BMW M5 Competition price and specs announced

A power increase to 617bhp will make the BMW M5 Competition one of the fastest saloon cars in history when it arrives with a price tag of £96,205 in September. More importantly for BMW, the power hike will put the 604bhp of the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S firmly in the shade.

The 25bhp boost for the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 over the standard M5 reduces the 0-62mph time to 3.3 seconds and the 0-124mph acceleration from 11.1 to 10.8 seconds. These figures are sufficient to make the M5 Competition the fastest version of the car ever.

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The M5 Competition gets a unique M Sport exhaust with flaps that allow it to produce “an extremely distinctive soundtrack”. The exhaust acoustics change in Efficient, Sport and Sport Plus driving modes, allowing drivers to tailor the sound using BMW’s Drive Performance control system. The new exhaust is also marked out by black exhaust tips, housed in a new bumper diffuser.

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The chassis has been given a thorough reworking to make the M5 Competition a sharper car to drive. The suspension is 10% firmer, the ride height has been lowered by 7mm, and mounting points for the suspension and engine have been made stiffer to remove any traces of slack.

The M5 Competition’s wheels are 20-inch lightweight forged alloys with a two-tone paint finish. Carbon ceramic brakes are available as an option and are distinguished by gold painted calipers. They reduce the car’s weight by 23kg compared with the standard steel items.

A black grille, side gills, door mirrors, window trim and rear spoiler visually mark out the Competition from the standard M5. There are fewer changes for the interior, but there are M Sport stripes on the seat belts, new mats with piping and an M5 logo, plus an ‘M5 Competition’ graphic appears in the instrument display when you start the engine.

With the standard M5 starting at £90,015, you’ll need to splash out another £6,190 to enjoy the M5 Competition’s power and chassis upgrades, as well as its extra exclusivity.