I picked up my M5 yesterday and will give some of my initial thoughts. I picked up the car from Park Lane at 11am, which was very smooth, quick and a perfect start to the day. When i was left with the car after the initial walk through, i was utterly thrilled and shaking with excitement
After spending most of yesterday driving, reading anything negative about active sound or turbo lag is just meaningless now!! This thing is a BEAST!!!! Additionally, reading anyone comparing the f10 to the e60 seems like a joke now; it is a completely different class in every area.
I have barely taken it over 4k revs, as that's the recommended limitation for the first 600 miles (which I intend to smash through as quickly as possible).
The access to power makes me physically sick, it is so good. The car gets a lot of attention. The two massive areas where it just flattens the e60 are as follows:
1. Torque band: You can floor it seemingly from any speed in any gear and you will experience a surge of violent acceleration (with a dirty great v8 rumble that I love). This is so exciting to explore and the M engineers have pulled off a miracle. In my e60, I always had to rev high and just got used to it thinking it was normal - the f10 turbo/torque monster of an engine is how performance cars should be.
2. The DCT is absurd. You feel nothing but a relentless shove through all gears. There is no lurch like with the e60 SMG. Sometimes there is a crack as it changes up, which is beautiful. The paddles are very attached to the 'box and there is no lag between hand flick and actual gear change. The overriding feeling is a pure confidence that this car will take on almost anything and win. It's so easy to drive fast and that's what I have been after.
The sound is lovely. I prefer it to the e60. At low speeds it's quiet but with rapid acceleration it bursts into life and emits a beautifully loud v8 roar banging and popping when you lift off the loud pedal.
The car is big, but feels nimble. It's a weird sensation, because it is very comfortable and luxurious with umpteen toys and is the best cockpit I have been in and yet the width of the car never feels too big; it manoeuvres so well.
All my driving has been in comfort so far and these are my experiences. I think until I have done 600 miles, I won't bother trying any setting in sport or sport plus. I did try sport across the board for a few minutes and it felt even more brutal and alive.
This is not a very well thought out review - more of a brain dump but hope it helps some of you understand the broad range of superbness that this car provides. I also feel slightly silly, as I have not even driven it hard yet, but even what I have done has already been incredible! I will certainly write a lot more when I have drive it more...
Right, where are those keys :-)
