Video: BMW M5 Competition Package: A Better Driver's Car? By Motortrend

[R N M]

M5 looks AWESOME in action!!!
M5 + Comp Pack = Perfect Sport Sedan

Now I just need $$$$$ to upgrade from my 535i

[Neil McRae]

Originally Posted by VintageFerrari

ARE YOU SURE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=IsXcNQ2hcpc

I think so yes, I'll post a video at the weekend you can make your own mind up

Neil.

[Greer]

I like the CP alot!

[clar]

People, there is only one reason to get the CP, which is plenty enough for me. That's the improve steering rack. According to some, it provides more feel and is quicker. That's the only major complain I have for the car. The CP seem to have sorted it out. I am still waiting to test drive it to make up my mind on whether I should buy the same car twice...

The added 15 bhp, plus if you specify the perf exhaust, we are looking at least 580 bhp. That's about as much horses as I am ever gonna need.

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by clar

People, there is only one reason to get the CP, which is plenty enough for me. That's the improve steering rack. According to some, it provides more feel and is quicker. That's the only major complain I have for the car. The CP seem to have sorted it out. I am still waiting to test drive it to make up my mind on whether I should buy the same car twice...

The added 15 bhp, plus if you specify the perf exhaust, we are looking at least 580 bhp. That's about as much horses as I am ever gonna need.

+1

[N & M]

A step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. I would never give up my M, but BMW has got to do more to manage the weight of its M cars.

Truthfully, I prefer the handling of my E60 over the current generation of cars. The handling and traction benchmark of the class has been lost and a brand such as Porsche has emulated the thinking behind the original M5 and taken it a step further in terms of luxury and sustainable performance.

I do not like the new (AMG) high torque/low RPM philosophy either. They have to go turbo, but I wish they would look at Mclearn for inspiration and give us a turbo screamer with a clever differential to balance it.

Come on M!

[PappSchlumpf]

I took my humble standard M5 to the Nordschleife on the Open Track days... I can just tell you one thing : This is F*cking Awesome!

[ColdList]

Originally Posted by NKRZ

A step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. I would never give up my M, but BMW has got to do more to manage the weight of its M cars.

Truthfully, I prefer the handling of my E60 over the current generation of cars. The handling and traction benchmark of the class has been lost and a brand such as Porsche has emulated the thinking behind the original M5 and taken it a step further in terms of luxury and sustainable performance.

I do not like the new (AMG) high torque/low RPM philosophy either. They have to go turbo, but I wish they would look at Mclearn for inspiration and give us a turbo screamer with a clever differential to balance it.

Come on M!

I think the F10 does handle just as well. It just feels like it doesn't. There is definitely the sensation of tossing around a lot of weight. You get very used to the "weight" after a while until you get into something that is truly nimble. Then you shake your head and it's hard to get back int he groove. Wife and I took the M6 cab out for a long drive around the lake last weekend. I had not driven it in a long time and I kept telling her I felt like we were in a boat. After about an hour behind the wheel it was all good. Especially when we got on the highway-then my tune changed to "wow! I forgot how fast this thing is!".

Also, you really have to get the steering in comfort mode. I remember how nuts it drove me when I got the car first. My inclination, as it is with many people, was to put it in Sport+. I found out from a performance guy (and fellow F10 owner) that at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburgh, SC, they recommend that setting. That is how they track the car as well. They informed us that Sport+ was for straight-line autobahn driving. The car will fight you otherwise. As soon as you switch to comfort it really takes a lot of the "weighty" feel out of the car.

Still, I agree. M needs to reduce the weight. It keeps g-r-o-w-i-n-g...

[Judah]

Originally Posted by sparkyg

She needs to lose some weight, poor fat girl.

BMW can do so much better. They are just too busy counting their money....

Actually, BMW just spent quite a bit of money that will result in considerable weight reduction across the entire line of cars starting with the upcoming 7 series.

[Judah]

Originally Posted by Savory

^^ Not everyone yearns for the improvements of the CP. Stock F10 seems to be ample, but some people just want an edge. Same with the brakes, why not make the CCB standard? CCBs shine at the track, but not everyone tracks their F10. It really depends on what you expect from the car.

Agreed, not everyone buys an M to track it or drive it at 10/10ths.

[lm1z]

Originally Posted by Judah

Actually, BMW just spent quite a bit of money that will result in considerable weight reduction across the entire line of cars starting with the upcoming 7 series.

This!

I drive a '13 M5. I've also driven a CP '14 M5. The difference is minimal. Doesn't feel any faster. While subjective, i'm not quite sure what he's talking about. The engine noise, also subjective, is intoxicating. I've turned my "fabricated" sound off. Still sounds fantastic. The artificial noise is actually quite minimal. There are Youtube videos that portray this. Handling on the CP is slightly stiffer, but plenty good on the standard M5. The "base" car handles outstandingly for the weight - and I came from an E92 M3. For the people requesting CCB on the standard, take look at Porsche. Would you rather BMW nickel and dime you? The margins are much lower on the M cars. With the rapidly growing line that they have introduced, they have to offer these incentives for a premium. IMO, the future looks bright for the brand. Look at the F80 M3/M4 coming in at 3300lbs, all WHILE increasing HP and TQ figures. Not sure how much higher they want to push the HP war on the next gen M5, but expect to see dramatic weight savings. I believe that they are truly listening to their customers.

[ColdList]

Originally Posted by lm1z

This!

I believe that they are truly listening to their customers.

I don't.

They seem to at least be getting back to performance mindset with the M3/4-their signature performance car. I don't know if they will go that direction with the M5. Different target driver at the $100K price point. Luxury disappearing for the sake of weight reduction will likely hurt sales badly. We are a small minority on here.

[clar]

Originally Posted by ColdList

I don't.

They seem to at least be getting back to performance mindset with the M3/4-their signature performance car. I don't know if they will go that direction with the M5. Different target driver at the $100K price point. Luxury disappearing for the sake of weight reduction will likely hurt sales badly. We are a small minority on here.

Going light across their range of future cars is in BMW's interest. Lighter means less consumption, and equals less emission. With the ever tighter emission regulation, it helps their cause as well.

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by PappSchlumpf

I took my humble standard M5 to the Nordschleife on the Open Track days... I can just tell you one thing : This is F*cking Awesome!

Love these pictures!

I feel the same way as many people here. If the Comp Pack was available when I was shopping for the 2013 M5, I would have gotten it. I'm usually not in the habit of buying the same car twice for some extra stuff. We'll see though as I am probably going to be tracking my M5 a lot more in the future.

The real conundrum comes when considering the real flaw of the F10 which was so precisely pointed out by Carlos also, the weight. Would people prefer a more expensive better handling M5 or M6, or a superbly handling car with less power, luxury, and utility, the M4? Which is right around the corner. There is no doubt though that the M5 and M6 will be faster in the straight line than an M4.

These are interesting times we live in.

[clar]

I have learnt my lesson well with the F10 M5. If I am ever gonna get the M4, I will wait for LCI and Comp Pack, which would be less than 2 years after the initial launch.

[darkrabbit]

I think that could have been 2 minutes long and covered everything. My god, repetitive. Good video though. Still fine that I didn't get CP. For me, he hit the nail on the head, it's a big heavy 4300lb sedan. It's not my track car. No amount of 'CP' is going to make it feel like my M3 does. Now if they had offered it as standard, I wouldn't refuse it, lol

Those CP wheels are growing on me though... I hated them at first, now I think I actually am starting to like them...

-J

[B-1Pilot]

Anyone who has been to the Welt in recent months knows that BMW is far ahead in carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastic technology...

The question is, are M5 drivers willing to give up their sunroof, fancy heated and cooled superadjustable seats, powered trunk lid, soft close doors, and any plethora of other luxury features to remove a perceived heavy feel? Given the performance of the powertain and steering of the car, I am very happy to have all the luxury features the M5 has but the M3/4 do not.

For those who really believe the M5 is too heavy -- translate this into a performance deficit where you want to see improvement (0-60, 1/4 mile, nurburgring or other track lap time), and give an example where another 4 door, 5 person car is doing it better by keeping the vehicle lighter.

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

Anyone who has been to the Welt in recent months knows that BMW is far ahead in carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastic technology...

The question is, are M5 drivers willing to give up their sunroof, fancy heated and cooled superadjustable seats, powered trunk lid, soft close doors, and any plethora of other luxury features to remove a perceived heavy feel? Given the performance of the powertain and steering of the car, I am very happy to have all the luxury features the M5 has but the M3/4 do not.

For those who really believe the M5 is too heavy -- translate this into a performance deficit where you want to see improvement (0-60, 1/4 mile, nurburgring or other track lap time), and give an example where another 4 door, 5 person car is doing it better by keeping the vehicle lighter.

No - I want the sunroof On that note, that is the prime reason why the M6GC is not on my list. That car is claustrophobic.

However, it weighs close to the M5 I believe and yet somehow handles so much better (per the reviews at least). Worse, the Panamera Turbo weighs about the same as the M5 but does not get the negative handling reviews. So while the M5 is weighty, I think the issue is how it is tuned vs. the sheer bulk.

[ColdList]

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

Anyone who has been to the Welt in recent months knows that BMW is far ahead in carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastic technology...

The question is, are M5 drivers willing to give up their sunroof, fancy heated and cooled superadjustable seats, powered trunk lid, soft close doors, and any plethora of other luxury features to remove a perceived heavy feel? Given the performance of the powertain and steering of the car, I am very happy to have all the luxury features the M5 has but the M3/4 do not.

Sort of my point. I definitely would not want the M3/4 over the M5/6 because of precisely those same things. The focus on the M4/4 is performance where the M5/6 is a mix of luxury/perf.

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

For those who really believe the M5 is too heavy -- translate this into a performance deficit where you want to see improvement (0-60, 1/4 mile, nurburgring or other track lap time), and give an example where another 4 door, 5 person car is doing it better by keeping the vehicle lighter.

The issue with that is that this always has to be followed with "give an example where another 4 door, 5 person car is doing it better" if you are having a discussion about performance and handling,etc. If you are comparing luxury/performance apples to apples with another similar car thew M5/6 is a no-brainer. I think the challenge is that many people don't give REAL consideration to what they TRULY want. The allure of the M5/6 is very hard to resist. It is the benchmark car. Then they buy it and they say "I miss my M3". For those people the choice should have been more weighted (no pun intended) towards a want for a more "raw" driving experience and they should have foregone luxury. For us old guys like me, a little luxury is nice. The M5/6 does that VERY well. IMO way better than Merc. I love the Merc interior but something is just not quite as "right" as the M5/6. And driving-forget it.

[bobafettt]

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

Anyone who has been to the Welt in recent months knows that BMW is far ahead in carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastic technology...

The question is, are M5 drivers willing to give up their sunroof, fancy heated and cooled superadjustable seats, powered trunk lid, soft close doors, and any plethora of other luxury features to remove a perceived heavy feel? Given the performance of the powertain and steering of the car, I am very happy to have all the luxury features the M5 has but the M3/4 do not.

For those who really believe the M5 is too heavy -- translate this into a performance deficit where you want to see improvement (0-60, 1/4 mile, nurburgring or other track lap time), and give an example where another 4 door, 5 person car is doing it better by keeping the vehicle lighter.

This^
Im not giving any of the luxury weight up, unless of course bmw does it for me.

[ColdList]

Originally Posted by clar

Going light across their range of future cars is in BMW's interest. Lighter means less consumption, and equals less emission. With the ever tighter emission regulation, it helps their cause as well.

Betting you see more focus on hydrogen than this. They are HEAVILY invested in it already.

[lawgone]

Ugh I wish I could afford this. Such a beautiful car. I'd have to find out a way to turn off the piped in sound though. That's just wrong.