All-wheel-drive BMW M5 might just be coming..

[jnrdavo]

The times, they are a changin'... and so is the BMW M5. Since it hit the streets back in 1985, the M5 has always been a beastly Bavarian that sends power solely to the rear wheels, but now, new reports are stating that the all-new F10 M5 may be available with all-wheel drive.



Exact details of this upcoming M5 have yet to be revealed, but BMW has reportedly confirmed that an AWD-version is in the cards. The production version of the 2012 BMW M5 is set to hit the Frankfurt Motor Show stage in September, and we expect to suss out a few more tidbits of information before that time arrives. Until then, we're content to fill our dreams with visions of snow-filled four-wheel drifts punctuated by the turbo-muffled growl of a force-fed V8 engine.

Gallery: 2012 BMW M5 Concept

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[Source: Autocar]

[gunsbuns]

Hi JnrD.
Now a 4wd M5 is something that would be a seriously good idea. I'm new to this forum but keen to look, learn and contribute. I originally joined OZaudi with a view to getting an RS4 but fate intervened and I found myself sitting behind the wheel of a very nice black 2006 E60 M5. My one regret in forgoing the RS4 was the all wheel traction. In the wet I find even the P-zero (corsa) rears lose traction very easilly so 4 wheel grip would be very welcome. Having previously had a Range Rover Sport (TDV8) for a while, you get used to great traction in the wet and snow and the bonus of this in the next version M5 would IMHO make this a real all use for all conditions super car.

Look forward to contributing where I can on the site.

[jnrdavo]

yeah, welcome mate... I remember your post on the M5, it was a beauty!

Yeah, once you've had 4wheel drive, it's a bit hard going back in my opinion... then again, on the track (if you know what you are doing), rear wheel drive is the best :-)

More than happy for you to swamp us with info and questions mate, trying to build this site up to be as good as ozaudi!

[gunsbuns]

I'm a bit surprised that there's not more interest from BMW owners in a good aust site. Ozaudi seems to have a huge following and O/S sites like M5Board have lots of participants. It's not as if BMW is small in the marketplace! Not to worry - persistance will win! Anyway to kick things along I'll throw out my update for interest and any comment. My new toy (well it's new to me at least) is a 2006 saphire black E60 M5. Purchased with 49000km on the clock. It's hard to believe the amount of devaluation these cars end up with but getting a $240,000 odd car after 5 year with relatively low km for under $100k is pretty amazing. I recently noticed a very slight noise coming from the front wheels when turning right. I wanted to get an alignment done so took it along to a suspension guy and it turns out one of the front wheel bearings is gone. Only one is bad so he thinks it's likely that the car has hit something and damaged the bearing. Anyway, he gets a quote on the part from BMW and it's $700. I find this hard to believe so give them a call myself and I'm quoted $750 for the parts and around $450 labour for a total of around $1200 installed! Ouch. So now to the moral of the story. I get on the web and check out M5Board and find Pelican parts in the US (as well as some others). I get online and find the part, confirm the part number with my suspension guy to make sure they're the same (tick) and end up paying $171 for all the parts plus about $120 shipping for a total of $291 delivered to my door. A nice saving in my book. Untill or unless BMW Aust start pricing their parts a bit closer to what can be had O/S, this is the way to shop.

New bearing goes in next week and hopefully that will be it for the repairs for a while at least.
Cheers

[jnrdavo]

yeah mate, the global shopping centre is making it hard for local guys to buy and sell, I'm sure...

It's a double edged sword... the local guys don't have the turn around as the US or UK (population), so they have to mark up to stay afloat...At the end of the day, they are in business to make a profit, but with the strong Aussie Dollar (ok, so it took a dive on Friday!), our purchasing power overseas is great...

One thing that we all become aware of when buying $200K plus second hand cars is that parts they require are normally very expensive! When you look at the technology and the parts that are required to make a BMW or Audi V8/V12 function, at such high revs, you can see a mile away the difference to the Aussie built V8's and why we get stuck with large bills when fixes are needed :-)