The 2012 BMW M5 F10 Is The New Benchmark

As clearly noted in our video review of both the 2003 BMW M5 and the 2010 BMW M5, I have a thing for M5s. I've driven the Mercedes Benz E63 AMG, its closest competitor and I would take the BMW M5 over it any day of the week, especially the weekend. In fact, if I had $150,000 to play with and had my choice of any car, I would take BMW M5 over anything under that price ceiling - although the Mercedes Benz CLS 63 AMG is very tempting.

My point is that I believe the BMW M5 is one of the best purpose built cars on the planet. What exactly is its purpose though? Its primary purpose is to be super fast and yet practical and it does both very well.

That brings me to the new 2012 BMW M5 F10 body style, which has got to be one of the best looking 5-series ever made, in my opinion. That said, this new BMW M5 has both looks that kill and performance that slays!

To be more specific, this sedan has the most powerful engine ever fitted in a series-produced model from BMW M GmbH. The new 2012 BMW M5 F10 power plant is a newly developed, high-revving V8 with M TwinPower Turbo (consisting of Twin Scroll Twin Turbo technology, a cross-bank exhaust manifold, High Precision Injection petrol direct injection and VALVETRONIC fully variable valve control).

If you didn't understand the above, just know this... that the engine produces 560 horsepower at 6,000 - 7,000 rpm and peak torque of 502 lb-ft hits you between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. The increase in horsepower and torque over the 2010 BMW M5 E60 is 53 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque or approximately 10% and 32% increases, respectively. The biggest difference, however, is in the torque figure which not only increases 32%, but the peaks early on at 1,500 rpm relative to the 2010 BMW M5 E60's peak at 6,100 rpm.