[///M-Furby]

i want AWD M. then i can get all the power down without the car squirrling around. 600 hp cannot be used on two wheels. plus awd = better handling

[firedown31]

Very interesting. Conflicts with a couple reliable sources on here. Guess we have to wait for the actual reveal.

[///M-Furby]

Originally Posted by BMWSource

All BMW's should stay RWD forever. Enthusiasts want the power of RWD especially in the ///M cars. I don't agree with the new BMW ///M5 having AWD. Enthusiasts like me prefer RWD any day over AWD, & AWD is useless. BMW should not sell AWD ///M cars, any BMW ///M or non ///M should always be RWD no matter what type of vehicle sedan coupe etc. As a BMW Enthusiast myself I'm happy with the good old RWD & a manual. I'm also sad to see the 6 speed manual transmission no longer being offered on the F10 ///M5 & ///M6. Thank goodness the ///M2, ///M3, & ///M4 still have a 6 speed manual. Save the manuals.

enthusiasts like me prefer getting all the power down. we also prefer better driving handling in snow and rain. awd > rwd handling and 0 to 60 times.

whats the point of having 600+ hp if you cant use it without losing control

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

The article also states that the M5 won't have many of the autonomous features the normal G3x will have. That's good news!

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by Racer20

You pro-AWD guys are missing the fact that there are already a dozen high horsepower AWD sedans and big coupes out there. If that's what you want, buy one of those. Nobody is forcing you to buy a BMW . . . the RS7 and E63 are excellent cars.

BMW and Cadillac are the last holdouts for RWD manual sports sedans. Once they go AWD and ditch manuals, there will be no option left for those of us who still want those kinds of cars. More choice is better.

Should the M2 have gone AWD, DCT only, with a turbo 4cylinder? That's what all the competition is doing . . .

You're not wrong but staying RWD only works until someone engineers a better car and that has happened with the RS6 and E63 AMG. For the longest time, RWD was a preferred because AWD couldn't deliver the type of performance whether it was due to power/torque, chassis or drivetrain development or all of the above.

I don't agree with your M2 example. There's a difference between doing what everyone else is doing and doing something because it makes improvements. Going AWD on the M5 has more to do with making it unarguably a better car overall than going with it because Audi and Mercedes are doing it. With the M2, using AWD and a 4 cylinder engine is strictly a preference and doesn't make it any better than a M2 with RWD and a straight-six.

[BMW M3 CRT]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...ur-wheel-drive

[Ray knight]

My F10 M5 was either going sideways or the traction control light on all the time and cutting power. it was really too much torque for a RWD sedan in anything but hot perfect weather. i enjoyed my V8 X5 more to be honest. I was hoping for AWD this next gen. if you drive a GTR or an RS7 then you will know how good it is. M5 is really not the kind of car to drive sideways with tires on fire. Thats what the M3 does best. M5 really should get AWD. if its RWD its off my list. too big, too heavy, too much torque. slow as balls off the line in anything but perfect roads. i was lucky to get 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with mine. not because of power, because traction is a joke with that much torque. i would much rather safely do 0-60 in 3 seconds flat in almost any weather than have a little less weight and the ability to powerslide through corners which i would never do in a car that big anyways.

[John Tanglewood]

Originally Posted by sdshah

Major mistake by BMW.

Why say this? BMW breaks a new sales record every quarter. I think their strategy department is very in-touch with reality.

I mean I agree with you, an M5 with ~600hp should have AWD, just so you can get off the line. But not sure how it can be seen as a mistake if they are still trying to keep M branding true to its roots by way of sticking with RWD as long as possible.

Honestly I see it both ways, just looking for your rationale too.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

You're not wrong but staying RWD only works until someone engineers a better car and that has happened with the RS6 and E63 AMG. For the longest time, RWD was a preferred because AWD couldn't deliver the type of performance whether it was due to power/torque, chassis or drivetrain development or all of the above.

I don't agree with your M2 example. There's a difference between doing what everyone else is doing and doing something because it makes improvements. Going AWD on the M5 has more to do with making it unarguably a better car overall than going with it because Audi and Mercedes are doing it. With the M2, using AWD and a 4 cylinder engine is strictly a preference and doesn't make the M2 any better than a M2 with RWD and a straight-six.

It is becoming more and more difficult to put the power down with the increasing amounts of power of the M5. AWD is great for getting you going, but the consequences of the added weight are inevitable. Longer stopping distances, more drive-train loss, more fuel consumption, and on and on. Mercedes and Audi have gone that route, but the M5 still manages to outrun them, and hangs with them in the twisty stuff. I'm sure BMW's M division engineers will knock it out of the park when they tune the suspension. With the help of DSC and all of the electronic aids, the M5 should be able to run with the best of them. For all season driving, put on some winter tires. That's what owners have been doing for 30+ years.

[SeG9n7Rf58pagQt3]

Originally Posted by AKRAPOVICOWNS

Like Merc is doing, BMW should offer both RWD and AWD. Big mistake if RWD only IMHO...the current M5 already struggles to put its power down.

I always liked RWD better, but with advancements of the AWD system, nowadays, it can pretty much be RWD most of the time, and only when needed give traction to the front wheels. Win/win in my book.

People talking La Ferrari..nonsense. It's a race car with active aero, probably makes as much down force than an f1. And if you look at reviews, you still have to be careful on power not to spin like a retard. This is a luxury sedan. Heck, even the M3 is having problems putting the power down.

You really don't understand do you.

1. Aero have to have speed to work (LaFerrari have no more grip than M5 when is speed low)
2. F1 cars have more aero than any car

Now in terms of putting the power down AWD is better of the line, but when the car is rolling I don't think there is much difference.

Still I don't think that 600BHP is sudden so revolutionary and groundbreaking for RWD car.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

The M5 currently has 560hp. 40 more hp will make a world of a difference? If they increase torque at the lower end of the RPM range, that's what I'd be worried about.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Bajaz001

You really don't understand do you.

1. Aero have to have speed to work (LaFerrari have no more grip than M5 when is speed low)
2. F1 cars have more aero than any car

Now in terms of putting the power down AWD is better of the line, but when the car is rolling I don't think there is much difference.

Still I don't think that 600BHP is sudden so revolutionary and groundbreaking for RWD car.

Agreed.

[bavarian19]

If people really care about AWD in this segment over other factors and have to buy BMW, there are two great alternatives.

550xi
X5m

[04cobra]

That's too bad, I really wanted to consolidate down to 1 car, and was hoping the M5 would come in AWD, guess I will have to look else where now :-(

[firedown31]

Originally Posted by BMW M3 CRT

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...ur-wheel-drive

Did you read the last paragraph?

Given this, it seems likely the next-generation M5 — which is expected to arrive next year — will be rear-wheel drive only, with a limited amount of autonomous technology. But the following generation could be drastically different.

So they also are saying the next M5 is staying RWD. And that AWD is coming in a future generation after that.

[cqckdiezel]

I hope this is bs.

[tareemaa]

Originally Posted by Mdecisive

It's a shame, gone are the glory days of what M used to be.. I know I'm flogging a dead horse but can't help but think What I'd give to have one more generation of high singing N/A "S" coded M engines again

That's why I sold the F80 and went back to an E92

[AKRAPOVICOWNS]

Originally Posted by Bajaz001

You really don't understand do you.

1. Aero have to have speed to work (LaFerrari have no more grip than M5 when is speed low)
2. F1 cars have more aero than any car

Now in terms of putting the power down AWD is better of the line, but when the car is rolling I don't think there is much difference.

Still I don't think that 600BHP is sudden so revolutionary and groundbreaking for RWD car.

The La Ferrari comment was actually just to emphasize that it stands in a whole different level than pretty much anything on the road. It obviously doesn't generate as near downforce as a f1 car.

In terms of putting the power down, well indeed after rolling it might even be better, but that is in anything but perfect weather and road conditions. And well, you know, people that buys those cars use it everyday. That's why the versatility of AWD would be better suited for a car as big and heavy as this. But to be fair, as I said on my 1st post, BMW should offer both configurations. So everyone is happy.

[LLNM4]

It's a shame. After selling my 2013 M5 competition last year, i wanted to wait new for the AWD version.
It's not only Audi and Porsche, but also the Tesla model S.
An M5 AWD would easily do 0-62mph in 3.5 sec. That should have been sufficient with a ecu tuning/piggybag to compete with the others.

[AKRAPOVICOWNS]

Originally Posted by Ray knight

My F10 M5 was either going sideways or the traction control light on all the time and cutting power. it was really too much torque for a RWD sedan in anything but hot perfect weather. i enjoyed my V8 X5 more to be honest. I was hoping for AWD this next gen. if you drive a GTR or an RS7 then you will know how good it is. M5 is really not the kind of car to drive sideways with tires on fire. Thats what the M3 does best. M5 really should get AWD. if its RWD its off my list. too big, too heavy, too much torque. slow as balls off the line in anything but perfect roads. i was lucky to get 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with mine. not because of power, because traction is a joke with that much torque. i would much rather safely do 0-60 in 3 seconds flat in almost any weather than have a little less weight and the ability to powerslide through corners which i would never do in a car that big anyways.

+1

Indeed 40 horsepower more isn't much. But first of all we don't know the specs, secondly, with 560 it is already all over the place. Pretty much a lot of that power is simply useless as it is.

[RPiM5]

If this is really true then ///M must be planning to drop the weight of the next M5 by at least 200lbs from the F10 M5. Decreasing weight and increasing downforce will negate AWD almost entirely. The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V already comes 250lbs lighter than the F10 M5, with BMW's Carbon Core structure already making the chassis of the next 5-Series lighter than before, the next M5 should have no problem shedding weight by doing some of the simple things the M4 already has, such as Carbon Fiber Drive Shaft, Carbon Fiber roof, Carbon Fiber Strut Brace, and Carbon Fiber Trunk. If ///M could just add some active Aero Dynamics or some cool fender vents like the Porsche GT3RS, downforce could be increased substantially. Or even some serious Aerodynamic Engineering, like how the Porsche 911 R generates a lot more downforce than the standard 911 without the use of a giant rear wing like on the GT3 or GT3RS.

There is still A LOT of potential for the Sports Sedan to be every bit nearly as fast as a true sports car. The weight and downforce just needs some serious work that's all.

I can speak from experience, that AWD on the M5 is not necessary. Winter tires make the car very drivable in the snow. The best thing AWD is good at is getting to 60mph.

There is only one street car in the world that I feel needs AWD and that is the Nissan GTR, since Japanese engineers always want to try to design a car that needs whatever it takes to get around the racetrack in the fastest possible way.

[Eddien123]

That's good news. But hopefully a manual is offered as well. Either way im sure awd was considered but then they realized that the additional weight may not be the best idea? Who knows