M5 First drive

[Rob///M5]

Just drove this black beauty. She's currently up for grabs at a local dealer in southern california. I had a 2007 E60 M5 previously, so was anxious to see what the F10 felt like.

My impressions:
1. Interior. The tech, fit and finish are miles beyond last gen. Obviously didn't have much time to play during a dealer test drive, but the cabin is a wonderful place to be.

2. Suspension. In contrast to what I've read at times, this car does not feel mushy, 7-ish, distant or big in comparison to the E60. With all settings in Sport Plus, the car is FIRM. You feel a lot of road imperfections through the steering wheel and rest of car. IMO this is a very positive thing. The F10 clung to a sharp corner with as much or more confidence than the E60. As expected, there is a significant change with suspension in Comfort mode - it absorbs a lot more of the road noise - but honestly, this was still reasonably firm.

3. Transmission. The DCT is lightning fast. I guess this is no new revelation, but it is really really impressive. Shifts under hard throttle happen seemingly before the paddle is done moving, and they're scary smooth. Not that I care much, but auto mode is great. I had to look down at the dash to validate that it shifted from 1st to 2nd...didn't even feel it. Just nothing like the useless SMG Auto.

4. Throttle. Holy mother of God. I don't know how the hell we're supposed to keep this thing under 5k RPM for 1200 miles. It moves...fast!

5. Sound. Basically, it comes to this: Roll down the windows. I drove a M6 convertible a few weeks ago and the sound just made me smile the entire time. In the M5 with windows up...it's pretty darn quiet. A little too quiet if you ask me. I suppose at times I will like this, but I'm glad I live in a warm climate where open air cruising will let me enjoy the noise.

Funny, the dudes in the truck in front of me stuck a hand out the window with one of these - I guess they could hear the exhaust better than me.

So, the F10 does feel like a complete package. There's simply nothing better out there with four doors. And now the waiting is even harder as mine finishes production this week and hopefully boards a boat soon.

[727jbh]

Thanks for the great review and the car looks awesome!!!

[M5 Orthodox]

Have you heard the "clunk" everyone is complaining about from the back of the car?

[Rob///M5]

I was just reading that post again tonight, realizing that I completely forgot to listen for it. Should have hunted for a speed bump. In driving over some rough roads though, I did not notice anything unusual.

[uhn2000]

Nice review!