Back in 2000 when I bought my first BMW M5 (I had four between 2000 and 2003) there was NOTHING that even came close.
In my opinion it was the best modern day BMW in history.
It looked great, it drove great and it was made like a BMW should be made inside.
But times have changed...
The new exterior looks a little odd (especiallly the rear three quarter view), the tranny is ok at best, the interior is stark, it's also an ergonomic nightmare and the quality is just ok.
So we weren't surprised when we saw it fall to third place in the latest Automobile magazine review against the Mercedes-Benz E63 and Audi S6.
Here's a brief snippet of what they said...
"The fact that the M5 has fallen so fast tells you three things: That this is an extremely fast moving business. That even a well-founded status quo can be eroded evolution. And the big-engine-in-a-mid-size-car game is more competitive than ever."