, ex-showroom Delhi.
