M5POST
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   M5POST - BMW M5 Forum > F10 M5 Forum > BMW M5 (F10) General Forum

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      11-17-2012, 12:31 PM   #1
deathray
Private
Canada
57
Rep
99
Posts

Drives: F85 X5M, iX 50, Range Rover
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Edmonton

iTrader: (0)

My Long Overdue Impressions of the New F10 M5

I’ve been meaning to write down and share my impressions of the new M5 for a while now, but, I’ve been so swamped with other things that I just haven’t had the time (read: I’ve been too lazy thus far). Now that I have gotten around to doing it, It’s going to be sort of long, so, please forgive my verbosity.

I ordered a black sapphire on black full leather beast sometime back in April. I was originally supposed to take delivery in June, but, because my old 7 series took longer to sell than expected, my actual delivery was pushed back till August. What a painful wait that was. It was a time I filled with reading everyone else’s reviews and impressions and everything other shred of information I could find on my soon-to-be new toy.

After what seemed like ages instead of months, the day of delivery was upon me. After going through the formalities with the dealer and driving around family in the new car demonstration rides, I got down to business.

Let’s start with a rundown of some of the toys. There is a glut of new features available on this car when compared to the E60. Some of them I find sort of trivial (the lane departure warning and the blind spot detection), but on the whole, there is a pretty good feature list and the features are pretty well implemented. While a lot of people really come down on the night vision as rather useless, I must confess that I am actually a fan. Now, liking the night vision has a lot less to do with seeing in the dark than it does the fact that I just think it’s cool and fun to play with, but, cars should have toys like that. The new feature for me that wins the award for most practical and useful is the foot sensor on the trunk. Finally, I no longer have to contort myself and reach for the handle while carry armfuls of stuff.

Generally, the console and the interior give a much more refined feel than the E60 and the F10 seems much closer to the Executive Saloon that it’s supposed to be. One of the things I really wish they did differently (and this is probably a personal irritant that affects almost no one else) is the implementation of the audio software. Why-oh-why can no one include FLAC support in car audio. I’ve started moving my home music collection completely over from MP3 to FLAC and I have to convert files every time I want to play them in the car.

Now, on to the important part: the drive. Let me preface this section by saying that many of my impressions and comparisons are colored by driving the E60 M5 for the last four years and that the F10’s predecessor has definitely shaped my expectations. That being said, man has this thing ever got grunt. Two things the F10 M5 has no shortage of are power and torque. Having the torque in the lower ranges makes a monumental difference to the fuel economy. My long term average with the E60 is about 26L/100km and I’m doing about 18L/100km in the F10. Having the torque available so much lower in the rev range means that I’m not holding gears nearly as long as I would otherwise. The larger gas tank is no small boon as well. In addition to the horse power and torque, they finally put some worthy brakes on the M5. Now, 400mm brakes have caused some problems to some of us (see the discussion on 19” wheels), but, I always felt that E60’s brake setup was inadequate and this is a big step up.

My favorite thing about this car is probably the transmission. I just love the new DCT. Now, I was never as big of a detractor of the SMG as a lot of people were. With some practice, I didn’t think it was too difficult to get a smooth and comfortable drive out of the SMG. The DCT, however, has no learning curve. It works brilliantly from the moment you start using it. While I don’t use it much, the automatic mode on the DCT is actually competent and useful rather than the purely decorative ‘D’ that existed on the SMG. Another thing that has me just over the moon with this DCT is the feel of the shift lever. I swear, that little snap it gives when shifting up makes me feel like I’m driving like I mean business even when I’m just hoping out to the grocery store. The one complaint I have with the transmission isn’t really due to any deficiency in the DCT, but rather, to a BMW design/programming choice. I am not a fan of the idle walking speed. For the uninitiated, when you tap the accelerator in the F10, the car automatically continues forward at a slow pace when you take your foot off the gas until you hit the break. This makes the vehicle feel a lot more like an auto and I just don’t like it.

On the whole, the car is pretty drivable and on most courses I am sure it would beat the older E60, but, there are a few less than stellar points about the new F10 that are worthy of note. It’s heavy. It’s really heavy. It’s not only heavy, but, you feel the weight. Now I have two points of easy comparison for this, the E60 M5 which was certainly heavy, but, still had a reasonably nimble feel to it and the X5M which makes me feel like I’m trying to steer a whale. The F10 is not nearly as bad as the latter, but, even though it will stick like glue to most corners, you can feel its heft when putting it through its paces. There is one addition to the new M5 that I have to say I absolutely hate (which is remarkably hypocritical of me considering my earlier comments on the improved fuel economy) and that is the valvetronic throttle. The E60 had individual throttle bodies on each cylinder so when driving, the throttle was, in effect, glued to your right foot. While BMW elected to keep conventional hydraulic steering with the F10 (and we love them for it) they decided to replace the convention throttle with their computer controlled valvetronic setup. It’s just not as good. Even on its most aggressive setting, the level of direct feedback and direct control that existed with the E60 just isn’t there in the F10. Now, to be fair, the valvetronic throttle probably does contribute significantly to the fuel economy improvement, but, in my opinion, it was a losing trade.

As far as overall impression go, I am a big fan of the F10. It gives me what still amounts to great drivability and marries it to a comfort and refinement that was lacking in the E60. It is a dignified vehicle for someone who still has to respect practicality, but, has a need to let their inner beast rampage at times. In the coming years, what will I drive more of, the E60 or the F10? I would have to say almost certainly the F10. That being said, the one thing the F10 is missing is that sort of intangible x-factor of the E60, the soul. You’re missing the sense that you are in a creation built by a collection of engineers who were stark, raving, mad; the sense that with the depression of your right foot, you will unleash something that will do its absolute best to make sure you never see another sunrise. The F10 is much more civilized and while, for the most part, that’s a good thing, it leaves you missing some of the wildness that was so much a part of the E60. For the next five years, I will thoroughly enjoy the F10 and then probably trade it in for the next iteration of BMW’s ultimate driving machine. The E60, however, I didn’t trade in. While the F10 M5 is a great car and better in so many ways, the E60 M5 is the one that has likely made a permanent spot in my collection.

P.S. Pics to come when I actually take it out of the garage again and have a chance to take some.
Appreciate 0
      11-17-2012, 01:06 PM   #2
cnicholson
Private First Class
17
Rep
164
Posts

Drives: 2013 F10 M5
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SF Bay Area

iTrader: (0)

Nice review. I like the pseudo-automatic "creep" in traffic and parking situations. The E60 is definitely more of an exciting and connected driving experience. There is something visceral about the "increasing at an increasing rate" pull of the E60 as you swing past 5K through redline. F10 is feels more like constant "electric" thrust, which is actually faster but, IMHO, less thrilling.

Incrementally, the F10 is for sure more "luxury sedan," which is fine.

Something that you didn't mention is exhaust note. The E60's raspy V10 only sings under heavy load. The F10 has a more satisfying muscle car rumble at moderate speed/throttle, along with occasional backfires/burps off throttle the always make my smile.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:53 AM.




m5post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST