finnie
17-12-2009, 04:55 PM
So I have had the M5 for a few weeks now, thought i write some of my views on it.
Had a lovely black 335i with Eibach suspension, non run flats on BBS LMs and was also running an SSTT chip which brought the power up to around 340 bhp. I loved that car but after months of wasting my life on pistonheads I eventually gave in and sold the car.
The replacement was almost certainly going to be an RS4. Gorgeous car, looks so hard, great sounding V8 and 4 wheel drive security. I even found and test drove a good rced one. Even told him I'd be back in two days assuming the deal with my 335 went though.
Reason I wasn't going for the M5 was poor economy, awful gearbox (that I had read about), it's bigger than I need, the clutch is known to give trouble and and just too much to go wrong on one.
Then on my way to meet the 335s potential owner I passed a garage I knew had an M5 and went to look at it. Blagged a drive knowing that it would put me off with all the lurching and jumping of the gearbox. ten minutes later I am sweating, what am I going to do now. The M5 gearbox is lieable, it's comfier on the road, relaxing to drive around ten yet sounds so amazing and goes like stink. The car though was a 55 plate and didn't have a warranty so I walked away.
Sitting in the hotel on my iphone I found another 06 plate car about 50 miles away. Next day arranged a viewing. 33k miles with a BMW warranty in siverstone with all the toys. To cut a long story short the 335 got sold and I picked up the M5.
So what do I think of it now I am used to it?
The gearbox in drive mode is rubbish and the clutch takeup action is so unpredictable, especially on a slope and even more so on gravel. There is definately no more young guy flicking around from 1st to reverse in a tight parking spot/ turning place. It really is bad and can result in the car moving off like it's on fire when you only want to idle away. Can be very embarrassing. I have the odd hole in my gravel drive where it has spun the wheels when trying to move two feet more up the slope. It even spun the wheels reversing into the garage first time I put it in!!!! Then there is the economy and small tank. It is shocking how quickly you can reduce a full tank to a half tank.
Then again it did do 25mpg from Leeds up to Glasgow first day. Since then it has settled at 18.3 mpg and lets face it I didn't expect any more. And as i wrote i expected the gearbox to be crap but apart from the isolated occasions i just mentioned it's actually very good. I leave it in D2 around town and it's fine, it tootles around quite nicely and I feel very relaxed. I now know that if I need to pull out of a junction quickly and not look like an idiot then I choose manual mode.
The good bits though... What a car this is, so comfy and relaxing when you need to behave (family in the car). The seats are so comfy on long journeys and the stereo is amazing. All good.
Best bits??? Two things really. The power and the suspension. The pwer is non existent low down where the 335i was so good but hells bells does the car go above 3000rpm and then even more so above 6000rpm. I cannot really describe it other than saying it is ridiculous that a car can be allowed on the road like this. Overtaking, isolated drives, anywhere it's just utterly astonishing. Together with the gearbox it just rips A roads apart with out any fuss. Part of that as well is the suspension. It's just so accomplished. I regularly "enjoy" the road to my grandparents and know it so well. The 335 was great on this raod, so controlled and fast yet feeling safe but the M5 just destroys the same road. It is scary, it's like it takes the same road, chews it up and then spits it out like it was a straight smooth road. I can honestly take the same bends 15 to 20 mph faster yet feel like I am going slower. It is astonishing. The sdame road further on used to make me slow down as I was bouncing all over the place but tin the M5 I can just keep putting the power down. It just controls the wheels perfectly and lets you keep going. Yet all the time you feel like you are doing 50mph (instead of 60 obviously !!!!!ahem) I have taken friends out for spirited drives and when I tell them the speed I got to they just can't believe it.
What a car, maybe not as exciting and visceral as a caterham but my goodness it just destroys roads. AMAZING! If you are thinking of getting one go for it. Stuff the fuel and service bills, just enjoy the V10 and unreal power!
Few that was a long post!!!
Had a lovely black 335i with Eibach suspension, non run flats on BBS LMs and was also running an SSTT chip which brought the power up to around 340 bhp. I loved that car but after months of wasting my life on pistonheads I eventually gave in and sold the car.
The replacement was almost certainly going to be an RS4. Gorgeous car, looks so hard, great sounding V8 and 4 wheel drive security. I even found and test drove a good rced one. Even told him I'd be back in two days assuming the deal with my 335 went though.
Reason I wasn't going for the M5 was poor economy, awful gearbox (that I had read about), it's bigger than I need, the clutch is known to give trouble and and just too much to go wrong on one.
Then on my way to meet the 335s potential owner I passed a garage I knew had an M5 and went to look at it. Blagged a drive knowing that it would put me off with all the lurching and jumping of the gearbox. ten minutes later I am sweating, what am I going to do now. The M5 gearbox is lieable, it's comfier on the road, relaxing to drive around ten yet sounds so amazing and goes like stink. The car though was a 55 plate and didn't have a warranty so I walked away.
Sitting in the hotel on my iphone I found another 06 plate car about 50 miles away. Next day arranged a viewing. 33k miles with a BMW warranty in siverstone with all the toys. To cut a long story short the 335 got sold and I picked up the M5.
So what do I think of it now I am used to it?
The gearbox in drive mode is rubbish and the clutch takeup action is so unpredictable, especially on a slope and even more so on gravel. There is definately no more young guy flicking around from 1st to reverse in a tight parking spot/ turning place. It really is bad and can result in the car moving off like it's on fire when you only want to idle away. Can be very embarrassing. I have the odd hole in my gravel drive where it has spun the wheels when trying to move two feet more up the slope. It even spun the wheels reversing into the garage first time I put it in!!!! Then there is the economy and small tank. It is shocking how quickly you can reduce a full tank to a half tank.
Then again it did do 25mpg from Leeds up to Glasgow first day. Since then it has settled at 18.3 mpg and lets face it I didn't expect any more. And as i wrote i expected the gearbox to be crap but apart from the isolated occasions i just mentioned it's actually very good. I leave it in D2 around town and it's fine, it tootles around quite nicely and I feel very relaxed. I now know that if I need to pull out of a junction quickly and not look like an idiot then I choose manual mode.
The good bits though... What a car this is, so comfy and relaxing when you need to behave (family in the car). The seats are so comfy on long journeys and the stereo is amazing. All good.
Best bits??? Two things really. The power and the suspension. The pwer is non existent low down where the 335i was so good but hells bells does the car go above 3000rpm and then even more so above 6000rpm. I cannot really describe it other than saying it is ridiculous that a car can be allowed on the road like this. Overtaking, isolated drives, anywhere it's just utterly astonishing. Together with the gearbox it just rips A roads apart with out any fuss. Part of that as well is the suspension. It's just so accomplished. I regularly "enjoy" the road to my grandparents and know it so well. The 335 was great on this raod, so controlled and fast yet feeling safe but the M5 just destroys the same road. It is scary, it's like it takes the same road, chews it up and then spits it out like it was a straight smooth road. I can honestly take the same bends 15 to 20 mph faster yet feel like I am going slower. It is astonishing. The sdame road further on used to make me slow down as I was bouncing all over the place but tin the M5 I can just keep putting the power down. It just controls the wheels perfectly and lets you keep going. Yet all the time you feel like you are doing 50mph (instead of 60 obviously !!!!!ahem) I have taken friends out for spirited drives and when I tell them the speed I got to they just can't believe it.
What a car, maybe not as exciting and visceral as a caterham but my goodness it just destroys roads. AMAZING! If you are thinking of getting one go for it. Stuff the fuel and service bills, just enjoy the V10 and unreal power!
Few that was a long post!!!