[Robert B]

After months of sitting on the fence, I traded my E90 M3 6 speed in for a Monte Carlo Blue F10 M5 DCT. The power the car produces is intoxicating. While I was not sure about which transmission to get, I went with the DCT. It is the first new car that I have purchased without a manual transmission in over 14 years. The DCT has proven very entertaining.

Sitting in the finance office at the dealer, I reflected on my progression of M cars, starting with an E36 M Roadster to an E46 M3 Convertible (still the best looking BMW I have owned) to an E90 M3 sedan to an M5. I guess a B7 (or an M7 if one is ever sold) will be next.

Even the electronic nannies that I have always scoffed at saved my a** today. I looked down at the Nav system when the collision avoidance lit up because the car in front of me stopped to make a right turn. I looked up, slammed on the brakes, and the ABS did its job perfectly. Without the collision avoidance, my brand new M5 would have ended up in the back seat of a Chevy.

Ironically, one criticism that I have about the car involves the brakes, which are a little grabby, making it difficult to smoothly come to a stop. But, when the brakes were needed, they certainly came through.