Faulty climate control.
This car is quite brisk, especially with the "Sport" button pressed.
It handles well for such a large car, but don't expect sports car levels of feedback from the steering.
The suspension is perfect for road use.
The cabin is perfect in all respects: a lesson to other manufacturers.
The fact that you could describe the acceleration of the fastest 4 door sedan ever built as "brisk" is tragic. 9 out of 10 points for performance is like calling Jennifer Aniston "OK looking" just because she's not currently holding the title of Ms. America!
10 out of 10 means perfect, and anyone who's driven an e30 M3 will tell you it can't be awarded that.
Last time I checked this review was on a 2000 M5. Seeing as it is built on an entirely different chassis than the E30 M3, and has a completely different engine (which is a brand new design), a better transmission, a lot more horsepower, and outperforms 98% of 2 seat sports cars ever built, it just might qualify for a 10 in performance.
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Absolutely, my mouth dropped when I read the word "brisk", that is incredible. What the hell are you used to? They are indescribably quick and the feedback through the wheel is FAULTLESS.
The M5 is not the fastest four-door sedan ever built. Gimme a break! The one I had two years ago ate through two clutches in 12 months and the shoulder of the nearside front tyre every 2,000 miles - these are troubles that plague the car and cost owners time and money. M5 owners do seem to class themselves as motoring aficionados: they froth at the mouth when asked to discuss their favourite toy, and like Porsche and Ferrari owners have become blind to its faults. The proverbial bottom line is that it's just another above-average German saloon. There are faster cars, quieter cars, better handling cars, more roomy cars, and so on and so forth. So I don't see any reason to award full marks in every category because it simply doesn't deserve that. I think a little widening of horizons is called for...
Quite simply, I think that the BMW M5 is quite possibly the best sports sedan in the world. Absolute handling neutrality & ride discipline, flawless ergonomics, top notch build quality, scintillating straight line performance... need I say more?
The only downsides are the Dynamic Stability Control, which is massively knee jerk reactive when slam shifting & cuts full power so you cannot engage the clutch smoothly, not to mention the persistent understeering bias that the system gives, & an intermittent stalling problem-the engine stalls when approaching a complete stop, or when about to move off the line when the throttle is pressed, the engine does not respond at all-I think this is a fault with the drive by wire throttle system. The Getrag 6 speed box is rifle bolt smooth, though, with a well weighted clutch with good, progressive take-up.
Revise the traction control system, & the drive by wire throttle linkage, & voila! The definitively perfect automobile to truly carry the slogan, 'The Ultimate Driving Machine.'
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Recently test drove one with a view to buying, but sadly had to walk away. My comments would be:
Engine: Brutal midrange, but doesn't feel like 400 horsepower unless you thrash it to within an inch of its life. Sounds gorgeous when you do though, and you know it will take as much abuse as you can give it.
Chassis: Very, very competent. Changes direction well for such a big car, and body control at speed is impeccable, but the nannying electronics irritated me, and the steering lacked feel compared to previous performance BMW's I've owned. Easy car to drive fast, but not as involving or as driver dependent as I would like.
Interior: Sheer class. As impeccable as BMW's have always been.
Exterior: Handsome basic bodyshell looks good with the bodykit and alloys. A bit too "in yer face" maybe, but that's personal taste
Overall: A wonderful bit of kit, but just didn't give me the huge rush that the two previous models had (both of which I have owned).
I bought a Holden HSV which is a better driver's car. It lacks the BMW's gorgeous interior, but is so much more entertaining. The breathed on 5.7 litre V8 from the Corvette produces similar power, but is far torquier. The other nice thing is exclusivity. I see 20 M5's for every HSV on British roads.
Well considering the HSV is Australian, you ain't going to see many. A Monaro VXR sounds a bit better.
BMW E39 - widely tipped as the best car ever built to date. BMW E39 - M5 - need I say more than that?
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