Upcoming BMW M5 Is The Fastest Sedan Around Nürburgring

When it comes to gauging a car’s performance, most will look at figures like accelerations, top speed, skid-pad numbers, and braking distance. Manufacturers have another number in mind, especially when a performance car is involved: A Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap Time. A lap time of the 14 mile course measures all the performance factors of a car. Drivers may also experience a 1,000 foot elevation change and can even experience different weather patterns during one lap of the famed German Track.
The top-spots are normally occupied by race cars, but production cars enjoy some fast times too. While there are no exact categories for separating laps, manufacturers will group similar cars that compete in the same segment, like the Porsche GT2 RS and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Another category that gets lumped together are four-door sedans, which the new BMW “F10” M5 dominates with a 7:55 lap. For comparison, it’s just as fast as a Ferrari F430, while the next quickest sedan, the Porsche Panamera Turbo is a second behind.
The F10 BMW M5 has lost the V-10 in favor of the twin-turbo 4.4L V-8 found in the X6 M and X5 M performance SUVs. This means that the car is producing 560 hp, 50 more horsepower than the old engine, and nearly eight-percent more torque lower in the rev-range. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be bolted to the back of the engine, but a six-speed manual will be available to enthusiasts who’d like to shift.
For now, BMW can claim they still offer the best new performance sedan on the market.
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Source: http://www.carnewsbreak.com/

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Posted in: Automotive,BMW,Car

BMW’s new 6-Series Coupe revealed

First came the convertible and finally we get this: the new BMW 6-Series Coupe.

The first thing you'll likely notice is that it sports a new found elegance and a touch more styling restraint than its divisive predecessor. Which is good. This third iteration of the Six Coupe will launch later this year - after the convertible - in two guises: the 640i and 650i

Sadly, labelling the two GTs appears to have been left to a workie as they no longer match the engine size: the 640i gets a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine with 320bhp, while the 650i gets a detuned version of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 currently startling regretful owners of the X6 and X5 M models. In the Six, it bangs out 407bhp and 442lb ft of torque.

Although ‘bangs' is probably the wrong word. We tested this engine in the convertible and found it's less of a singer, more a heavy-handed tour-guide. The 640i hits 62mph in 5.4 seconds, tops out at 155mph and returns 36.7mpg, while the 650i does the 0-62mph dash in 4.9 seconds, and emits just 243g/km of CO2 and returns 27.2mpg.

Both cars get an eight-speed Sports auto gearbox as standard, together with Start-Stop, electric power steering and brake energy regeneration. There are some driver aids to keep you out of a hedge fund, including brake/traction/stability control and even a brake-drying function.

A trio of optional chassis control settings, including damper control, adaptive drive and dynamic drive (Normal, Sport and Sport+), are standard fit, while the instrument dials are angled towards the driver as in BMWs of old.

You get a bewildering array of Stuff you can option: Bang & Olufsen surround sound, a head-up display, DVD changer, TV module, DAB receiver and USB interface are just some. Though we hope that unlike the convertible, you don't have to option in some excitement too...

Your thoughts, please. This, the SL or the XK?

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Article Source: http://www.topgear.com 

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Posted in: Automotive,BMW,Car