What would have probably seemed like blasphemy not even a decade ago, an all-wheel drive variant of the mighty BMW M5 sports sedan is not only officially confirmed for the next generation, but the Bavarian carmaker is already testing a prototype of the current M5 with xDrive. Even though BMW has been downright vehement over the years when it comes to its rear-wheel-drive lineup and "Ultimate Driving Machine" marketing, it seems that the carmaker is trying to completely reinvent itself from just about every perspective.
The regular model range was the first to welcome what would have been unthinkable until the mid-2000s – such as the addition of turbochargers on every single engine and even the inclusion of the first ever front-wheel-drive BMW in the form of the 2 Series Active Tourer. When it comes to the M-branded vehicles, things started moving a little bit slower for obvious reasons, but don’t think they aren’t evolving and changing priorities as well. The first step happened a while back, when the M5 switched from a naturally-aspirated, high-revving, V-10 engine to a twin-turbocharged V-8, while the M division also ate its own words and introduced an M-badged SUV. Well, as it happens, the steadily shrinking pool of old-school BMW purists will probably get even more upset when they learn that BMW is preparing the first ever all-wheel-drive M5.
While the new 5 Series has already been unveiled in October 2016, BMW engineers are still hard at work testing the upcoming M5. Our spy shooters snapped some photos of a rather peculiar M5 testing near the Arctic Circle and they also managed to get under the car. As you can see from the resulting spy photos, this M5 is no ordinary one, as it clearly sports a driveshaft for the front axle. Purists shouldn’t fret too much though, as BMW has made it clear that an xDrive variant of the M5 will be optional, not standard.
On the other hand, BMW also made fun of torquey AMG models and front-wheel-drive Audis a few years ago and look at its lineup now...
Updated 10/18/2016: CamVanDerHorst revealed a series of leaked CAD images that give us a first look at the upcoming BMW M5. Check them out after the jump.
Continue reading to learn more about the 2018 BMW M5 xDrive.
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