Submitted 9/28/2009

The current M5 was the first to receive a V10 powerplant, and we were just informed it will also be the last. BMW reps have confirmed to Inside Line that the next M5 will feature a turbocharged V8 instead of the current V10. But this is BMW, so while they may be making efforts to reduce emissions and CO2, don’t expect the horsepower to be reduced.

The downsizing from the V10 was caused by BMW trying to reduce costs since the V10 wasn’t used in any other vehicles, and because it’s striving to become even more “green.” If you’re in the U.S., you may be wondering why I said “more” green, since you see BMW as a high powered sports car manufacturer. The reality is that BMW actually makes many green cars and even sells more fuel mising diesels than gasoline cars. They only send their most powerful variants to the U.S. in an effort to keep up their “ultimate driving experience” image. In Europe, this is not the case, and they were recently named the greenest automaker for the fifth year in a row by Dow Jones.

This shouldn’t make you worry that the next M5 will be a slouch; after all, an 8 cylinder is featured in the high performance Audi RS6 and the Cadillac CTS-V. The current BMW V10 makes 400 horsepower normally, and 500 with the M Button pushed. While these numbers are stratospheric, torque sits at a modest 383 lb-ft, an issue a turbo can easily address.

BMW hasn’t confirmed which V8 it will be placing in the next M5, but it’s safe to assume it will be a variant of the twin turbo V8 in the X5M and X6M. This engine’s 555 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque not only surpass the current M5, but puts it right in the range of other supercars.

It may be greener, but it’s still a beast.

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