It's no surprise that BMW plans to attempt to bring its uber-saloon up to AMG-levels of power when the new M5 debuts in 2011. That means that output needs to surpass the current model's paltry 501 hp, so BMW will bore out the current V10 to 5.5-liters, slap on a couple of turbos and use direct-injection to bringing power levels up to 550 hp, or more. Grunt will be shoveled to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or the new seven-speed M DCT dual-clutch 'box.But it's not all about pavement-pummeling power. The use of the twin-turbochargers and DI is as much an attempt to reduce emissions as it is to boost output, and BMW is intent on making the next 5-series, due out in 2010, one of its most fuel-efficient vehicles. That means that start-stop technology will be used on the engine, along with its Efficient Dynamics system that uses regenerative braking to reduce load on the alternator, improving both fuel economy and engine output.
[Source: Autocar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
YouFaceTheTick @ May 7th 2008 2:04PM
That'd be an nice achievement - more power and more efficiency.
zamafir @ May 7th 2008 2:19PM
Yeah, possibly the most disappointing improvement on a bi turbo setup I've ever seen. And per the start-stop, were it not available to everyone right now, I'd be a bit more impressed. As it stands, neither does anything for me.
Keep up the great work you started with the x6 bmw!
AMcA @ May 7th 2008 10:04PM
That's not AMG levels, guys.
That's CTS-V levels.
8189720 @ May 8th 2008 12:17AM
BMW = Bring My Wallet
Why are they so overpriced here in the North America... oh yaeh, I remember... because there are people stupid enough to pay for it... okay, nevermind... keep going.
HeyHuub @ May 8th 2008 2:33AM
You think BMW's are overpriced in America? Haha
mk @ May 7th 2008 2:05PM
Engine start and stop WITH turbos???
I hope it has electric oil and water pumps that stay on and continue to feed the turbo's lube and coolant jackets.
Stopping flow to the turbos will coke them up like crazy, because turbos may still be hot and free-wheeling even if the engine itself stops.
DI, twin turbos, valvetronic... all that sounds great. Start-stop, not so much.
Shiftright @ May 7th 2008 3:18PM
MK, curious...what car is that in your avatar pic?
mk @ May 7th 2008 3:24PM
That is my 2005 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 Turbo 5-speed.
It is small enough that it is a bit challenging to see.
KarlInSanDiego @ May 7th 2008 5:03PM
Actually BMW does use an auxillary pump to circ. water through turbo after shutdown on the MINI turbo motor, so I'd assume they do that same on BMWs.
I think a big surprise would be if they figured out how to drop the 1000 lbs. of dead weight from their big cars. They are an embarrassment and undoubtedly cause their powertrain engineers, tasked with improved economy and reduced CO2 emmissions, to fantasize a coop.
R.Silvia @ May 7th 2008 2:05PM
So boring it out , adding direct injection and 2 turbo's only nets another 50hp??
C'mon BMW.. u can do better than that.. seems like a hell of a lot of work for nothing.
Allen @ May 7th 2008 2:53PM
I know right! Seriously under reporting...
Ligor @ May 7th 2008 3:39PM
well considereing the new fuel economy regulations, I bet those turbos are more to bring efficiency up
what good are turbos if you get more HP but the same fuel economy
I always wondered - if you want to prove turbos are more efficient, you'd take a car add turbos and then tune it so it has similar HP as before tehn see which deivers more mpg
I think this might just be the first application that does that (or as close as they can) since the DI will also increase power and efficiency
Michael Hall @ May 7th 2008 2:06PM
If the current 5.0 liter engine makes 500 horsepower, and BMW plans to enlarge it to 5.5 liters, why do they need turbos to make 550 horsepower? Doesn't make much sense.
Carguy @ May 7th 2008 2:24PM
A bump by a half a liter and adding turbos to get 50HP? I'd say this information is simply wrong.
Brett- BMW Advo @ May 7th 2008 3:21PM
I agree. Using DI, Twin-turbos and extra bore will allow this engine to achieve much higher HP numbers than just 550. I'm thinking 650+...
havoc @ May 7th 2008 3:28PM
look at the current 3l twin turbo, only makes 300 hp. nissan toyota, mitsubishi, they have all made 300 hp tt 3 liters as well. the difference is that the turbos (i'm sure) will significantly increase the low end and midrange power. the turbo 6 has a great power curve, although peak numbers are not very impressive.
Johnny @ May 7th 2008 2:08PM
I like that they are not increasing the hp but fattening up the power curve.
The current 5.0 V10 makes 500hp but at 4000rpm makes only 265hp and at 5000rpm makes 360hp
The twin turbo has done wonders for the 3.0 in the 335i. People say the engine makes more power than the 300hp but thats not true. Several dynos have shown that the engine really makes only 300hp but the power is very very flat from 2000rpm to 6000rpm. It feels like a DC generator.
Kudos to BMW. Its better to have an effective 550hp than an inneffective 700.
Yar @ May 7th 2008 2:25PM
Exactly. They've really got to bump the torque to get the horsepower curve as aggressive as the 550+ hp and 550 lb/ft 09 CTS-V. It's going to be an interesting horsepower war for the next few years. We know the General can squeeze at least 638 horses out of the blown 6.2, so maybe a Super V and Super M battle may ensue. You all know who I'll be rooting for.
zamafir @ May 7th 2008 2:56PM
It's really simple. RS4 has 4.2l V8, thus the new M3 matches. New RS6 has bi turbo V10, thus the revised M5 matches. All Audi needs to do is drop the bi turbo 12 from the conti into the A8 so we can watch BMW play monkey see monkey do another time.
Joel @ May 7th 2008 3:19PM
A flatter curve and more consistent powerband are just some of the points. This new setup will be more efficient providing better gas mileage and reduced emissions. To me, anytime a company can provide a car just as fast as the last one with better mileage, reduced emissions and better driving experience is selling a winner.