Autocar: firstdrive of the new M5

[Joker]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/BMW-5-Series-M5/259268/

If you search the Internet you will find lots of reviews of the new M5 but here's what Autocar thought. On the whole it seems that the M5 has made the transition to turbo power with little noticeable drop in driver entertainment value which is very high praise because the old S85 engine was a masterpiece of instant throttle response.

There also seems to be a return to the E39 values of performance combined with comfort that was missing with the E60, no doubt partly to do with the switch from SMG to DCT.

Verdict : Best M5 yet.

[Erik]

Thanks. I like the design and it's hard not to like its performance.

[AndyBG]

:applause: ... Audi's turn, waiting for new RS 6...

[Ruergard]

One hell of a car for sure. Will be interesting to see more reviews.

Though there's one thing that I thought was a little weird, from another review:

"And it seems that M's engineers aren't fully using their arsenal of tools (Valvetronic, Double VANOS, direct injection) to mitigate lag. Case in point, drive at highway speeds, and the transmission is in seventh gear. Floor the throttle and you get a fairly quick downshift into third: revs in the top half of the tach, all is well. The problem is that there's no boost, so you get a clutch engagement, followed by no power for a second, followed by massive thrust. Boost should have been built by the time the downshift was done. VW does it and has been doing so for years. What gives?

Oh, and remember: a full second of lag is one thing in a slow car, but think of the opportunity cost in a car like this! A second of lag is means you've missed out on probably some 15 extra mph. Seems like a small problem, but it got old very quickly when trying to pass slower traffic on country roads."

Bring on the new RS6. :addict:

[Toto89]

You (well, not you, but many people nowadays) mention throttle response, turbo lag etc.. about new turbo engines. There is lag, no doubt, but how the hell does it compare to a NA engine response which has it's peak torque (half as much as this one) from ~4000rpm, or with this particular car, in previous version well above 5000rpm. Was that OK? Wasn't there a lag? For me it is only a hard acceptance against new technologies, neglecting that engines with VTG are far superior under every driving conditions than NA engines. I also think it is the best M5 so far, only lacks AWD. But then again i ask, who said decades ago that performance cars should have turbo and AWD?

[AndyBG]

. But then again i ask, who said decades ago that performance cars should have turbo and AWD?

...That is crossing my mind for some time now, looking at BMW! :)))

[AndyBG]

Is this possible...!? :)))

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-bmw-m5-gets-acoustic-system-that.html