By Staff Reporter

 It hasn’t been long since BMW took covers off the updated BMW 5 Series and now BMW has revealed the refreshed BMW M5 and BMW M5 Competition. No changes happen in the power department and all the changes take place on the exterior, interior and in the technology department.

Looks

Upfront the most obvious change is the introduction of new, slim and L-shaped LED lights, and a bigger kidney grille. These come with redesigned bumpers, bigger hexagonal center air-intake, and two enlarged air-intake vents.

The rear also gets redesigned LED lights, tweaked bumper, a more pronounced diffuser and redesigned M-specific quad exhaust tips. Those opting for the M5 Competition see the addition of black chrome treatment to the front grille, taillights, trunk spoiler, and badges.

New 19-inch M wheels are a new option for the 2021 model.

Inside, the biggest change is the introduction of the standard Live Cockpit and BMW Navigation System with iDrive 7. The inclusion of iDrive 7 system also adds a number of key safety features. The system also two massive 12.3-inch screens – one in front of the drive and other above the centre console. The system comes with standard and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Safety Features

The updated BMW M5 offers a host of active and passive safety features. Lane departure warning with steering assist, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high-beam assist are offered as standard. Standing out is the new optional Driving Assistant Professional which now includes Active Navigation with the help of the Lane Change Assistant. This feature allows automatic formation of emergency lane and junction warning (now with city braking) functions. 3D visualisation of the surrounding area shows traffic situations and possible interventions by the driver assistance systems in the instrument cluster.

Power

Power remains unchanged with both the M5 and M5 Competition still pushing a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine. The engine makes 441 kW in the BMW M5 and 460 kW in the BMW M5 Competition. The engine is paired with an eight‑speed M Steptronic transmission which sends all power to all four-wheels via the standard  M xDrive all-wheel drive system (which also includes a 2WD setting for pure rear-wheel drive). The BMW M5 sprints from 0 – 100 km/h in only 3.4 seconds and passes 200 km/h with just 11.1 seconds on the clock. The BMW M5 Competition reaches both marks a fraction more quickly: 100 km/h is up in 3.3 seconds, 200 km/h in 10.8 seconds.