BMW unleashes 616bhp M5 Competition

THE standard BMW M5 is no slouch, but the Bavarian brand has taken things up a notch with the release of the new M5 Competition. The engine – still a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 – has had its power increased to 616bhp from 592bhp, making it the most powerful road-going BMW ever made. Torque is unchanged at 750Nm but peak torque is now available from 1,800-5,800rpm.

All that power is delivered through an eight-speed automatic gearbox and the rearbiased xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

The key performance figures have radio are all diamond-shaped. Lights, speakers, vents and even stitching on the suede seats all comply with this design plan.

It works well apart from the power window switches that are annoyingly placed in a stack on the centre console and not on the door panel. The touchscreen is as big as a shoebox and the instruments are, of course, laid out in a diamond outline.

A combination of leather and suede gives the cabin a premium feel and I have a notion that I could happily use this car every day, especially when I find out how to switch off the intrusive lane-departure warning chimes, which on country roads tests my anger management.

Its two-litre turbo diesel has an output of 180ps and it is mated to an eight-speed auto transmission. On the motorway the car breezed along, requiring little effort to maintain the speed limit. On the A roads and backroads its automatic transmission occasionally revealed a tendency to hang on to lower gears, was sometimes jerky and hesitant but taking control of the paddles would smooth this out.

Different mode options change the character of the car and I found “comfort” The DS7 offers head-turning looks and a refined drive, with the entry level model priced from £28,000 the most agreeable. Sport makes a lot of noise and normal, the default mode, seems unnecessary when comfort is available.

The DS7 is an easy car to drive and manoeuvre. Its reversing camera is crystal clear and its LED headlights, which consist of three cubes that do a little rotational dance when you unlock the doors are quite brilliant. Top end DS7 models have an Active Scan Suspension system that combines a forward-facing camera that scans the road ahead and adjusts the dampers to suit.

There is a lot of refined class and elegance about this car and I’m sure with the gradual disregard for vanity badges, quality SUVs such as the DS7 will make an impact while saving owners thousands of pounds. improved slightly over the standard M5: 0-60mph is dealt with in 3.1 seconds and the 0-200km/h (124mph) sprint time has dropped from 11.1 seconds to 10.8 seconds.

BMW’s dropped the already low M5 by a further 7mm and stiffened the springs by 10%. The rear anti-roll bar has also been firmed up, while increasing the camber of the front wheels and adding new mounts to the front anti-roll bar, toe links and engine produces, BMW claims, a more precise and direct steering feel.

Prices for the new BMW M5 start from £96,205 with first deliveries in September.