Tucked away at the back of the BMW stand at the Johannesburg Motor Show is the most powerful letter in the world, according to BMW. The letter in question is ‘M’ and it refers to BMW latest range of Competition Package BMW M5s and M6s. If you haven’t visited the show yet, be sure to skulk your way to the back of the stand and take in these potent machines.
The BMW M recipe may have changed over the years and spread itself to newer models like the M6 Cabriolet and M6 Gran Coupe but adding power is never an unwelcome thing and the M5/M6 Competition Package is not one to disappoint. Offered as an option for the four most powerful automobiles in the BMW model portfolio, the Competition Package now presents BMW M driving characteristics in an even more intense, concentrated and impressive guise.
The Competition Package was specifically conceived to enhance handling properties by fine-tuning the suspension technology, tweaking the performance curve of the engine and bringing maximum performance in line with responses that are precision-controllable at high speeds, BMW say. The Competition Package boosts output by 11 kW to 423 kW in the high-revving V8 TwinPower turbo engine. Torque is the same at 680 Nm but 0.1 seconds is shaved off the standstill to 100 km/h sprint time and 0.2 seconds when accelerating from zero to 200 km/h.
BMW M has applied extensive modifications to the chassis set-up along with the suspension and damping systems and the stabiliser bars have also been more tautly tuned. In the BMW M5 this results in lowering the car by around 10 mm. The rear axle design, based on the race-derived principle of the rear axle subframe being bolted to the body, has also been tweaked and the front axle now gives better control too.
The Active M Differential has its own control unit in conjunction with the Competition Package. New hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering has more direct mapping too. Chassis control systems has been adapted with the Competition Package and the M Dynamic mode of the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system is more-acutely geared to sporty handling characteristics. The Competition Package gets exclusive 20-inch M light-alloy wheels along with a sport exhaust system featuring customary M twin tailpipes in black chrome.
