2008 BMW M5 Road Test

The M5 may be the fastest, most muscular, most precise and glued-to-the-road four-door most of us will ever experience .

Let's get the expected impressions out of the way so we can tackle the technology smorgasbord that separates this Teutonic road jet from other 5-Series Bimmers and everything else on the road. With apologies to Clint Eastwood, these include much good, some bad and an element of ugly.

The good: this fourth-generation M5 may be the fastest, most muscular, most precise and glued-to-the-road four-door most of us will ever experience. It rockets from rest to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, corners like a front-engine race car and can brake so hard it can bounce your eyeballs off the windshield.

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Htay7500 - 6/9/2007 4:16:26 PM

+1 Boost

i prefer the 550i like wat you guys (autospies) reviewed.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=T0US31KjEbQ
i just saw one near school, and dam it looks awesome.

DrMann - 6/9/2007 5:04:41 PM

+1 Boost

And what if money wasn't an issue... would you still prefer the 550i??

Htay7500 - 6/9/2007 7:11:15 PM

+2 Boost

money has nuthing to do with this. its just that the SMG is a bit to much for me...

weaponX - 6/11/2007 9:49:54 AM

+2 Boost

Most people who rip SMG probably haven’t driven the car enough.

If you absolutely, positively think that the manual tranny is the greatest invention in cars since the wheel, then you’ll hate SMG. It’s not the most refined transmission (but who wants one in a V10 super sedan?), but to me it’s acceptable (sometimes it helps if you reset the slip detection once in awhile)….and gear changes aren’t any worse than my E46 M3 6-spd. Stop-n-go driving tend to be easier, since travelling through gears is just a flick of the fingers. Or, maybe just put it in “D” (full auto) and relax.

I was skeptical about SMG at first, but then I drove an M6, and found that most of the bad press the transmission got was pure rubbish. I liked the SMG enough that I traded in my E46 M3 for a brand new M5. It took me about 2 weeks to adjust to the new tranny, as my M3 was a 6-spd. But, now I’m confident enough to drive the car whether it’s going 5 mph or V-max.

The M5 is an incredible technological tour-de-force. It makes the 997 Carrera S that I drove a few months ago feel positively primitive. I know, I know… one is a sedan and the other a sports car, but you get the picture……everyday supercars.

To really like the M5, you have to embrace technology, and keep an open mind. You have to take the time to learn its idiosyncrasies --- primarily with the car and driver interface --- iDrive --- and of course the sequential transmission.

What I find great about this car is that it is about as luxurious and gadget-laden as your top-of-the-line 5-series (and then some), but with the added dimension of having an extreme car at the touch of the button. Is there any other super sedan out there with this much adjustability?

It’s a pussycat in P400 mode and you’re idling along in traffic. But, once the road opens up and you go to P500 mode…driving it has now become an exercise in restraint. And I know “awesome” is an overused word, but it really is.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, press another button….the little “M” on the steering wheel and its performance can be downright frightening.

My only minor complaints about the car at this point is the notoriously small gas tank, and the default HUD position can only be seen by someone over 5’10”. To give you a perspective on the gas tank, the M5 guzzles about twice the rate of gas as my E46 M3, and they have an identical 70L capacity. That means you’re gonna have to visit your gas station more often. But, then again getting there is gonna be very, very fun.