2019 BMW M5 Competition revealed

BMW has revealed a harder and faster version of its M5 sports sedan, with the 2019 BMW M5 Competition due to go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2018. Featuring even more power than the ‘regular’ M5, the Competition cuts its 0-100km/h sprint time down to just 3.3 seconds.

The M5 Competition also includes the M Sport exhaust, as well as 7mm-lower suspension, and subtle styling changes such as gloss black inserts to distinguish it from the M5. The 2019 BMW M5 Competition will be priced from $229,000 plus on-road costs when it launches in Australia in the second half of 2018.

“Within weeks of revealing the BMW M5, we sold out of our initial allocation of 50 units,” said BMW Group Australia CEO, Marc Werner.

“To now have the M5 Competition available to us is fantastic news.

“With more power and a further refined drive system, the M5 Competition will take the M5 experience to an even higher level,” he said.

Centrepiece of the 2019 BMW M5 Competition is a 4.4-litre turbocharged petrol V8 engine, the same donk as the standard M5. In Competition guise it produces a massive 460kW of power – 19kW more – and the same 750Nm of torque, though the Competition’s peak torque is spread from 1,800 to 5,800rpm, which is 200rpm further. The extra power has allowed the M5 Competition to cut its 0-100km/h acceleration time to just 3.3 seconds and its 0-200km/h sprint to 10.8 seconds – both figures are 0.3 seconds faster than the standard M5. The top speed remains at a limited 250km/h.

As before, the M5 Competition maits its engine to BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system and BMW’s eight-speed M Steptronic automatic transmission. There’s an Active M Differential at the rear to enhance traction and give the car its rear power bias – the car can also cull its front differential from the driving experience and become solely rear-wheel drive. The M5 Competition’s suspension has also been stiffened by 10 percent and lowered by 7mm front and rear to enhance its cornering ability, whilst the M Sport’s exhaust volume can be turned up or down using a button on the centre console.

Other clues to the Competition name include gloss black inserts for the front and side grilles, as well as the rear spoiler, and Competition badging. Unique 20-inch alloy wheels are also part of the package, and are coloured in a unique black and silver combination. The M5 Competition will form part of a strong product onslaught from BMW Australia, with the recently launched X3, X2 and 5 Series added with the new X4 in September and M5 Competition in the second half of 2018.

2019 BMW M5 Competition pricing (plus on-road costs):
M5 Competition: $229,000

The 2019 BMW M5 Competition will go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2018. Stay tuned to Chasing Cars for more BMW news and reviews, and watch our new M5 preview video here.