2012 BMW M5 Dual-Clutch Transmission Confirmed [Fanboy PSA]
Did you hear that? Yup, a collective sigh of relief from the nearly 5 million fans BMW has on Facebook.
Back in February Motor Trend stirred the Bimmer fanboy pot by reporting (erroneously) that the upcoming M5 would come exclusively with an automatic transmission. Instead, MT stated it would get the same ZF 8-speed auto-box as in the X5 M and X6 M, claiming BMW engineers couldn’t make the brand’s 7-speed DCT hold up to the M5’s tremendous torque.
That report has now been debunked by Chris Harris of EVO Magazine, who was recently invited to the arctic to drift the M5 on a frozen lake. Harris admits it’s a pretty pointless exercise, but we wouldn’t turn down the chance either.
In a brief article he reports that the car does in fact have a 7-speed DCT and that output is beyond that of the 555-hp M SUVs. Shift times are quicker than the current M5’s single-clutch setup too!
Look for more info to slip out in the lead-up to the car’s Frankfurt Auto Show debut in September.
[Source: EVO]
See video of the new M5 after the jump:
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Strange because all of the master techs at BMW that were briefed on the new M5 said the DCT transmission would make it to the M5 but not until a year later.. and the new M5 WILL have the auto box from the X5M during 1st year of production!