These guys are great. Here's a quick translation of what they were on about.
1) The M5 is all business and underneath a true Hell's Angel.
2) The Jaguar XKR-S is the only Jag that nicely matches up with the M5 both on paper and in terms of dynamics. The XFR however didn't even match up to the previous generation E60 M5.
3) They both expect the F10 M5 to crush the Jag XKR-S.
4) The M5 has improved in every aspect since it's even more usable in every situation. From a super fast 5 Series in comfort to a raging sports car in Sport +.
6) The M5's gearbox is pure magic. It does exactly what you tell it to do and it doesn't have a mind of its own.
5) The F10 M5 steering feel is A BIT too clinical and is lacking in feel. There's bothersome initial understeer when chucking the M5 in the corner. The XKR-S has a more direct steering feel and steers in more immediate. However the XKR-S is a handful and intimidating to drive aggressively.
7) The paddle shifters are a bit small but they're happy BMW utilizes the proper gearbox configuration with pull-back upshifts and push-forward downshifts when using the gear lever.
Conclusion: They're in awe of the M5's range of abilities, its gearbox, engine, and features, but they hint that the Jag XKR-S is the bigger thrill - and handful.
Hope this helped!
