Does M5 attract attention?

[David 12]

Same here stealth, people always moved out of the way for my 911 but not so much for the M5. I think it is the bmw driver stereotype but an exception SHOULD be made for M5 drivers!!

Dave

Ps. That frozen red M5 is gorgeous, congrats on the new car Chris.

[Lerxst M4]

Originally Posted by David 12

Same here stealth, people always moved out of the way for my 911 but not so much for the M5. I think it is the bmw driver stereotype but an exception SHOULD be made for M5 drivers!!

Dave

Ps. That frozen red M5 is gorgeous, congrats on the new car Chris.

Thank you Dave! Now if I could just fix that sig pic...it looks fine on the User CP page.

[M6-Coupe]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

... and also people in America hate BMW drivers. BMW drivers are probably Viewed as the most aggressive group of motorists in the US ...

LOL... especially those who drive Blue BMW

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell...-studies-find/

[alvinabed]

Sometimes.. Mostly people didn't know M5 in my area.. =(

[Bönz]

Originally Posted by M6-Coupe

LOL... especially those who drive Blue BMW

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell...-studies-find/

Greeeaaat. Not only do I drive a blue 650, I will soon be driving a blue M5 (same as the picture) and to add insult to injury I am being compared to a Prius driver.

[bruza]

During my ED Trip, the M5 didn't get much notice outside of The Welt (and immediate surrounding areas).

Just took re-delivery on Friday and the M5 got plenty of looks around LA and a few compliments. I spent the weekend in San Francisco (still here) and got a thumbs up from one guy and had another tell me he'd never seen one on the road then watched as I drove off.

Still though, the M5 is the ultimate sleeper. I really like the "subtle" cues that differentiate it from the regular 5 Series.

Off topic: I start heading back to WA today. Perfect timing as I'll break 1,200 miles before leaving The Bay Area and had the service completed Saturday.

[M6-Coupe]

Originally Posted by Bönz

Greeeaaat. Not only do I drive a blue 650, I will soon be driving a blue M5 (same as the picture) and to add insult to injury I am being compared to a Prius driver.

LOL.
Maybe this is the way they want to admire the Blue BMWs... We are in process of getting delivery of an M235 MT in Blue for one of my coleague. We placed the order 3 weeksa ago. It's a nice lovely color especially on "BMW"

[ChrisNich117]

If M body kits didn't looks so much like the damn M car they would attract a lot more attention. There's no point to Bmw even camouflaging any of the cars anymore. Look at the new x5 m. The previous model had its own unique m kit but every car now just looks so similar. I guess it's just cost efficient for them to do it that way. The e60 m kit looked so much like the m5 it was ridiculous. Only an enthusiast could spot the fog lights on the bottom just like the current m kit. They keep diluting the brand but maybe some people like the subtle exterior changes. Personally I want my fenders to look obnoxious and the car to look like some daemon spawn brought forth by some satanic german automotive ritual. But I'm weird.

[DrewM5]

Originally Posted by Andynev1982

I will de-badge mine when I get it to make it even more low key.

I don't think de-badging will make a difference either way in 90% on the instances. Someone who knows what an M5 is will likely recognize it anyway. Someone who doesn't isn't going to notice the car in any event.

[K900 NY]

I would think SG, AW even SS M5's are fairly stealth. My experience with a MCB M5 is a little different. The MCB differentiates the car and pretty much every day I get comments and thumbs up. That's all good. Whats a little annoying is the amount of challenges I get driving around NYC. Of course most of these young pups happen to be from NJ- where new born babies are issued drivers licences and not birth certificates - and drive souped up honda's. Its always a pleasure to grind them but I get the sense that if I had opted for SG I wouldn't be noticed so much...... So, I think the color def makes a difference. MCB and SO, imo, makes the M5 stand out on the street. Go with one of the other colors if you really want to blend in.

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by ChrisNich117

If M body kits didn't looks so much like the damn M car they would attract a lot more attention. There's no point to Bmw even camouflaging any of the cars anymore. Look at the new x5 m. The previous model had its own unique m kit but every car now just looks so similar. I guess it's just cost efficient for them to do it that way. The e60 m kit looked so much like the m5 it was ridiculous. Only an enthusiast could spot the fog lights on the bottom just like the current m kit. They keep diluting the brand but maybe some people like the subtle exterior changes. Personally I want my fenders to look obnoxious and the car to look like some daemon spawn brought forth by some satanic german automotive ritual. But I'm weird.

You have a point sir, but I guess that's the purpose of an M5 badge on the back of the trunk lid.

The fact is that less than 0.01 percent of any population actually knows what an M5 is. For actual car enthusiasts, they might know what an M5 is but it's not 100% either. That makes it a true sleeper. BMW makes so many damn sedans that the average driver wouldn't know a 320i, from a 535i, to an M5. In my opinion though, Porsche has it worse. Most people have no idea about Porsche chassis codes and haven't the slightest clue about the differences of a base 997 Carrera to a 991 Turbo S, they most likely think they are the same exact car, well because they do in fact look very similar. The only way to get more noticed in an ///M car really is to drive a 2-Dour coupe. I think that an M3/M4's styling does look different enough that the average person can easily recognize that its something special and not just a 328i Coupe. The new Gran Coupes are really something different too. I do think that people recognize a Gran Coupe as something special but still wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 640i Gran Coupe and an M6 Gran Coupe. Either way, BMW charges you a lot more for the better exclusivity for one of those Gran Coupes.

The M5 really doesn't get a lot of attention in the 5+ years I have been driving them, unless one or all of 3 situations occur:

A. - You have a wild color on your M5. Say Fire Orange, Signal Green, Sakhir Orange.

2. - You have a loud aftermarket exhaust on your M5. Sound always draws attention, especially when you are revving it.

D. - You have your car completely blacked-out and are in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Including dark tinted windows, blacked out wheels, blacked out front and side grills, and blacked out exhaust tips. If you have this combo, Virginia State and Local Police will most certainly pull you over and charge you with being a drug-dealer of some sort. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding about this.

If you really want attention though, just buy yourself a regular 4.2L V8 Audi R8 and drive anywhere in the USA, you will get more attention than you even thought possible. Lol!

I personally, love my M5 badge and would never take it off. Truth be told, I do want people to know that the car I am driving is an M5. I believe the badge contributes to greater Uberholt Prestige, or in Germany, the right to pass on the Autobahn, usually due to an aggressive looking front or rear bumper. Unfortunately here in America, drivers have no concept of Uberholt Prestige and I always get Priuses trying to pass me on the right almost every day.

[P500]

When I had my Alpine White E60 on textured black HRE's, I would get plenty of comments and occasional photos/videos in parking lots. It was a pretty aggressive look, and it drew a fair amount of attention in Seattle. Aside from all the Teslas rolling around, we don't have the car scene of Vancouver BC or Los Angeles along the west coast. Of course there are plenty of enthusiasts and ricers who appreciate my Singapore Grey F10 M5. The M5 is certainly not low profile in Seattle, but for London I imagine you will be be fine.

[bates1325]

most people who are active on a forum like this probably buy their cars because they enjoy them vs what other people think?

FYI: ordered a m5 to replace my 911

[Jay-K]

wolf in a sheep clothing brother.

[Ray knight]

I had a guy on a crotch rocket following me taking pics of my M5 with his cell phone while riding. Lol. Otherwise it gets respect but not attention. Its a very classy car.

[paddy335]

It's invisible to the punting masses, who just see it as another executive storming his way to the next corporate takeover.

It's a beacon of beautiful class-leading magnificence to enthusiasts.

[GladiatorOwner]

Originally Posted by paddy335

It's invisible to the punting masses, who just see it as another executive storming his way to the next corporate takeover.

It's a beacon of beautiful class-leading magnificence to enthusiasts.

Great post!!!

[gmfive]

Originally Posted by paddy335

It's invisible to the punting masses, who just see it as another executive storming his way to the next corporate takeover.

It's a beacon of beautiful class-leading magnificence to enthusiasts.

+1 Couldn't have put it better in words.

[MichaelJohn]

My M5 will get an occasional comment but not very often. Some of my friends still haven't noticed that I am no longer in my E92 M3 and I got the M5 almost 2 years ago! They are both SSII and there is a resemblance and for those who are not into cars I just drive a nice silver BMW.

[Jay-K]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

My M5 will get an occasional comment but not very often. Some of my friends still haven't noticed that I am no longer in my E92 M3 and I got the M5 almost 2 years ago! They are both SSII and there is a resemblance and for those who are not into cars I just drive a nice silver BMW.

silvers ftw,
starting to grow on me, it has that rich shines under the lights.

[TheHouseWon]

Only from other car guys. Usually American v8 coupes

[PREDATOR 007]

I had a blacked out 13' 750li that got more attention than my MCB 16' M5. The M5's would get more attention if there were some more color options. But then again, it is a 4 door sedan.