BMW M Division Vice President of Engineering Dirk Hacker and BMW DTM driver Timo Glock took the all-new BMW M5 to the race track. At the BMW secret testing facility in Miramas, France, the German duo offer us their impressions of the F90 M5 during a lengthy video, filled with commentary, great driving and lots of smiles.
The focus of the video is solely on the driving experience and especially on the different driving modes and configurations. For the first time, the M5 sporty sedan will be available with an M xDrive all-wheel configuration. The M xDrive system enables the rear-biased set-up by only bringing the front wheels into play when the rear wheels aren’t able to transmit any more power to the road and additional tractive force is required. The driver can choose from five different configurations based on combinations of the DSC modes (DSC on, MDM, DSC off) and M xDrive modes (4WD, 4WD Sport, 2WD).
To improve the ride quality, BMW has also designed and engineered new adaptive dampers, which not only help with spirited driving, but also reduces body roll.
According to Glock, the steering input is extremely responsive and the new M5 is easy to maneuver, even at high speeds.
The M5 retains the individual settings seen in the current generation M5 – for its steering, engine, suspension and gearbox shift speed.
Another thing pointed out by BMW M Division Vice President of Engineering Dirk Hacker is the new brain of the M5. The CIU, short for Central Intelligence Unit. The new controller is a first for M cars and can override the individual ECU for stability control, the all-wheel drive, rear-differential and transmission. It also controls the every sub-system governing lateral and longitudinal dynamics.
Without any further ado, here is the full video with English subtitles:
