BMW M5 road test (BMW M5)

Member Name: Orichalon

Product:	BMW M5
Date:	21/01/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, great handling, good practicality

Disadvantages: Firm ride, quite thirsty

To be honest, it's really best to start with the M5s exterior, as that is something very important to lots of M5 customers. People who want a quick 5 series, but without all of the bling generally go to Alpina's B5 (Alpina are famous for modifying BMWs) which is excellent, subtle and very very fast. However, to the untrained eye it looks very similar to the 520d that the boring accountants buy.

The M5 isn't overly brash, as some reviews may have you think, but it certainly 'aint subtle. There are M badges adorning many of the grilles and vents, and a massive 'M5' badge at the back. There's also an agressive bodykid, big wheels and four massive exhausts at the back. I think it's just the right blend between being too subtle and being too brash. The average guy on the street is gonna know that this is an expensive (we're talking around £60,000 for the saloon) and quick Beemer.

Climb inside and it's typical 5 series, which is really no bad thing. Sure, I prefere the A6's cabin, but there's a good deal of leather and nice wood, as well as some nice aluminium touches scattered around. It's a very nice place to be. BMW's iDrive system (read onboard computer) has improved over recent years, but is still quite fiddly to get to grips with, and some of the less technologically minded might have trouble programming destinations on the sat nav, or even choosing your favourite radio station.

Start the 5 litre V10 engine, and it's rather underwhelming - it sounds a bit like a diesel. However, prod the throttle and you can really hear that V10 howling at higher revs - it sounds very much like the V10-engined F1 cars of old (i.e. spine tingling).

Moving around town isn't too much fun in this car. It's got an SMG gearbox, which can be quite jerky at lower speeds - moving off smoothly from stationary in particular can be difficult. Seeing as how most M5 owners will live in the city, this is a real shame. The ride around town is on the firm side, but is far from unbearable, and the seats are very comfortable yet supportive.

Out on the motorway, this thing flies. In 'standard' mode it has 400 BHP, which you might say is plenty, and it is, until you find a little buttom marked 'M' on the steering wheel. Press this, and the suspension firms up, and that 400 BHP is transformed into 507 BHP. It really makes overtaking laughable - without the 150 mph electronic limiter that BMW fits, this is a 200 mph car.

On smaller country roads the car is good fun, with decent steering feedback and good grip. Disable the traction control, and it's possible to get the back end out, however, even when it's on the edge it's controllable and doesn't bite. Interestingly, the seat has mini bolsters on the side, which operate in a corner to help bolster you in - very useful.

Practicality wise, it's standard 5 series, so you won't have any problems fitting in luggage and kids for a week or so away.

This car seems to have it all. It's got the image, the practicality and, above all, the perforamance. A car truly worth of it's 'M' badge.

Transmission: 7-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG), 6-Speed Manual Gearbox

Engine: 5.0L 507 hp (378 kW) @ 7750 rpm V10

Curbweight: 1,830 kg (4,034 lb)

0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds

Top speed (limiter removed: 204 mph

Price: £61,760

Summary: A true M car

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