BMW M5 prototype: on track

The very latest in a long line of impressive sports saloons

BMW Motorsport Division has a reputation for taking bold steps, but the switch from two-wheel drive to 4WD in the next generation of the M5 mega-saloon is major even by their standards.

The M5 has been around in various powertrain iterations for around 40 years, but it’s always been a rear-wheel driver. In this new sixth-gen M5, due out in 2018, BMW has set out to deliver all the thrills of two-wheel drive along with the security and reassurance of four-wheel drive.

That’s a big ask as 4WD always adds weight and usually takes the edge off from a handling perspective, but BMW reckons it’s cracked this particular conundrum with its new 'M xDrive' four-wheel-drive system.

Our man Matt went out to the Miramas proving ground in the south of France to test the company’s claim that the new M5 reaches new levels of driver engagement, even in comparison to its spectacular predecessors.

They gave him a squiggly-painted prototype and a legendary passenger to chat with – former F1 driver and current BMW DTM touring car ace Timo Glock, a cool dude who manages to maintain a cheery grin while an unworthy hack is sawing at the wheel in the middle of a 615bhp drift.

Tony Middlehurst is a writer for AutoCar.