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      05-14-2014, 08:56 AM   #92
Dionysus
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Drives: TBC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brainblade View Post
I drove my m5 around the new york all winter with the standard michelin pilots. I did not have a problem but had to be very cautious and never actually drove when the roads where not plowed. im not sure awd would have made a buying difference.
Xdrive does not perform miracles on very low friction surfaces such as compacted snow, ice, etc. You still need winter tyres in those conditions for optimal performance. Where it does work well is in providing consistency in changing conditions (for example, during brief and heavy outbreak of rain on otherwise sunny day).

If BMW choose to carry on as they are with Ms (turbo, low rev torque, etc.) good selling point for AWD in next gen M5 would be the following video (discounting any of us who are racing drivers, etc., how many of us would have the confidence to do the same as this M550d in an F10 M5 with all it's traction issues) - and BMW have refused to sell the M550d in RWD format due to the torque output: -



Quote:
Originally Posted by brainblade View Post
i think horsepower wars have caused diminishing returns, meaning that
a bump from 300 to 450hp is meaningful for everyday driving...but to go from a 550i's 400hp to 560hp of the m5 you start to hear, "why do u need all that power..so if the next generation goes from 560-620, will people be more inclined to buy it and will sales numbers grow? im not so sure...
Agreed. Case in point is current gen RS6 - last gen TT 5.0 V10 was 572bhp/650NM - current gen TT 4.0 V8 556bhp/700MN- both AWD, but current gen ~100kg lighter, so increased 0-62, economy, handling, etc. Hopefully this will set the trend for Mercedes & BMW to follow, however, if 'bragging rights' are still part of the average super saloon buyers wish list it may not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by brainblade View Post
Personally i think the next generation m has to be dumbed down if they want to sell more. the emphasis on technoogly is great but it turns people off including women. I offered the car to my parents who are taking a road trip and my mother said " no, we dont know how to use it". she drives a 2004 e320, and has a perception that bmw cars and my car are too sophisticated. Second, the next gen has to be smaller and lighter. third baseline pricing has to be in mid 80s. Finally--THE SUSPENSEFUL TWO YEAR ROLLOUT CANT HAPPEN AGAIN.
I would predict M5 will move towards even more lux & tech (but lower weight will help performance) - I'm not sure that our mothers are the target demographic for M5 ownership. I doubt it will be long before we start turning down the tech of the generation of our descendants as 'too sophisticated' (I'm making myself sound old)

Last edited by Dionysus; 05-14-2014 at 09:23 AM..
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