BMW M5 and M6 get optional Competition Package

From July production the BMW M5 and BMW M6 will be available in Australia with an optional Competition Package.

Priced at $12,000 on the BMW M6 Gran Coupe â€" which starts at $299,500 â€" with an official price still to come on M5, the power output of the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in both models rises from 412kW to 423kW. The 0-100km/h sprint, in the case of the M6 Gran Coupe, is reduced by one-tenth to 4.1 seconds.

Springs and dampers are also changed, the adaptive suspension standard on both M5/M6 firming-up across all three existing modes â€" Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

The stability control M Dynamic Mode is more relaxed with the Competition Pack, giving drivers “more freedom, so you can do some drifts … but safety systems are still active,” according to BMW M Division head of sales operations management Jorg Bartels.

“The steering is 10 per cent more direct, it’s a new … traction improvement in the active M differential, and a new sports exhaust is also a sportier sound,” rounds out the changes, confirms Bartels.

The M5 also uniquely gets 10mm lower suspension.

Asked why the Competition Package wasn’t made standard as a running change to the BMW halo M sedan and coupe range, Bartels explained that some drivers still want a less focused package.

“It [Competition Pacakge] is a sportier driving … and if you are a customer who wants a more comfortable package then the choice is without Competition Package.

“Typically the Competition Package is designed to make the car sportier and more agile, [but] for the first time we have more power.”

A Competition Pacakage has previously been offered in the BMW M3.