Let's face it, if BMW wants to truly win this comparison then simply lower the price to closer match the cts-v. *We* the consumers won't feel hurt at all if they can retroactively apply that to our orders...
As for the manual - I love the fact that the manual is offered and I completely get the personal preference issue of wanting to use a manual on off the track. I suspect that both manuals will be 'rare birds' at the end of the day. However, I don't recall seeing any other review that used the manual, so kudos to the review staff for getting one.
Speaking as a person in need of headroom in a vehicle, their is one compromise bandwidth that I cannot easily compromise upon for any vehicle that isn't a rental: headroom.
http://www.edmunds.com/cadillac/cts-...tyle=101397609
http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/m5/2013/f...tyle=101212619
Now, while the CTS isn't a slouch on headroom compared to other cars like GM's Camaro, it is still impactful.
M5 CTS-V
40.5 38.8
Now, when you are a track day star (no I am not) and want to be tall and have room for that track day helmet....
To the rudeness expressed in JuddHolland's posts (and I sincerely hope it was tongue in cheek or nestled in the deep throws of sarcasm): it not only doesn't 'impress', but it detracts from whatever the core mesg may have been. I'm kinda surprise the forum moderators were so tolerant. But, I'm new here with an M5 on order, so perhaps I won't be as surprised next time.