2006 BMW M5 Saloon SMG review from UK and Ireland

The gearbox keeps having problems after heavy use. It cost me £2000 to fix. The dealer service was good and was later fixed free of charge.

I didn't buy the M5 to thrash metal on the Nordschlieffe or to impress my friends that I have a £60k plus car. I bought it to embarrass Porsches, Lambos and Ferraris on the M25.

Imagine a 4 door saloon the size (and weight) of the M5 pacing your quarter of a million pound Ferrari or Lambo. I only got to once though. There was a 996 Turbo on the M4, and, surprisingly, very few cars there. I rolled down my window and asked him to race and first he laughed, but said OK. I gave him a head-start because he has Turbo Lag and that is just not fair.

I put my foot down and saw him in my rear view mirror. The best thing in the world to see is a 911 Turbo in the rear view mirror of your saloon. There is no finer sight.

Anyway, to the car. It's well made and even in 400bhp mode good to drive, although it is a bit on the slow side I must admit. And the gearbox is both jerky and unreliable. The suspension's not so good either.

You know, apart from the high running costs, these are the only problems. Those and the (by my standards) tiny boot space. On the motorway however, it is amazing, though because of the large engine, the fuel (and therefore touring) range is limited.

But just take one out for a drive and you will want, need love and hopefully have it. Get it in blue with M6 alloys. It looks really cool.