The Worlds Best Sport Sedan?
Having chosen the previous M5 as one of my all-time favorite cars, not necessarily for its styling but definitely due to its combination of mind-blowing performance and family functionality, I had high hopes for BMWs all-new, all-powerful replacement. And, for the most part, the sport sedan company didnt let me down, but its a very different animal from any previous M5.
Instead of a hands-on super-sedan, that reacts intuitively to both subtle and climactic input from a skilled driver via a nicely weighted conventional rack and pinion steering system, powerful four-wheel disc brakes, a velvety smooth six-speed manual transmission and a well-modulated clutch pedal, plus sporty bucket seats with seat hugging side-bolsters, and an ideally balanced fully-independent suspension setup that made the old midsize super-sedan | | The new M5 has all the ingredients to make the perfect sports sedan. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
feel like a pocket-sized sports car, the all-new 2007 model delivers superior steering, even more powerful four-wheel discs complemented by a number of three-letter acronym-dubbed electronic aids, a state-of-the-art 7-speed SMG sequential-manual gearbox, sporty buckets with active side-bolsters, and an active suspension system that makes it hard to put a wheel out of place. Truly, its better than the old M5 in every way, and depending on the eye of the beholder, is a lot more visually stimulating and therefore more supercar-like | | M5 badge is even more revered than BMWs roundel. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
to look at.
Yes, to put it bluntly, Im blown away with the new M5. Its stunning to the eyes, and like its regular 5-Series donor car breaks almost every conventional styling rule on its way to obliterating the previous, rather boring but still "girl next door" attractive design from the memory banks. I know that not everyone agrees with me on this subject, so Ill leave you with your own thoughts regarding BMWs not-so-new-anymore flaming surface design language. The regular 5 has been as sharply criticized on the inside, but once again I found the M5s interior wonderfully accommodating and updated | | Flaming surfaces... you be the judge. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
carbon fiber trim perfectly suited to what is once again one the worlds most powerful sedans.
When I sat inside, I did what I normally do with modern luxury cars and played around with the many buttons. First of all, Im not really a gadget freak. Truly, while I own a new Bluetooth-equipped Blackberry and one of the smallest "real" laptops in existence, complete with a 2.0 GHz M-chip and a gig of ram, etc, etc, Im hardly an early adaptor and could care less if my cellphone doesnt take photos or play mp3s. The only reason I fiddle around with the many buttons on a sport or luxury car is to figure out what they all do, so that I can report on their general functionality | | Xenon headlamps are standard on the M5. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
to you, the prospective buyer. What Id rather do is ignore the techno-gadgetry altogether, and just drive. The problem with, and I suppose benefit to the M5 is that making a few adjustments to its electronics system can make a big difference to how it performs.
Lesson 1: figure out which button to press so that its 400-horsepower default setting can be overridden to a full 507-horsepower. Turns out, this is really easy. On the center console just to the left of the stubby SMG shifter is a button that says "POWER"! Even I can figure this one out. While idling, pushing the power button on and off doesnt really make much of a difference, but even at steady throttle a switch to its full-juice mode | | The paddle-shifters are brilliant in concept but a little sluggish in application. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
immediately causes a reaction. Its like the car is suddenly on hyper-alert, ready for action and, with the flick of the throttle, leave any poor soul who dare see how much power his Audi RS6, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Maserati Quattroporte, or even his Ferrari 360 possesses, whimpering on the sidelines. Or maybe not. To be clear, there are plenty of cars that can out-accelerate the M5 from standstill to 60 mph, but from 50 mph to 80, or thereabouts, there are few that come close, and fewer still at its relatively affordable price point.
Yes, $81,200 is hardly bargain basement pricing (especially when factoring in the additional $3,000 gas guzzler tax), up against Porsches 911 with a few features, Jaguars new XKR and Maseratis Coupé | | Sure, it goes fast, but its got cross-drilled brakes and extra-powerful calipers to bring it back down to reality fast. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
GT in base trim, and when fully-loaded at $91,780, it targets supercars such as Dodges Viper SRT-10 and Maseratis Quattroporte. Of course, the only true four-door competitor on this aforementioned list is the Maserati sedan, with other super-sedans such as M-Bs E55 AMG or Cadillacs CTS-V or STS-V fully capable of vying for a podium position. None of these competitors offers the same levels of technical sophistication as the F1-inspired M5, but all delver smiles for miles as promised by their respective automakers. The E55 costs more than the M5 and brings less to the table (although maximum torque is much higher), a common formula that has caused the German rival to slip behind BMW in sales numbers. The Cadillacs are especially interesting, with the CTS-V targeting the M3 in price, at almost | | SMG 2.0 is the only gearbox that the M5 can be had with. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
$30,000 less than the M5, but nearly matching the midsize BMW for interior roominess. Maximum output of its comparatively rudimentary OHV V8 is lower at 400-horsepower but torque is a bit higher at 395 lb-ft, while the much larger STS-V features a 469-horsepower supercharged dual overhead cam, 32-valve Northstar V8 with 439 lb-ft of torque; again, much more low-end oomph than available with the M5. The STS-V sports a slick six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode while the CTS-V goes one step farther than even the BMW, offering a six-speed manual.
Sportier than a seven-speed sequential-manual? Yup. Actually, while its difficult to find fault with the M5s 5.0-liter V10 powerplant, that never seems to want to stop revving all the way up to 8,250 rpm and sounds sensational when outside the vehicle near the fat, quad tailpipes, an M-series signature, the SMG | | While the transmission is a little frustrating, the engine is perfect. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
transmission shifts too slowly, despite having been given a 20 percent shift-speed upgrade. Even Audis comparatively bargain-basement A3 2.0T fits in a much more enticing sequential-manual gearbox, delivering lightning-quick shifts. The M5s SMG isnt anywhere near as smooth as Audis DSG, to the point of making its driver and all passengers bob back and forth in their chairs thanks to the annoying hesitation between intervals - even at its fastest non-race spec Drivelogic setting. I tweaked it as far as it could go without canceling its traction and stability control features, something I wasnt willing to do given the rainy test day. If only it had a manual gearbox I could have modulated the clutch to smooth out the shifts so that those riding along wouldnt have been so uncomfortable. Its difficult to say whether I could have changed gears any faster with a DIY mixer, but I would have made it smoother and I definitely wouldve felt | | M5s cabin isnt at all like a race car, its comfortable and quite plush. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press) |
more in control. This in mind, under full throttle the hesitation wasnt quite as pronounced. Downshifting blips the throttle which makes you sound like a pro to passersby, yet more importantly matches the engines revs to the chosen gear. Of course, the little Audi does this too, as do the sequential-manual transmissions in Ferrari and Maserati models.
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