proper BMW racing snake
COMPLETE: M5 COMPETITION A FULL HOUSE SEDAN THAT BLITZES FROM 0 TO 100 IN 3.45SEC
BMW M5 Competition
The run-of-the-mill BMW M5 (dare I use such words?) was one seriously fast luxury sedan that was able to scare many a proper supercar owner silly on the road. And as Mercedes-AMG had launched their E63 S back then, everybody, including us, pitted those two cars against each.
And even though the M5 was just quicker than the E63 S, I felt that the slightly more aggressive looking and sounding E63 S was the pick. But enter the Competition version of the M5 and now the BMW has the looks and M Sports exhaust soundtrack to match the Merc.
Typically of BMW M, the 4.4-litre V8 Competition does not just look more aggressive, it now also pushes out 460kW of power, which is hike of 19Kw, and an unchanged 750Nm of torque running through an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission to all four wheels via BMW’s M xDrive.
This means in straight line the M5 Competition puts the power down effortlessly and hits 100km/h in 3.45 seconds, the quarter mile in 11,4 second, the 1km at seriously fast 264 km/h, and is only electronically stopped at 308 km/h. For the die-hard enthusiasts, I will save you the trouble of looking it up. These numbers are fractionally down on the standard M5 figures from last year, but there is a 14-degree difference in ambient test temperature against the Competition to explain this away.
But Competition also stands for improved dynamism and here the M5 does not disappoint. Sure, you will always feel the weight of a full house sedan, but you won’t just drive around this BMW in your luxury sedan, that I can promise you. And this is thanks to a stiffer, 7mm lower, suspension that has been tweaked, along with stiffer engine mounts, that allow for a more direct engine response and sharper turn in.
If you think you can really drive, your life insurance is up-to-date and you have checked the exclusions, then you can activate the 2WD setting and burn the rears up at will. But you really need to be awake or stupid to drive this car like this on the street, because there are no control systems holding the car back in this mode.
The best place for this kind of behaviour would be the track, but I don’t see many owners doing many track days in an M5 – at least you could if you wanted to.
Inside the changes are minimal with a stripe in BMW M colours for the seat belts, plus floor mats with special piping and “M5” logo, and an “M Competition” graphic that appears in the instrument cluster when you hit the start button.