Review of the BMW M5 E28

The BMW M5 E28 was assembled based on the sedan — the five series E28. It was presented to the general public at the end of winter 1984 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. The demand among buyers was enormous — the car turned out to be very successful. It has two major advantages — the high performance of a sports car and the large cargo capacity of an everyday sedan.

In the mid-80s, this model turned out to be the fastest among the serial sedans available at that time.

Distinctive Features of the BMW M5 E28

The factory planned to produce no more than 500 cars. But in reality, 1370 were produced (some data suggests only 1244). Nonetheless, this figure is more than twice the planned amount.

The very first cars, totaling 500, were assembled entirely by hand. Until 1986, assembly was carried out in Proyssestrasse, near Munich. After that, the production of the M5 E28 shifted 100 km east — to Dingolfing.

In the mid-80s, the Bavarian sedan was the best in its class. And the engine turned out to be so high-quality that even Ferrari had to give way in comparison.

The car was adorned with many Motorsport emblems. The top speed on the speedometer is 280 km/h. Quite high, not every sedan of those years could even reach half of that. The steering wheel developed by Recaro adorned the car's interior. The Motorsport tricolor can be seen on the gear lever.

Comfortable seats with improved side support and upholstery made of natural leather fit perfectly into the interior of the cabin. Over 20 types of leather were used in the car's finishing! Even the trunk was not overlooked — it was lined with expensive plush. On cars produced after 1986, the inscription «M5» can be seen.

The factory focused on the consumer and constantly worked on the model. Therefore, there were many versions of the M5 E28 — a total of 5. The very first cars appeared in Europe, North America, England, South Africa, and Japan. Models with right-hand drive were produced for some countries, while others received models with left-hand drive.

Production of cars by year:

1. October 1984 — September 1987. 588 left-hand drive cars were produced without a catalytic converter. European specification.
2. March 1986 — November 1987. Cars were of Euro specifications, without a catalytic converter, but with right-hand drive. A total of 187 cars were produced.
3. November 1986 — November 1987. During this period, North American versions of the sedan with left-hand drive and a catalytic converter were produced. 101 cars went to Canada, with a total of 134 sedans produced in a year.
4. From January to March 1987, cars were produced for Japan. A total of 30 units were assembled with a catalytic converter.
5. June 1987 — November 1988. Right-hand drive cars without a catalytic converter were produced for export to South Africa. A total of 96 cars were produced.

There are slight differences between European and American assemblies, but they can be found. For example, reinforced bumpers were installed on cars destined for export to the USA and Canada. Even visually, they appear more robust than on European cars. At speeds up to 8 miles per hour, the bumper of the American M5 practically did not deform upon impact.

The Engine of the BMW M5 E28

But there is another aspect that distinguished the different versions of the car — the engine power. The engine's capacity is the same on all versions — 3.5 liters. However, the power differs by 30 hp. Cars for the European, African, and British markets were equipped with an engine producing 286 hp. It had 24 valves across 6 cylinders, designated as the M88.

For the Japanese and American markets, cars were supplied with engines S38B35 producing 256 hp. The engine was the same, but for the USA, for example, cars were produced with a catalytic converter. It is because of this that the engine power is reduced. However, emissions into the atmosphere were reduced.

Transmission

The BMW M5 E28 featured a Getrag 280/5 five-speed gearbox. Gear ratios:

1. 3.51.
2. 2.08.
3. 1.35.
4. 1.00.
5. 0.81.

The gearbox design used high-friction differentials. The suspension was modified compared to its predecessor. The levers and struts were reinforced, and the variable stiffness springs were shortened. As a result, the car's handling became smoother.

Engineers from Bilstein developed high-strength shock absorbers. New cross stabilizers were also used — 25 mm thick for the front axle and 18 mm for the rear axle. As a result of this modernization, the car became more stable and smoothly entered turns at any speed.

Performance

To understand how good the BMW M5 E28 is, it is worth comparing it with its closest competitors. These are the Opel Omega Evolution 500 and the Mercedes-Benz 320 E. The main dynamic characteristics of these models are:

 Dimensions of the BMW M5 E28

In photographs, the model may seem small, but in reality, it has impressive dimensions. For instance, the body length is 4620 mm. The length of the famous VAZ-2106 model is 50 cm shorter. The M5's width is 1700 mm, height — 1400 mm.

The ground clearance is only 140 mm, making it difficult to drive on rough roads. Track width: front wheels — 1430 mm, rear wheels — 1465 mm. Wheelbase — 2625 mm.

The trunk is very spacious — its volume is 640 liters. When compared to the domestic VAZ-2106 model, it is almost half the size (345 liters). The curb weight of the M5 is 1430 kg, and the total weight is 1900 kg.

Wheels

For cars produced for the European market, forged wheels were used. Similar ones can still be found on the E24 6 series and the E23 7 series. The tire size was 220/55VR390. Later, cross-spoke alloy wheels with tires sized 225/50VR16 were introduced.

Pirelli tires were used. On left-hand drive cars, these wheels were optional, while on right-hand drive cars, they became standard. The more beautiful and better ones were exported overseas.

Read more: Review of the BMW M3 E30 sports sedan

Equipment

The BMW M5 E28 cars had several packages of additional options. Among them, you could find:

1. Interior trim of the BMW M5 E28 — leather or fabric, depending on the buyer's preference. It is worth noting that there were many colors of leather available.
2. Installation of a sunroof and its control variant. Even in those years, you could get a car with an automatic sunroof.
3. If the buyer was willing to spend more, aerodynamic bumpers, a small spoiler on the trunk, and side skirts could be installed. Even chrome body elements could be painted black matte.
4. Two-tone leather steering wheel with an airbag, windshield wipers on all front lights or only on a pair. All these options may seem funny, but back then people were willing to pay a lot for them.

Buyers were offered three types of audio systems:

1. 400 W BMW Bavaria I Electronic. A cassette player and four speakers provided good sound quality.
2. BMW Bavaria II Electronic — the audio system included 6 speakers and a cassette player. Its power output was 600 W.
3. And the last type — BMW Bavaria Mexico. This was the only audio system with a subwoofer. The power of this audio system was over 1 kW. There were 10 speakers in the cabin.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning an interesting fact. It was during the production of this model that the BMW Individual program was in effect. The buyer could choose not only the color of the car but also the leather used for the interior when placing an order.