BMW rethinks all-wheel-drive M cars
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Performance</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/" rel="tag">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/luxury/" rel="tag">Luxury</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-bmw-m5/#photo-147823"><img alt="BMW M divison president Friedrich Nitschke says the next M5 and M6 will get an all-wheel-drive option." data-mep="12645" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1269x851+0+1/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/6676d4fbb0bfbba2dc49d2621 cc3a00d/2014-bmw-m5-01.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+m/">BMW M</a> hasn't been able to decide whether it wants to jump on the all-wheel-drive bandwagon or not (with the exceptions of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/x5+m/">X5 M</a> and the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/x6+m/">X6 M</a>, which are based on AWD architecture). That might be changing though, since M's president Friedrich Nitschke recently realized that 70 to 80 percent of Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs are ordered with all-wheel drive. Earlier this year, Nitschke said that there were <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/06/bmw-says-current-m3-sold-out-no-new-awd-m-models-planned/">no new AWD M models planned</a>, so this comes as somewhat of a surprise.<br />
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<blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote-right">
<p>"On our cars we are thinking of all-wheel drive." -Friedrich Nitschke, BMW</p>
</blockquote>
"On our cars we are thinking of all-wheel drive, but it won't come before we get the successor of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/m5/">M5</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/m6/">M6</a>," Nitschke said in a <em>Motoring</em> report. "That's the timing and it's not practical to react in the current life cycles."<br />
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Nitschke says that obtaining a faster 0-60 miles-per-hour time isn't why BMW M is considering AWD option for the M5 and M6. But one has to wonder if that's part of the division's reasoning when the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/rs6+avant%7Caudi+rs6+avan t/">Audi RS6 Avant</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/audi/rs7/">RS7</a>, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/porsche/panamera+turbo/">Porsche Panamera Turbo</a> and the top <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mercedes-benz/e63+amg/">Mercedes E63 AMG</a> all perform the sprint in under 4.0 seconds with AWD, when the fastest M5 can only do it in 4.2 seconds.<br />
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The M division traditionally has been shaped by rear-wheel drive sports cars and sedans with powerful, naturally aspirated engines of bespoke designs that didn't make their way into regular production BMWs. In recent years, however, M has been straying from its roots, replacing the M5's Formula One-derived V10 with a more pedestrian (but more powerful) twin-turbo V8, coming out with the aforementioned AWD M sports utility vehicle and crossover and equipping the upcoming <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/m3/">M3</a> sedan and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+m4/">M4</a> coupe with a twin-turbocharged straight six to replace the current naturally aspirated V8.<br />
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Before the current generation M5 was released in late 2011, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW</a> had reportedly been toying with plans to <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/03/all-wheel-drive-bmw-m5-in-the-cards/">make an AWD version</a>, but this latest report confirms that BMW will wait until the next generation comes out.<br />
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For the M purists out there, Nitschke reportedly assures you that the M3 and M4 will "never" come with AWD, because, he says, "To accelerate out of corners with this rear-end architecture concept is so fantastic that it [all-wheel drive] is not needed." Instead of taking his word on that, we'll just wait another four to six months and see if the story has changed.<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/04/bmw-rethinks-all-wheel-drive-m-cars/">BMW rethinks all-wheel-drive M cars</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:02:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/04/bmw-rethinks-all-wheel-drive-m-cars/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20737057/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/04/bmw-rethinks-all-wheel-drive-m-cars/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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