Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinlevrone
To those that are outraged because the M5/M6 is compared to the GT-R: please, stop being silly. If the M5 is a "luxury sports sedan" then what is the 550i ? That's why the M division exists, to showcase BMW's finest sports car technology for the road. And lately not only the competition has caught up, but it has left them in the dust. A 2-ton M5 is just stupid and this needs to be addressed.
If you want BMW to continue building pig-heavy cars, please continue finding excuses.
If you want BMW to put more thinking into lightweight technologies and become once again what they were, just bring these track times to their attention, because lately I have rarely seen a car in the same price range that doesn't beat the corresponding BMW.
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I am a longtime "M" guy (M3s and M5s) and I briefly thought about trying out a GTR (i.e., owning one). I went and looked at it and realized there was just no way I was going to fit any semblance of family in there. Altough the GTR's performance is outstanding (mind you the M5 is close in some ways), ultimately I ruled the GTR out. That tells me and probably most people on this board that they are not like cars. If I can't own one because I (my family) won't fit, it is not a like car. The GTR is properly in the Corvette, 911, R8 and Jag F-type category, functionality-wise. Having said that, I think it is great fun to compare them due to price point (I did think about buying one after all), but from a pure comparability standpoint, M5 vs GTR does not really hold up. Let's wait until Nissan moves forward with the Eau Rouge sports sedan (GTR engine) and then it will be a true like for like comparison.
Yes, the M5 is too heavy, but then most cars will need to get a lot lighter in future years (incl the next-gen GTR). Other than AWD and 0-60 starts, I don't think one can say that BMW M is being left behind at all. For now, the latest BMW tech is in "i" and that's coming to M soon. Maybe I am missing something, but I am not aware of any larger, luxury automaker doing more on lightweight technology than BMW. Let's wait 2-3 years and see what ends up in the standard and performance series cars of each of the marques.