A manual version of the F10 BMW M5 did make it to US market, but M division boss reveals sluggish demand, which means it will be dropped permanently.
Prospective buyers looking toward a new car by BMW’s M division to fulfill their desire for a more engaging driving experience might have one less option to tick when spec’ing their M5 sports saloon or M6 coupe or Gran Coupe.
It’s an important one too, as the possible omission of the manual transmission would topple another pillar in the fading craft of driving. But, like it or not, the decision seems like an inevitable one since BMW M GmbH chief Frank van Meel told Car and Driver that the demand for manual M5s have plummeted to near non-existence.
The only market where the current-generation (F10) BMW M5 with a manual is in the United States, where transmission specifically developed for it at considerable expense and effort.
Reason being that the M5’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine produces such a high amount of torque that it would slowly damage the gearbox which each shift, requiring BMW to also reprogram the car’s engine controller in order to preserve it.
The rest of the world seemed to have got along fine without having three foot pedals in their big snarly V8 Bimmer, but at the time the car was introduced there was enough of a push from North American customers to introduce a manual variant after the car was released wide.
Now that it seems that the outspoken individuals have been satiated, perhaps there is only the remaining majority to buy M5s, a majority that will chose the 7-speed M DCT transmission without hesitation.
It certainly makes practical sense for BMW to favor automatic (specifically double-clutch) transmissions since they are easier for the driver and are more fuel efficient. After this, the manual is almost entirely unlikely to make a return in future models.
But it’s not all bad news, since die-hard driving purists who won’t accept anything other than a self-shifter, BMW doesn’t seem to be backing down on the manual for their smaller sports car models like the M2, M3, and M4. Van Meel even confirmed this, stating that they indeed “will stay” on the smaller M cars.
The current crop of BMW M5s are on their way out and are reported to cease production towards the end of 2016 to make way for an all-new model based on the upcoming G30 5-Series, due to arrive in 2017.
