The next-generation BMW M5 is adding all-wheel drive. At least that’s what an Australian automotive media site, GoAuto, was told by a BMW representative at the Melbourne premiere of the new 2017 BMW 5-series.
While a spokesperson from BMW of North America was unable to comment on the next-generation M5, spy photos we published in 2015—including shots of front half-shafts—show the company has been actively testing at least one all-wheel-drive M5. The first inklings of this change, however, came as far back as 2013, when the head of BMW’s M division at the time, Friedrich Nitschke, acknowledged that such a drivetrain was under consideration.
Adding even more fuel to the fire is BMW M division CEO Frank van Meel’s recent admission to Autocar that an available all-wheel-drive system on the M5 is all but inevitable. He gave the impression that such a system would be an optional extra on the fast four-door. Whether or not this is the case when the car is unveiled remains to be seen. Regardless, expect a heavy rear bias from the M5 should it adopt all-wheel drive; GoAuto reported, citing the BMW representative, that 80 percent of the engine’s power will be routed to the rear wheels.
With competitors from Audi and Mercedes-AMG employing all-wheel drive in their supersedans, we can’t say we’re surprised the same technology is likely to come to the new M5. Still, we hope that BMW’s M division doesn’t abandon rear-wheel drive entirely. After all, an M2 with all-wheel drive just wouldn’t be the same.
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