BMW Australia has secured five examples of an exclusive First Edition M5 that will spearhead the local arrival of the sixth-generation super sedan in the second quarter of 2018.

Priced from $229,900 the handful of First Edition cars, snared from a global allocation of just 400, bring a number of unique comfort and styling extras to set them apart from more run of the mill M5s.

For those customers not quite fast enough to write a cheque for a First Edition, the rest of the 2018 Australian allocation of 50 vehicles is being offered only in limited Launch Edition trim from $199,900. When all 55 cars are gone, BMW’s 2019 allocation is expected to bring garden variety, non-limited edition 2018 BMW M5s.

With twice as many wheels fighting to get power to the ground compared with the previous M5, zero to 100km/h acceleration times have plummeted by more than a second to a blistering 3.4s.

On the inside the First Edition gets a Smoke White Merino leather interior with red stitching and piano black trims, in addition to the other M5 standard specification found in the Launch Edition cars. The front seats also gain ventilated seats.

Owners will be reminded that they snatched one of just 400 vehicles worldwide each time they board with a centre console plaque which displays the variant name and individual build number.

In other modes, the transmission biases power to the rear end but shares torque with the front axle for a balance of driving enjoyment and safety when on the public road, says BMW.

Compared with the M5’s arch nemesis, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S, the BMW is only just behind its compatriot’s 450kW power output, but a whole 100Nm shy of its massive 850Nm grunt. Official acceleration claims for the AMG say it’ll sprint to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, but Wheels testing revealed they’re sandbagging – we managed a scorching 3.3 second run on a cold dragstrip in the E63.

Can the new M5 keep up? We’ll find out in the second quarter of 2018.