The new BMW F90 M5 is going to write a new page in the BMW history book. It will be the first M5 to have AWD and its system is claimed to be superior to anything else on the market. That’s because BMW wanted to stay true to its roots and offer its customers the alternative of being able to turn their cars into RWD racers at the flick of a button.

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To do that, they installed a system that can send up to 100 percent of the engine power to the rear wheels alone while also helping you launch faster than ever before from standstill, avoiding any drama. While some would scream blasphemy, they probably never tried to launch an M5 or even an M3 or M4 before, to see just how hard it is to keep the rear axle from lighting up the tires.

The video below shows exactly why a move to AWD was not only recommended, but actually necessary in today’s world. The car we’re most interested in here is the 750 HP BMW M6 lining up to go against a similarly powerful Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. However, since the Merc has AWD at its disposal, the result of the race is quite evident from the get go, the BMW still doing a good job at nearly catching up to the AMG towards the end.

So people can pout as much as they want but they want and they can claim that the balance of the car may be disturbed or that the all-wheel drive system adds some unnecessary weight to the whole thing, but the truth of the matter is, the most racing the BMW M5 will get to see will be in a straight line. And that’s where added traction will be paramount, to be able to keep up with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG or the Audi RS6.