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      01-01-2013, 06:52 PM   #11
LarThaL
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Drives: 2011 M3
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: West Springfield, MA

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Quote:
Originally Posted by wisesoul View Post
I have to admit, having lived with the M5 for a month, I enjoyed every mile I put on it. I'm still getting acquainted with the size of the thing having come from a tiny B7 Audi. The upside of this was having more space and cargo room. I think I have more cargo room than I'm ever going to use, and that gives me peace of mind. The downside is the car feels less personal, but I'll comment on my driving experience later. I'll go over aspects of my ownership.

Fuel Economy: During my break in period, I don't think the car even saw more than half throttle. I was really feathering this thing, and I really reaped the rewards. I was observing as high as 27.5 MPG highway, and that put a big grin on my face. This car is very fuel efficient when you want it to. Attribute this to Efficient Dynamics and a grandma-like driving style My RS4 was dreadful on gas, so I won't even draw comparisons, there aren't any.

Comfort: Jesus Christ this thing is comfy. 10/10 in this area. I can't find anything to knock. The seats are stellar, the driving position is sublime, everything is within reach, the entertainment system feels like it's from another century compared to the super outdated RNS-E older Audis use. The stereo is the standard fare, but very very nice. Haven't heard B&O in person, but I like the stock speakers already. Every surface is either covered in leather or padded nicely. I can see where my money went. My route to work usually makes me take the 60 freeway. For those of you who know, it's really rough and sh*tty for lack of better words. This car takes it like a champ. I often avoided taking that freeway in my RS4 because it was pretty low and far too stiff. Would've been a literal pain in the neck. (I installed H&Rs and spacers recently. Ride feels about the same. Alignment to come when car settles more)

Attention: This car is very stealth, and I love that. It attracts admiring looks from enthusiasts and on occasion I get complimented once in a while at the pump. My last car was bright yellow and could not be more conspicuous if it tried. I was bombarded with questions about it all the time and it got tiresome. I'm not an attention seeker, so this is a massive plus.

Performance: I'll be honest, I wasn't completely sold on the car driving off the lot. It felt like my brother's F10 528i in terms of ride, but had way better body control. I did like the steering off the bat, however. Very smooth and precise, enough feel piped in. The engine and tranny, the stars of the car, were struggling to impress me during break in. Sure it had torque, but I just couldn't see why others were raving about the drivetrain. I knew I had to reserve my judgements until its first service at 1200 miles, and I have never been so glad to be wrong in my life. This car is an ABSOLUTE ANIMAL. I have never experienced such urgency to devour tarmac in my entire life, it's silly how mental this car is. It felt like a whole new car after break in. I had no clue how violent this car could be at WOT, it made my RS4 feel like a Yaris (that car had an ECU and exhaust too) I've had a perma-smile ever since the 1200 mile service, absolutely zero regrets. This car also holds its own in the corners for being such a heavyweight. I took onramps faster than I should have and the car remained composed and stable throughout. Well done BMW. Did I mention the M-DCT is perfect? Snaps off shifts insanely fast and smooth. My left leg can finally take a much needed break in LA traffic .

Naysayers: My dad and brother were pivotal in telling me NOT to buy the car. Too expensive this, bad on gas that, not a real M blah blah (insert non substantiated bullsh*t here) My brother having just purchased his M-Sport 528i kept insisting that the M5 isn't that much faster than him. My father didn't like how pricey the car was, so he kept telling me to return it I drove to the bay area for the holidays to visit them, and how I wish I got a video of both their reactions when I did a highway pull. My dad was cussing like a sailor, my brother rendered speechless. Haven't heard a peep since. How ironic...

Misc: I like how the M5 sounds, but it doesn't hold a candle to my old Audi. The RS4 was an instrument of noise, the M5 sounds kind of "hollow" for a V8 if you can say that.


TL;DR---Bought M5, not sure if want. Did 1200 mile service and DO WANT. Very comfy, very fast. Dad and brother hated it. Now they want to sell their cars.

Quick cell pic after oil top off: (promise better pics in the future)
Thanks for the info. One question.....

After coming from the RS4, do you feel like the M5 has enough grip to handle all its power or not? I am concerned that with DSC on, it will be kicking in ALL the time and bogging me down, while with it off, the car will be all over the place.
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