2012 BMW M5 Revealed in Production Trim
By Greg Migliore
The wraps have been torn off the fire-breathing 2012 BMW M5. And, as expected, the Bavarian luxury maker is going in a different direction under the hood.
BMW is eschewing a naturally aspirated powerplant in the new M5, whose high-revving roots date to the 1980s, in favor of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 pushing out about 552 hp. Final U.S. spec will come later. The most recent generation employed a V10 pushing out 500 hp.
The 2012 M5 bowed in concept form at the Shanghai motor show this spring and arrives in 
production guise this fall at the Frankfurt show.
The obvious changes are a deeper front bumper and the flares are a bit more pronounced in the fenders.
The V8 is also employed in the BMW X5 and BMW X6 crossovers, and the downsized powerplant is expected to improve fuel economy. The new M5 is still expected to sprint to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds.
The 2012 BMW M5 will fight the Cadillac CTS-V, the Mercedes-Benz CLS AMG, the Jaguar XFR and the Audi S6 for attention among luxury buyers.
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