New BMW M5 MotoGP safety car revealed with M Performance options
The new BMW M5 a little too subtle for you? BMW’s M Performance options might be the answer
The new BMW M5 has yet to go on sale in the UK, but upon its reveal earlier this year BMW faced criticism from some about the car's demure styling. To silence those critics, BMW has launched a new suite of M Performance options, giving the M5 a bump in visual aggression.
Displayed alongside the 2018 MotoGP safety car donning the same upgrades, the road-going M5 will be available with a selection of carbonfibre styling additions. The M Performance options include various carbonfibre components such as intake surrounds on the front bumper, a rear diffuser, deeper side sills, mirror caps, a lip spoiler and grille surrounds.
> Click here for our review of the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S
The only mechanical change is the application of a titanium exhaust system, complete with (you guessed it) carbonfibre wrapped outlets. BMW isn't quoting any improvement in performance with the new exhaust system fitted but does point to a drop in weight compared to the standard system.
BMW has only revealed interior pictures of the M5 MotoGP safety car so we're still guessing as to the nature of any M Performance upgrades inside the production model. Amongst the acres of stitched leather surfaces and matt-finished carbonfibre trim sit safety car light controls and the one-piece buckets from the M4 GTS. BMW has yet to confirm whether the seats will be available on the road car, but we suspect the matte finished carbonfibre trim will be.
As a reminder, the BMW M5 is the M Division’s first all-wheel drive saloon model. It is intended to add a helpful block of extra usability and real-world performance to the M5 package. Packing the same basic 4.4-litre twin turbocharged V8 engine as its predecessor, albeit with a significant power hike to 592bhp, the M5 is claimed to hit 62mph in just 3.4 secs, an insane number for a near two-tonne executive saloon.
> Click here for our pre-production drive of the new BMW M5
On sale from March next year, the all-new M5 should prove to be a handful for the excellent Mercedes-AMG E 63 S judging by our drive in a pre-production model earlier this year. Bring on the twin test.
