2008 BMW 5-Series

Hey guys,

Just wanted to share my experience this holiday weekend with an M5....

As a point of reference, I have owned a VW Corrado, Prelude VTEC, E46 328i and now own an E90 335i. My friend gave me the privilege of taking his wife's (yup...wife's) Alpine White/Black M5 for the entire holiday weekend while they were out of town, so I had a chance to sample it extensively in highway, city, and the occasional twisty road and on-ramp and just wanted to share my impressions with those of us who might aspire to something higher in the BMW model range....

Interior - The Nappa leather on the seats, dash, and doors definitely adds an air of exclusivity that is lacking in the 3 series. From the alcantara headliner to the M steering wheel and paddle shifters, everything is a couple notches above my 3. Of course, it is twice as much money with a 97K sticker price.

I will say I've always been a fan of the sport seats in the 5 series, and the M5 doesn't disappoint. The adjustable and active side bolsters are great...at first I thought they were a distraction, but when driving hard, the active bolsters are nice. One option that I wish my car had available was seat ventilation or at least the perforated leather. For someone with "sweaty back syndrome", they really do work! On a final note, the "M Enhanced Audio" (i.e. similar to the full digital system available on the M3 and a step above Logic 7) is definitely a step up and dare I say a good value for $700 on the M5, with deeper and punchier bass. It's still not as good as most of the Mark Levinson systems to this casual listener's ears though.

On to the driving experience....the first thing is that having been a former manual transmission driver and coming from my Steptronic 335i (yes....I gave in, although I sometimes regret it), I have to say that one's opinion of the SMG III transmission in the M5 really depends on where you're coming from. If you're coming from a manual and you are excellent at heel and toeing and matching revs, you won't like it....I never was the best at these skills, so I enjoyed the throttle blipping on downshifts, the smooth slipping of the clutch off the line and in reverse, and the quick upshifts. Furthermore, at full bore in S6, the shifts are incredibly fast, yet harsh even. For daily driving, the fact that the SMG downshifts back to 1st or 2nd when you slow to a near stop or stop is nice. The key here is that if you are trying to drive it smoothly, you've got to drive it like a manual and lift off the throttle slightly to avoid the jerking your passengers around. It's easy to master and definitely something anyone can do if they try.

If you're coming from an automatic transmission and expect to drive it in "D" or expect smooth manual shifts, forget it. Simply put, you can't drive it smoothly if you drive it like an automatic. The shifts are unpredictable and poorly executed (from a smoothness standpoint), resulting in head jerk. So if you buy this car with an SMG, expect to shift it yourself, but it is a very happy medium between a step and manual. I'm sure the DCT would be a nearly perfect compromise (tactile interaction notwithstanding).

The ride and handling trade off is spectacular and I have to credit part of it to the non-run flat tires, longer wheelbase, EDC, and active anti-roll bars. The car rides more smoothly than my 335i Sport, yet corners flatter. There is much less impact harshness and the car just grips like no tomorrow. I will concede that the steering is a bit light at lower speeds, but feel communication is just as good as my three, if a little more filtered.

Now the power...bear in mind that this car is broken in, so P500 mode (500 HP) was available. In 400 HP mode, the car is docile...almost to the point of being boring. It's smooth, yet takes a lot of throttle to get it going and with an 8250 RPM redline, my 335i will easily beat it in the cut and thrust of daily driving.

In P500 Sport mode, as Jeremy on Top Gear would say..."GET OUT OF THE WAY"! This thing is a monster. It just loves revs. The only other engines that I've experienced that love to rev as much are Honda DOHC VTEC engines, but the M5's engine has more torque, a much meaner snarl, and a blaring exhaust note. With such a high redline and wide power band, I was disappointed that I could never truly realize it's true potential. The fact that I was able to hit 110 on an onramp and the car not even feel strained was sobering. This car truly comes alive when driven hard and if anything, feels held back and unhappy tooling around town.

There was a BMWCCA Autocross this past weekend and my friend gave me his blessing to Autocross it, but I felt that he should have the first shot of the car in a controlled environment, not me. Believe me though, I was tempted....

In the end, as I was driving the car back to it's owners, I pulled up to my buddy's house and saw my car parked out front and thought to myself..."Ugh, I have to slum it and go back to my car". But the funny thing is, the minute I hopped back into my car and pulled out of the neighborhood, I realized several things...

1. The 335i really moves off the line and loves to rev. It feels much faster than the M5 off the line, but give the M5 some room and it's no contest. Dare I say that the sound of the 335i's engine is more sonorous than the M5's. Not as thrilling or aggressive, but more beautiful.

2. "Adjustability" - The M5 has way too many adjustments on it. There are 3 power/throttle settings, 6 manual shift modes, 5 auto shift modes, 3 EDC modes, 3 DSC settings, and 2 steering settings. That's just to decide how much power the car should have, how it should shift, how it should ride, how much trouble it should let you get into, and how heavy the steering should feel. I completely realize that once you set the M Mode, you pretty much drive it in default P400 mode or M Mode, but gimme a break. Just let me drive the damn thing! (I must be getting old.)

3. Gas - I realize that if you have enough money to afford an M5, gas isn't an issue, but I did have a laugh when the low fuel warning came on and there was still 1/4 of the tank (18.5 gallon tank). At that point, with 4 gallons, the range was reading 66 miles. Let's just say 11 City/17 Hwy. I was able to eke out 18.8 MPG over an 80 mile highway stint driving it like a Prius, but realistically, expect 13 MPG in mixed driving. On the same 80 mile drive home, I averaged 29 mpg in my 335i. My friend's wife jokes that she feels like she's constantly putting fuel into the M5 and now I believe her.

4. Reliability - My friend's car just has 2000 miles on it, so no problems yet, but the fact that dealers won't CPO an M5 says a lot about the expected reliability and/or repair cost down the road in my opinion. On the good side, the normal operating temperature of the oil is 210 degrees, so it's definitely less stressed than the N54 Twin Turbo engine.

Conclusion:

I thought I would be bummed hopping back into my 335i from the M5. From all of power to the size, handling, and ride combination and plethora of comfort features, I figured my car would feel like a stripped tin can, kinda like going from the Space Shuttle to a Cessna . Surprisingly, I think I like it better than the M5 for my needs. It's punchier around town, sized perfectly for urban and suburban driving, and more tactile with the road while still be comfortable enough. It definitely doesn't have the edge that the M5 possesses, but to be frank, the M5 felt unhappy around town and in casual highway driving. Like a Honda/Acura VTEC engine, you have to drive it like you're &#!@ at it for it to come alive. Get it to that point and the M5 is spectacular.

I never thought I would ever say this, but there is such thing as too much car and for me, the M5 was the first car I've driven to reach that point. It's so good, it's silly to drive it around town and almost a waste of money.

In the end, given the $97,000 MSRP on the M5 I drove, I'd rather buy a 335i or an M3 and buy a second car with the $45,000 or $30,000 I would have left over to really have some fun or utility with if I needed it.

No disrespect to those who have an M5, because if I could afford one, I'd take it, but I'm not only content, I'm very happy with my 335i purchase.

My apologies for the length of this, but as a car fanatic, I figured that I should share my experience and thoughts with those who might be interested....thanks for reading!