BMW reveals feistier M5

Fresh from revealing the facelifted 5 Series due on sale in Australia in July, BMW has now issued first images and details of its upgraded 5 Series flagship, the M5 super-sedan.

Due in Australian showrooms by October, the 2014 M5 features a range of cosmetic enhancements, including a revised kidney grille design that echoes the car’s double-spoke alloy wheels, new tail-lights with thin LED strips and the option of adaptive LED headlights.

Inside, the updated M5 – which arrives here a month after the facelifted Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG, it most direct rival – gains a fresh steering wheel, larger centre console bin and the option of a touch-sensitive character-recognition surface for the iDrive controller.

Apart from new exterior paint colours -- Pure Metal Silver (pictured), Pyrite Brown and Frozen Blue metallic, plus more BMW Individual matt paints -- there are two exclusive new leather trims (Cashmere Beige and Nutmeg).

New technologies include a lane departure system with collision warning as part of the driver assistance package, which uses a windscreen-mounted camera to detect vehicles or pedestrians at speeds as low as 20km/h and brakes automatically if required, while further new options include the anti-glare High Beam Assistant and Online Entertainment, allowing internet access to a music database of about 12 million songs.

However, the headline act of the upgraded M5 is an M Competition Package that is designed primarily to increase driver focus by improving handling, but also hikes the power output of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 from 412 to 423kW.

With peak torque remaining unchanged at 680Nm, the competition-packed M5 still falls short of the 430kW/800Nm outputs of the upgraded turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 fitted to the upcoming E 63 AMG S sedan, which will become standards in Australia’s E 63 sedan from September.

For the record, the most powerful M5 out-does the power output of Europe’s standard 2014 E 63 (410kW), but still falls short of its 720Nm torque peak.

Perhaps more importantly, while the most powerful E 63 sedan will sprint to 100km/h in a claimed 4.1 seconds, the latest M5’s optional 11kW power hike lowers its claimed 0-100km/h sprint time by one-tenth to 4.2 seconds.

The Competition Package will be available from July production for BMW’s four fastest models – the M5 and M6 Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe. Fitted with the Competition Package, the M6 Coupe and Gran Coupe are claimed to sprint to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds.

Outside the engine bay, the M Competition Package brings a 10mm-lower ride height, exclusive 20-inch light-alloy wheels, black chrome sports exhaust outlets and revisions to the Active M Differential.

In addition, the M-specific Servotronic hydraulic steering system has been remapped to deliver more direct steering feel in corners and the stability control system’s M Dynamic mode has been tweaked to allow even more aggressive handling and greater differentiation between Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes.

The M5 upgrades follow the availability of M carbon ceramic brake discs since March.

BMW Australia says it’s keen to make the M Competition Package available for all four models here, but it is yet to confirm when and how much they will cost.

The outgoing M5 costs $229,500 plus on-road costs, more than $20,000 less than the incoming E 63 S sedan ($249,900 plus ORCs).

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