Okay, it is purple and therefore a little bit ghastly—okay, a lot ghastly—but we do applaud Roger Lighterness for his unofficial rendering of the F10 BMW M5 Touring. We can only assume BMW will make an estate version of their new M5 and, if they do, we’ll be wishing one was ready and waiting in the garage at AUSmotive HQ.
[Source: 5Post]
If you thought the release of official images of the new F10-based Concept M5 was going to be the end of the official teasing from BMW, you were wrong. Okay, we know what the car looks like and Autocar has given us a taste of the performance we can expect, but we still haven’t seen full details from Munich. We’ll have to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September for that.
So, then, that leaves us with a couple of customer preview videos that don’t really offer too much. Dr Kay Segler, gives us a bit when he speaks to camera, so watch out for him. He’s the guy in the retro inspired M leather jacket.
Back in September we brought you video of the latest BMW M5 test mule undergoing testing at the Nürburgring. Aside from the fact it’s always good to see a new M5 on the way the sound from the car in last month’s video was, well, quite disappointing, really. Never mind, though, as this new clip from Car magazine shows that BMW has started to put things right. The twin turbo 4.4 litre V8 is sounding much nicer now!
Reportedly, the M5’s V8 will be good for 578hp, a slight 22hp increase on the 555hp found in the X5 M’s 4.4 litre heart of gold.
It’s understood we’ll see an M5 concept at Geneva next March, with the production ready model on show at Frankfurt in September 2011.
[Source: Car via BimmerFile]
Red Bull Racing returned to the victory dais at Suzuka today with Sebastian Vettel claiming his third race win of the year. Constantly at the top of the time sheets, Vettel was the dominant man all weekend and started the race from pole position. Teammate Mark Webber completed the Red Bull Racing domination by securing an comfortable looking second place. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso took the final podium position.
With three races to go the title race now looks set to be a race between Webber, Vettel and Alonso. A solid haul of points saw Webber slightly extend his championship lead this weekend. He is now on 220pts, with both Alonso and Vettel close behind on 206pts.
The full post-race press conference transcript is available below.
Fresh video of an F10-based BMW M5 being thrashed around the Nürburgring has emerged. The new M5 will ditch the delightful old V10 in favour of a twin turbo 4.4 litre bent eight. A V8 from Munich should sound good, right? Well, not yet it doesn’t. Not in this test mule anyway.
It’s expected we’ll get to see an M5 concept at the Geneva Motor Show in March next year, before the production-ready version makes its first public appearance at the Frankfurt show about 12 months from now.
There’s two clips after the jump, the first released in the last day or so, the second from back in April, which also features an M3 GTS. Now that’s what a German V8 should sound like!
[Source: 5post | Thanks to Richard & John for the tips]
It’s been a few months since we last saw some decent pics of the F10-based M5 prototype. This round of images gives us a reasonable look at the car inside and out.
The next gen M5 is likely to be powered by a twin-turbo V8 nicked from the X5/X6 M. These new pics also show what appears to be a DCT transmission, with paddles on the steering wheel visible. Also inside you can see a leather-topped dash with alcantara fabric running up the A-pillars.
Then there’s the 265/40/19 tyres up front which should help the new M5 stick to the road. Rear tyre sizing is likely to be 285 or 295 in width at a guess.
More pics after the break. Follow the link below for larger images too.
[Source: bimmerpost]
Ugh, I’ve finally woken up after the Bahrain Grand Prix. For an off-season that managed to keep Formula One fans on the edge of their seats, the season opener was a rather dull affair. That cannot be questioned, as evidenced by the chorus of criticism, from team principals, drivers and fans across the globe.
I’ve been told that Fernando Alonso won the race in his debut outing with Ferrari. Teammate Felipe Massa reminded us there’s more than one driver returning to F1 this year by claiming second. And 2008 champ Lewis Hamilton grabbed the last podium. A podium all three men owed to a wilting RB6 under Sebastien Vettel’s otherwise expert command (or perhaps his car was just running out of petrol)
We’ve heard from the likes of Mark Webber that the dullness in Bahrain was due to the new rule changes in force for 2010. With a full season, and off-season, of development behind them it would seem the double diffusers are even more effective in 2010 and the dirty air they create behind each car makes it impossible for the car behind to overtake. Or so we are being told.
We’re also being told the track layout at Bahrain is to blame and that other more passing friendly circuits will liven things up. Mind, it’s a bit dismal that a track with 23 corners cannot illicit any overtaking opportunities.
The refuelling ban and tyres that have reasonable life in them seems to ensure single pit stop strategies for the entire field. There’s been talk of introducing two mandatory stops in a bid to bring some life into F1 v2010. Not sure about you, but if the best idea to increase on track action is to increase the number of pit stops, well, Formula One is in more trouble than it cares to admit.
Following a series of leaked images over the weekend BMW have released official pics of their new 5 Series Touring, which will have its full public reveal at Leipzig in early April. Regular readers will know AUSmotive approves of all Euro wagons, and this new 5 Series is no different. It’s a nice evolution of the F10 5 Series saloon, and while I was a big fan of the previous generation 5 Series, the new models are starting to grow on me.
The 5 Series Touring is due in Australia in October September, and surprisingly BMW Australia have given us a tip on the expected engine line up at launch. It is stated in the press release (available below) that Australian customers will have the choice of two models, 520d and 535i. The 520d is powered by a 135kw four cylinder diesel engine, while the 535i gets the 225kW twin turbo 3.0 litre straight six also found in the Z4, among others. All engines meet EU5 emissions standards. Both models will be available with an 8 speed automatic transmission, although local pricing and specs won’t be confirmed until closer to the launch date.
As expected you can achieve a multitude of layout and boot opening arrangements. The rear window can be opened to offer quick access to the rear luggage compartment. Plus, there is an auto open/close function for gaining full access to the rear compartment. In its regular format the cargo space offered by the latest estate from Munich is 560 litres, which can be expanded to a maximum of 1670 litres. Instead of the more common 60:40 or 50:50 split folding rear seats this wagon provides a 40:20:40 set up. Which is also a hint that the rear bench is really best suited to two adults and a lap dog. If you need to fit five adults in your 5 Series Touring then make sure you bags the front seats first, as it might get a bit squishy in the back.
Like the saloon, the 5 Series Touring shares many components with the up scale 7 Series and all roll off the Dingolfing production facility. Further detail and a number of pics (you can click on each to load a 2000px super image) can be found after the jump. There’s also a brief intro courtesy of BMW’s YouTube channel.
UPDATE 3 August: BMW Australia have announced list pricing for the 5 Series Touring, which is now due in September:
Ferrari have just released these images of their 2010 Formula One car, codenamed F10. They are the first team to show their 2010 racecar to the public, with a raft of reveals to follow ahead of next week’s testing at Valencia.
There’s no surprise in the livery and prominence of Santander sponsorship, that was pretty much confirmed last week. Rumours of Ferrari taking design cues from the 2009 Red Bull RB5 have proved correct, too, with this new Ferrari. Especially on the nose cone. Generally speaking, the 2010 car is a lot more rounded than last year’s F60.
Team principal Stefano Domenicali spoke at the launch, and here’s a bit of what he had to say, “This championship will be very important for us. We have two new drivers; Fernando Alonso, is a twice world champion.
“Felipe, we are talking of a new version of Felipe, but after such a dramatic championship like last year with the accident in Hungary and such a fantastic season, Felipe has all the assets to prove that he is a very successful one, he can prove that he wants to restart his pathway that destiny interrupted it in Hungary. Good luck to both of them.”
Ferrari were planning for Felipe Massa to give the F10 a brief shakedown at the company’s Fiorano circuit today, but that has been called off due to poor weather.
UPDATE: Video from today’s launch is now available below (thanks to Axis of Oversteer).
UPDATE 29 January: New images added, along with statements from Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Luca di Montezemolo.
BMW released their all new 5 Series sedan in Munich this morning. First impressions? Not as cutting edge as the previous model. From a design point of view, it’s definitely a bit safer.
There are clear styling cues from within the BMW family, as you would expect. There’s some 7 Series flavour up front with lashings of 3 Series at the back. That sounds like it might be a bit of a mish mash, but the overall styling works quite well. Although, they stopped the penis extension bonnet just in time. Any bigger and, well, yeah. However, there’s no doubting the new F10 5er will kick lots of goals with its intended audience. I’m just disappointed they turned up the conservative dial a bit. The previous 5 Series, for me, got it just right in terms of pushing design boundaries while not alienating its market.
The car will go on sale in Europe after the Geneva Auto Salon (March 2010), with Australian deliveries commencing, not long after, in the middle of next year.
Of course this new model reveal brings with it a new round of technology, engines, safety gizmos and other things you never knew you needed in a car. Internet access for back seat passengers anyone?
European customers will have access to a full complement of engine choices. Ranging from a 135kW turbo diesel four cylinder (520d) through to a 300kW twin turbo V8 (550i). I can’t imagine a four cylinder 5 Series will find its way to Australian shores.
BMW’s lab coat wearers and marketers have teamed together to create a massive vocabulary of techno terms. Looks like dynamic is the current buzzword in the halls of Munich—the new 5 features Dynamic Driving Control, Dynamic Damper Control and Dynamic Drive stability control, all under BMW’s EfficientDynamics umbrella.
When you’re done with all things dynamic, you can still play with Adaptive Drive, Brake Energy Regeneration, ConnectedDrive, Parking Assistant, Surround View, Lane Change Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Speed Limit Info, Head-Up Display and BMW Night Vision. Quite a mouthful.
Plenty of pics, press blurb and a video, too, can be seen after the jump. A reminder that all pictures can be accessed in high-resolution wallpaper friendly sizing by simply clicking on each image. If you want more in depth coverage of the new F10 5 Series, then take a squiz at BimmerFile.