The first reviews of the all-new 2012 BMW M5 have been full of praise (click here for an overview). Yet, some enthusiasts continue to pine for one thing – a manual transmission option. As reported before (and confirmed by an earlier set of spyshots), BMW will again offer a manual transmission for the new M5, likely for the US market only.

This new photo of the interior of a manual M5 unveils some subtle differences in the center console. The shifter itself seems to be fairly short and resembles the stick of the BMW 1 series M Coupe. The buttons placed next to the shifter for DSC, damper control, and other changeable settings are bigger and more rounded compared to the DCT version. It also seems that the two cup holders in the center console (usually placed between shifter and climate control) had to go, as any cups probably would interfere with the stick shift operation.

We’ve added some more photos showing the car and some US specific features such as the yellow reflectors in the front bumper. Big thanks to Stefan Schnuse for the photos!

Stay tuned for more information on the new 2012 BMW M5 and check our previous coverage in the meantime: https://www.bimmerpost.com/m5/f10m5/

Original Thread: https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598914