Any New M5 Owners? Whaddya Think?

[Exigent]

I was just reading an article that seemed to confirm that BMW will be bringing an M5 Touring (ie. wagon) to the U.S. next year. As a former M3 owners 3x over and as a current owner of a very practical 325 Touring, I couldn't help but think about how awesome an M5 Touring would be.

Who among us has a current generation M5? What are your opinions? I don't think any of the 6 speed manual versions have arrived yet, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the M5 ... and your thoughts on an upcoming M5 Touring.

It's sick to think that such a car could smoke our little Lotus cars -- with 4 people and luggage in the cabin. It could also easily be a daily driven car.

I had the chance to ride shotgun in a professional driven M5 at the Nurburgring (Ring Taxi) in '02 (last generation car), and I couldn't stop thinking to myself "I would never need any other car -- this thing is just amazing and is well beyond my capabilities as a driver". I can only imagine that the new M5 is even more amazing.



...and I could stop worrying about what performance car to drive once my wife and I have kids!

[JeffYoung]

Go to www.dpcars.net and check out "Past Vehicles." Dennis owned and tracked a brand new M5 (and has owned two Elises, a Sport 190 and an S2). The write ups are interesting.

[Ram]

I don't own one. I had a short test drive in the E60 (new) M5, and it was the fastest car I have driven, feels light and agile, grips like a sports car, and rides well. On the flip-side, the SMG was a disaster, an absolute deal-breaker, and there are way too many configurations to fiddle with for my taste. The whole experience has gotten me thinking about picking up an E39 (last gen) M5.

[Brian 111]

I do not own one but took a test drive for about 45 minutes. I need a wagon- I'm not an SUV person. If the Touring becomes available with a manual transmission, I am prepared to leave a deposit. But if all we get is SMG...

I'm going to order an E 63 wagon. A dealer 100 miles away has one coming in and he's letting me test it next week. The SMG was worse in the M5 than it was in the Z4 I drove last spring. Besides, the E 63 has a third seat available; BMW has historically not offered it. I really do like that V10, though.

What's more ridiculous than 500 hp in a street car? A 500 hp wagon.

[avantephoto]

ask my friend,...

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/show...6&postcount=13

[Stephen]

Is that the new M3 on the right? I have seen spy pics; I guess that one is in testing in Germany? I am surprised that it does not have camo on it.

Sorry, the M5 wagon does not interest me, but in your case I understand. You can make any river barge, including pick up trucks out perform an Elise, at least in a straight line. All you have to do is put in a powerful motor; with enough money you can do anything. I bet I could buy a Pacer or Pinto and have it outperform a FF 380 Elise in a straight line; maybe even in cornering if the whole chassis is rebuilt and suspension totally redone. Anything, within the laws of physics/nature is possible. This has already been done with the Buick GNX and the GMC Syclone/Typhon. But I agree, if you have a family and do not want to comprimise performance, the M5 wagon is the way to go. However, for the money spent on the M5 wagon, you could buy a regular family hauler (maybe VW Toureg) and an Elise; that way you have 2 vehicles dedicated to their intended purpose without having to make any compromises. A good analogy would be all season tires vs. a set of summer and winter tires. All season tires are pretty good all year round, but a dedicated set of summer and winter tires is better.

[dickedup]

Originally Posted by JeffYoung

Go to www.dpcars.net and check out "Past Vehicles." Dennis owned and tracked a brand new M5 (and has owned two Elises, a Sport 190 and an S2). The write ups are interesting.

Keebler owned that one for like 5 weeks.

Over-motored heavy Sled Pig. Colleague of mine owns one and have taken it out and about more than a few times.

[Taxcheat]

This Top Gear 0-60 test of the M6 kinda explains the problem with the M5 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5QDPbT9wlk

[mopho]

Originally Posted by Taxcheat

This Top Gear 0-60 test of the M6 kinda explains the problem with the M5 :

And it's the truth. I had one for an afternoon and when I first got it, I sat in the parking lot for a good five minutes just trying to figure out how to get it started, into reverse and the A/C on

It was ridiculously fast (way too fast for a car that heavy), by the end of second gear you're already slamming on the brakes in fear of losing your license. SMG was horrific, very jerky shifts, even in quick shift mode (which was not that quick). I found the interior unattractive as well.
I was very disappointed in the car. Perhaps living with it you can get over the shortcomings

Now on the other hand I recently had the upcoming 335i coupe with the twin turbo six, that car was awesome and no frills!

[James A]

My daily driver is an E39 M5 and I to have driven the E60 M5. I can't imagine a better daily driver than my E39 it is terrific but,,,, it is a tank and so is the E60, 4000 pound cars are neither light or agile. And while entertaining on the straights at Road Atlanta it is not much fun in the turns because of the weight and the fact that it consumes tires. Oh for laughs I autocrossed my M5 once, believe me it is not agile, it's a big old porker. Best commuter car ever though!

[abefroeman]

here is someing that I have been wondering for a long time:

how is it that a 525i weighs like ~3400lbs and an M5 weighs like ~4000lbs? (both E39's)

[Brian 111]

originally posted by James A:

My daily driver is an E39 M5 and I to have driven the E60 M5. I can't imagine a better daily driver than my E39 it is terrific but,,,,

James, what did you think about the differences in the steering? I love the E39 M5 and the old 740i w/sport package (the only car with an automatic I ever considered) but the recirculating-ball steering on those cars really bothered me compared to a 6 cylinder 5's rack and pinion.

[ms355]

A friend of mine owns one, so I know it quite well. State-of-the-art mechanics and electronics. Once you have selected the perfect 'Autobahn'-setup, then driving on these roads is fantastic with the V10 M5 unless you run into heavy traffic or speed limits (and there are much more in this country than you might think of), which is pretty frustrating.

Nevertheless it is not my taste; too sophisticated, too heavy and the fuel economy can drop to 10 mpg. If not on a narrow, winding road, the Elise might pass you at the gas station. But should one really compare both as they are so different?

Exigent's picture shows a scene at a German Autobahn gas station. Check the price board: 1.40 Euros per litre of high-octane gasoline is equal to some 6.75 Dollars per gallon. (BTW: what is the gas price in the US these days?)

And, yes, the 3series in the picture probably will be the new M3, although I haven't seen pictures of it so far.

[abefroeman]

Originally Posted by ms355

what is the gas price in the US these days

it's a little over $3.00 per gallon and everybody bitches about how expensive it is.

[MickOpalak]

For that class of car, I'd take a Mercedes CLS63 AMG.

[James A]

Brian, I really didn't drive the E60 enough to make a fair comparison, so here is my unfair comparison. I don't like the Bangle school of design and I am going to skip the current generation of BMWs because of that. The E60 torque/acceleration is fantastic, but I really don't think the E60 handles any better than the E39, but again I am biased here. I don't like I-Drive just please give me some buttons to control things in a direct manner. I did not like the SMG on the car I drove it is not very smooth, this may be my inexperience with it, but I like a manual gearbox. For an $85K car there are just too many things I did not like about it, maybe they will get it right in 3 or 4 years.
And,,, for those of you not familiar with it, you also have to deal with arrogant crappy BMW service!!! (Sorry to vent here but my experience across 5 dealers now is awful, versus my wife's experience with Lexus service across 3 dealers all excellent!)

[perryeyges]

The car looks fair in dark colors only. Too many cut lines, chopped up ... Oh, and wait for the stick. BMW should grin and bear it and buy the rights to the VW group DSG.
My buddy got an Ice Blue SMG M5 early this year. Ugliest hot rod family hauler I have seen to date. Looks like a gay toad smiling wide. Barf!
I guess you love it or you hate it.

[Brian 111]

Thanks James. You mirror my overall feelings:

*I Drive +1
*SMG +1
*Chris Bangle styling generation +1
(dude, even in your new position-put down the pipe)
*Cost/annoyances +1
*BMW service +1
(I went 2 hours plus an hour ferry ride for my Mini [vs. 20 minutes to the local dealer], and would go back for the E wagon.)

[offroadr35]

I have had mine since January. It is THE BEST car I have ever driven (if you have read any of my previous posts you know I have had a lot of nice cars including a Phantom, GT2, Elise, DB9, etc).

First off, immediately discount anyone's opinion if they say anything bad about idrive. They simply don't know what they're talking about. The system works perfectly. It easily and intuitively controls everything and you don't have any clutter.

The SMG works incredibly well also. I am a die-hard manual fan. If I had the option to order a 6-speed when I got my car, it would have been a VERY difficult decision and I probably would have gone with the traditional manual, but it would have been a mistake. Once you get used to the SMG it is very easy and very fun to drive.

As far as the car itself, it is simply fantastic. I basically drive it in two configurations: relaxed and sporty. My relaxed configuration is 400hp, mid-speed shifts, softest suspension. In this mode it's basically like a 545...incredibly luxurious and comfortable tourer. Then I hit the M button on the steering wheel and it turns to 500hp with sensitive throttle (500s), stiffest suspension, S5 shifts (fastest you can have without turning off traction control). In this mode it is an absolute screamer.

I got it on a two year lease and got a 73% residual, which makes it an incredible value. Because of the short term, I have full warranty and fully paid for maintenance for the entire time so it is basically risk/hassle free.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me.

<img src="http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=17520&d=1144516855">

[Val]

Ive driven one... It sure is fast... But its a big and heavy saloon... Ugly as well.

Not really into this kind of cars.