BMW M5 (E60) S85 V10 sedan with E85 explained

BMW M5: mechanical breakdown

A V10 in a sedan, run on E85

The caption of this 55-second E60 M5 clip asks why BMW put a V10 in a sedan, and names E85 / ethanol. The S85B50 gives the car its answer: ten cylinders, 4999 cc, no turbochargers, 500 hp, and a limit at 8,250 rpm. Nothing in the evidence says what else happens in the clip.

SMG III: one clutch, seven ratios

Gearbox choice defines how an E60 M5 drives. The 7-speed SMG III is a single-clutch automated manual, so there is one clutch for all seven ratios and drive is interrupted on every shift, with the engine's 520 Nm absent for that moment. A conventional automatic does not behave that way. The known weak point is the SMG hydraulic pump, which is a failure item on these cars. North America got an alternative: a 6-speed manual with the same 500 hp and 520 Nm, which leaves the SMG hardware out of the car altogether. With the 1,755 kg kerb weight and RWD layout, the 4.7 s to 100 km/h figure belongs to the SMG car.

Bearings before bolt-ons on the S85

Most S85 owners start with a preventive rod bearing replacement. It addresses the engine's best-known risk, and the cost is the labour: the job is expensive and labour-intensive. Exhaust is the other common change. Aftermarket headers or a full exhaust sharpen the V10 note toward the 8,250 rpm limit, and the trade-off is drone at cruise and, depending on the market, legality. The uploader's E85 / ethanol reference sits outside both items: the sheet has no tuning data for it, so no gains are quoted here. Failures of the throttle actuators and VANOS are also on the sheet, so a modified car still needs those checked.