BMW's heist car is back, but is it a steal?
Simon Hacker reports
Bad news for G4S security and bank managers: the car that eight out of ten bank robbers (when asked) prefer for swift getaways has been redesigned. And it's faster and scarier than ever.
BMW's boffins at the M Sport division (they're the ones in the white track suits) have been tinkering with the brand's 4.4-litre V8 engine and, probably while laughing up their nylon sleeves, mated the unit to the innovative M xDrive system. The result is a 592bhp 4x4. Note to all mobile patrols: you will need faster pursuit cars.
How fast? 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 190mph (limited to 155mph) mean it has vital stats to put many a Porsche in the shade.
Anyhow, enough flippant interpretation. BMW does, of course, have a social responsibility ethic, so here are the new models's serious power points:
*The BMW M5 is the original model that started the high performance super saloon genre. Now an all-new sixth generation of the BMW M5 Saloon, will launch in February 2018 equipped with an enhanced V8 engine, a new M-specific, all-wheel drive system known as M xDrive and performance statistics that surpass all previous incarnations. (Yes, we know, get on with it.)
*Key to this heightened level of performance is the introduction of M xDrive and its adaptability thanks to a central control module and the variety of different dynamic modes that can be selected. When first started, the car is in four-wheel-drive mode with the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) switched on. But it comes with various driving dynamics modes, up to a track-friendly pure rear-wheel drive without DSC.
*The front design serves to splice the oncoming air in the most aerodynamic fashion while at the same time providing the breathing and cooling requirements for a 600hp engine and its braking system, and the downforce required of a high performance saloon.
*The car also debuts a new eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic for rapid gearchanges.
Okay, how much then? Prices start at... £89,645. Hell, to buy it you probably need to rob a bank. But to rob a bank, you probably need this car... Oh dear, has BMW created the ultimate automotive catch 22?