The BMW M5 has captivated generations of owners and fans. First with it’s straight six and then later on with the 400hp V8 in the E39, but the one M5 that has rocked the world of many is the current fire-breathing V10 M5. The engine that powers the current E60 M5 remains powerful and very very lovable but its time is up as the world is moving on with new CO2 concerns, fuel economy standards, and the economies-of-scale fact of the V10 not being available or stretchable to power anything else in BMW’s lineup.
So what next? According to reports, it seems as if the next-gen M5 will most likely find it’s way back to a V8 engine. In fact, this rumour dates as far back as May 2008 and recent speculation suggests that it could just be a twin-turbo V10 instead. But now Inside Line is reporting that BMW representatives have confirmed that a V8 will indeed power the next generation M5 – although they didn’t confirm which one.
V8 engine’s are already available in BMW engine line-up, like the 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 that powers the X5M and X6M. And with 555hp and 500 pound-feet of torque, it’s a match made in heaven for the M5 supersedan. It has already been confirmed that the next generation M3 will be turbocharged, so there’s good reason to believe that the next generation M5 could receive the same treatment.
So with the M5, six-cylinders were never enough, ten were too much and eight was just nice, now it’s just a matter of how much power. The all-new BMW 5-series is just months away, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Source: AutoBlog
