Arse Twitching at its best...
- 8/10
- 89,705
- Go on BMW's Website
Tech Specs...
- Engine Size: 4395cc
- Gearbox: Double Clutch Gearbox
- 0-62mph: 4.3 Seconds
- Top Speed: Approx. 155mph limited
- Power: 560ps
- Fuel Economy: 28.5mpg (Combined)
- GadgetGeek Fuel: 17.2mpg (50 miles)
Options on this car...
- Bang & Olufsen Advanced Surround System
- Monte Carlo Blue Paintwork
- BMW Apps Interface
- 20″ Light Alloy Wheels
- Active Security Pack
- Tracker Pro Locate
BMW M5 Saloon 4.4l DCT Review...
I’m not a BMW fan, I’ve had a couple myself and driven loads of them. The 1 series I had, I found a very uncomfortable and clunky ride and the X3 was horrid and spent more time in my garage because I just refused to drive the bloody thing.
The insides are very plasticy and very un-German, but saying that I find that most people fall into, 2 out of the big 3 prestige car brands; Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Now I like Mercedes and I love Audi, so BMW to me just doesn’t cut it.
Saying that I have driven both the new BMW 1 Series and the new BMW 3 Series and both are such a huge improvement over the older models. The previous generation of these gave me terrible back pains when driving long distances, to the point where we used to argue in the office about who wasn’t going to drive it as we all felt the same. Yet I know people that love Beemers and everything about them.
Now I’ve got this thing about fast cars, love them and love being pushed back into the drivers seat to the point where it is difficult to take a breath, yet your foot still seems welded to the floor. But, I’m not talking about Supercars such as the Audi R8, Lamborghini’s or even the beloved Aston Martins.
I’m talking fast cars that look like normal day to day cars, take my own Audi S4 Avant, there has been many a time that I have pulled up to a set of traffic lights with a boy racer in his Citroen Saxo VTS, revving the bollocks off his engine thinking I’m in a bog standard Audi A4 with a 2l diesel engine in it.
Without even trying, the green light reflects through my windscreen and the foot is to the floor, within 6 seconds I’m already past 60mph and and the car still keeps going and going and going! The Saxo is a small pin prick (literally) of light in my rear view mirror. These cars look calm and collective but they are fast as…
My Dad was always an M3 fan and I was lucky enough to drive one when I was 17 and only a few days after passing my driving test. I didn’t drive it fast, just “sunday” drove around the local lanes in and around Borrowash. The M5 came to the office and it reminded me very much of how a BMW used to be, comfortable and good looking.
First Thoughts...
I must admit, I didn’t jump up to the window when this car was dropped off and the only reason I went down to it, as the ‘oldies’ in the office couldn’t work out how to put the M5 into Park and turn the ignition off. I loved the colour, a beautiful blue, Monte Carlo Blue to be correct. Inside was very modern, weird ball gearstick and a few buttons knocking around.
Starting the engine, gave a nice simple roar followed by a beautiful rhythm of light thumping of the pistons going up and down, I resisted hitting the accelerator for now and looked around the car. The traditional i-Drive knob was in the centre and the screen looked crystal clear, especially compared with my Evoque screen.
Whats it like inside...
The leather is firm and comfortable and the dashboard layout is clear, the gearstick as mentioned before is a small knobbly stick with only a few options, to the right of the gearstick the latest addition to many of the latest Beemers which is labelled Sport Pro and Economy, we’ll come back to this later.
The dials are lit with bright LED’s to the point where you just need to turn the brightness down a tad for night time driving. Seating is easy enough to adjust, although this my drive was approx. 50 miles and not 500 miles like a lot of my journeys. I still find the dashboard very basic, especially compared to some of the other makes such as Volkswagen and even Ford have up’d their game.
Gadgets are the important bits...
This car has plenty to offer with the iDrive system, you can adjust so many different settings including the engine! Stiffening suspension, changing the steering and even turning the engine down. Using the switch next to the gearstick allows the selections of Economy, Comfort, Sport and Sport Pro. Changing these settings mid-drive and you can feel the difference, I’m not sure if this is simply throttle response or if it has altered the engine.
The Satellite Navigation is easy to use and allows postcode input, the radio system is pretty good also and the inclusion of DAB is a big must for me as I like my cheesy stations. This system did have Apps Interface but for some reason, it wasn’t working nicely with my iPhone 5. I downloaded the app ok to my iPhone but it wasn’t playing nicely so I got bored, very quickly!
On the roads...
Straight off I was in Sport mode, not Sport Pro! I don’t know why but it didn’t feel like I was driving a very quick car at first. Response was limited and I thought I may have slipped it into Economy by accident, I did check too! The car accelerated nicely to a great cruising speed and the interior was quiet.
When the time was right and the road was straight, I put my toe down. The engine roared as in seriously roared. The gearchange was quick then for some reason, we went from 3rd into 4th and the back end seriously twitched, along with my arse. My foot had raised about 2 inches as this thing really did slip. The power that hit the back wheels was immense but the traction just wasn’t there at that point.
Overall Feel...
The car did actually generate quite a few looks, which I’ve got to be honest, I quite like. I do love cars that attract the right attention and up until today, it was the only new shape M5 I have seen on the road.
The car felt comfortable and I love the fact that you could drive this nicely without the need to put your foot down all of the time, sometimes you drive cars like this and you feel you have to race it all over the place. It was quiet when needed and bloody noisy when you wanted it to be.
The steering was amazingly firm, something I like. I hate this light steering that you find on a lot of modern cars, the fact that you can feel the road through the steering wheel adds to the drive and this car gives that!
Would I Buy One...
Its a BMW and one that starts at £73k! I haven’t got £73k nor would I take the risk of depreciation. This is seriously a car that if I had the money I would take on some sort of lease or even short term contract. A mortgage for the fuel would also be an advantage, the delivery driver who dropped it off at the office how much he had topped it up and how many miles he had done on that amount! Scary!
Disclaimer...
I run the company Cocoon Vehicles and this is where I was able to use the car and review it as a hobby.
