BMW’s next M5 will have all-wheel drive

BMW has dropped a slew of details of the 2018 M5 ahead of its official debut later this year. First and foremost and true to the rumours, the next M5 will be BMW’s first M car with allwheel drive. Although it may be sacrilegious to some enthusiasts, the drivetrain is quite different from BMW’s regular AWD systems. Known as M xDrive, the system features torque vectoring and BMW’s Active M Differential, and will offer three basic driving modes: 4WD and 4WD Sport, which send power to all four wheels, and 2WD mode. The last is when the party begins, because in 2WD mode, power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels. Speaking of power, BMW confirmed the 2018 M5 will come with the company’s boosted 4.4-litre V8 engine, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. That’s right, the BMW M5 is no longer available with a manual. Exact numbers are still under wraps, but BMW does promise “the further improved high-revving engine outperforms its predecessor in terms of power and torque,” translating to a zero-to-100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds. For the record, the outgoing M5 produces 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Count on seeing the 2018 BMW M5 debut later this year, most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.