German Car Zone

A twin-turbo V10....yikes! Speculation is too rampant now IMO.

M

Well it's not actually speculation. SCOTT has stated that BMW/M-Division is currently studying 2 engines (V8 TT and V10TT) to see which would better match-up with the F10 M5. So the idea of a V10 TT wasn't part of a fanboy's wet dreams.... just it hasn't been confirmed (or denied) yet as the engine of choice for the next M5.

Oh yeah!! I can just see badging on the side of the M5 stating 'Twin Scroll Twin Turbo V10'.

Certainly a mouthful, but that won't be a problem since everyone will be drooling if this engine does end up being the heart of the next M5.

Gee thanks.

M

They might be testing a TTV10, but I too doubt if it will actually make it to production. The V8TT already packs a good punch and probably has a lot more in reserve - probably easily another 50HP. The bigger challenge might be coming up with a proper transmission for the car. But then again a M5 always came with a new engine that pushed the boundaries of what is de rigueur in a sedan...

Any reason for the sarcasm Merc1 ?

It's a very interesting dilemma they're faced with.
On one hand, it sounds like an all-out V10 TT would be a tad excessive even for BMW and M-Division, and it may actually be too much power for the car to still be able to accelerate and handle so nimbly (especially if BMW put added focus on keeping the new M5's weight in-check). Also, the marketing advantage associated with a V10 is not that strong anymore since Formula 1 no longer has V10's...also, a V10 flies in the face of BMW's Efficient Dynamics initiative, and SCOTT and Eni have stated the new M5 will showcase some of eD's technological applications.

On the other hand however, Sunny's right in saying that the M5's engine has always pushed the boundaries not only for BMWs, but also for performance sedans in generals. Resorting back to a V8 engine after having a barnstorming V10 may been seen as going a bit soft. Also, eventhough a V8 TT might be good when the car is launched, the new M5's engine has to remain competitive for the life of the model, which the V8 TT may not be able to do if other manufacturers take a more aggressive approach to their future performance sedans. Furthermore, the E63, RS6 and even Cadillac's offering all already outpower the M5, so going for a V8 TT just might not be enough to keep the M5's reputation of continually redefining the performance sedan. Another thing, the F10 550i is set to get a V8 TT, so having the M5 have a V8 TT (even if they are two completely different engines) might not be a good idea in marketing terms since many may perceive there isn't a justifiable reason to buy the M5 over the 550i.

I imagine the V10 TT would have noticeably higher development costs over the already in-production V8 TT, so I'm sure BMW are spending a lot of time evaluating the cost-vs-benefit of the V10 TT, especially if their sales forecasts suggest that cars such as the M5 won't sell like hotcakes due to state of the global economy. Also, the development of current M5's V10 was somewhat shared with the M3's V8 since a good deal was transfered down to the smaller sibling.... but what amount of the new V10 TT engine's development cost could be shared with other models...especially considering BMW has shelved more premium models such as the CS Concept and new Z8-replacement..and no M7. The M5 and M6 will share the burden of trying to achieve a return on investment for this new engine.

Add to all of this that BMW and M have to consider the competition's potential offerings when it comes to the future M6, and it becomes clear that deciding which engine to go for is a tough one for BMW.

That is easy to understand. The gains in fuel economy must be really spectacular, in order for its extra weight to be justified. Then it is easier to slam it onto something that have no predecessor to compare with.

That's FIA's fault with all those restrictions on it.

Good points! I think you make it pretty clear that the only real competitive and appealing choice for BMW and it's customers to follow is a V10 TT. Anything else will just be perceived as digression by fans of the automotive world.