BMW F10 M5 Review - Top Gear: It's Chuffing Excellent

[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW F10 M5 Review - Top Gear: It's Chuffing Excellent

31
COMMENTS

Tweet

Top Gear's online magazine doesn't mince words in its verdict of the 2012 BMW M5, beginning their review by calling the F10 M5 chuffing excellent. So what made it chuffing excellent for Top Gear's reviewer? Take a look below:

You can find all official F10 M5 details and links to other reviews at:

[ Official M5 Info / Review List Thread ]
[ S63Tu Engine Specs ]

At first you're simply happy to drive around marvelling at the mid-range grunt. Then you remember that the redline doesn't cut in until 7200rpm, so you really ought to check out the upper reaches. A wise idea. Once past 4500rpm, the M5 is downright astonishing. It hits supercar hard - so hard that orange lights start to flicker and power is cut when travelling in a straight line. That'll be the wheels trying to unhook themselves from the tarmac's tenuous hold then...

Stick the M5 in comfort mode across the board and it does a damn fine impression of a 530d, all quiet and cruiser-y, lapping up motorways with a remarkably adept ride and imperceptible gearchanges. Even the engine is muted. But that's not what the M5 is for, so you'll inevitably up the ante with the switches until you arrive at something that can scare you half to death. One tip: don't turn off the traction control unless you have a lot of space to play with.

This would be a problem, were it not for the fact that by super-saloon standards the fifth generation M5 is beautifully balanced and pliable. The brakes have their work cut out, but the chassis works both ends evenly: you can dive into corners with confidence and come out the far side knowing how much you can open the throttle before the rear end starts to send itself sideways. Again. Little bit of criticism for the steering, though. You always know where you are with it and there's oodles of reassuring weight, but actual feel? Not really, not through huge 265-width front tyres in a car that has to cope with 1870kg of bulk. Nevertheless, you can drive it hard, really hard and it won't bite - it's too well-mannered for that.

The last generation M5 was a rabid V10 thing, all fury and attitude and nothing like any other 5-Series. The new one has more in common with the only other V8 M5, the E39 that launched in 1998 - it's a gentler, more approachable car and far easier to live with every day. Maybe that's not a bad thing - it probably opens the car up to a wider audience.

M's engineers have obviously felt the weight of expectation pressing down on them - a new M car is a rare and special event after all - and so they've honed and polished the M5 to a considerable degree. The result is mesmerizingly fast and beautifully judged, but you'll have more pure fun and enjoyment in a 1-Series M Coupe.

Head on over to Top Gear for the full review.

[TonyMeister]

It's chuffing excellent. There you go Top Gear-heads, an instant, internet-friendly verdict on the new BMW M5. Go spread the news far and wide.

Top Gear: BMW M5 driven

[Moo]

...
And that neatly sums up the whole car. M's engineers have obviously felt the weight of expectation pressing down on them - a new M car is a rare and special event after all - and so they've honed and polished the M5 to a considerable degree. The result is mesmerizingly fast and beautifully judged, but you'll have more pure fun and enjoyment in a 1-Series M Coupe.

[kdbryce]

really puts you in the, "ughhh i guess i'll drive the new m5" kind of mood

[Bighorns]

Can't wait for this car to start breaking the CTS-V records.

[Daft]

Chuffing!

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by Moo

No surprises here. I think if you want what the epitome of what fun is in a BMW or car for that matter, the 1M is the car for it but that's not to say the M3 is a snoozer.

So how close are we to actually getting first drive from Top Gear?

[serali]

looking forward to the tv comments

[stefan]

I'll continue to take these reviews with a grain of salt, as almost all new-car journalist reviews are exceedingly positive.

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by stefan

I'll continue to take these reviews with a grain of salt, as almost all new-car journalist reviews are exceedingly positive.

It's hard to think that a car could be THIS good but when has a M car ever reviewed negatively? If there was one car that could have been, the 1M was it but reviews were anything but. I just want to see the head-to-head comparisons!

[grimlock]

Oh man.. Turbo M's just not cutting it.

[m balla]

Please tell me this car isn't too nice to drive hard... I have seen so many M3/M5s that just putt around. Why wouldn't you want to reach the upper-rpm limit?

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by stefan

I'll continue to take these reviews with a grain of salt, as almost all new-car journalist reviews are exceedingly positive.

You can read all current reviews, they all have similar gripes with the car.

They are definitely mesmerized by the acceleration. These reviews read like the old AMG reviews.

[Wolf]

I hope JC will test it in the new season!

[m balla]

So no more Castrol TWS 10W-60, but will it still require the requisite ~1000 mile oil change?

[Ateam]

Call me crazy but to me being able to "pull hard no matter what gear and what RPM you are at" does not sound like a good time. It sounds like something that would be reallllly fun iniitially but once the novelty wore off you would have no "racing" experience that so many M owners enjoy from their M cars. It really takes away any point to shifting the DCT tranny when it really does not matter what gear and what rpm you are in to feel a surge of power.

[wisesoul]

Originally Posted by Ateam

Call me crazy but to me being able to "pull hard no matter what gear and what RPM you are at" does not sound like a good time. It sounds like something that would be reallllly fun iniitially but once the novelty wore off you would have no "racing" experience that so many M owners enjoy from their M cars. It really takes away any point to shifting the DCT tranny when it really does not matter what gear and what rpm you are in to feel a surge of power.

It is an executive saloon! It needs the torque to haul all that weight around! Plus you can still redline this engine and have fun. While not as linear as the S85 or S63, power up top certainly does not dive down. Looking at the dyno graph for this car, peak power can be maintained at redline which is very impressive. Trust me, the thrust of being kicked back in your seat will not be a novelty. The gimmicky faux-engine sound audio device thing will be a novelty. Hope that is not standard equipment.

[Ateam]

I guess I am the minority but the e60 m5 felt like you were driving an F1 car (obviously for those who actually do not drive races). The hardcore shifts, the redline needing to be strategically kept in the upper band, using the gearing to keep the revs high and hearing that f1 exhaust note. To me the gritty edge of the e60 was not its downfall but rather its best quality.

This new one is overly smooth which to me the bottom line is this vehicle was already available and its called Audi or Merc! Maybe pushed to the limits the M5 will outperform the competition but for 99 percent of the time there is no real benefit of this over a loaded AMG E class v. the e60 had absolutely no other competitor car in its class that could compete with its high revving engine, SMG tranny and exhaust note. It was special and this is not.

[auggiem3]

Originally Posted by 宝马.e90

It's hard to think that a car could be THIS good but when has a M car ever reviewed negatively? If there was one car that could have been, the 1M was it but reviews were anything but. I just want to see the head-to-head comparisons!

Yup - the X5M and X6M got some bad reviews....

[TonyMeister]

Originally Posted by auggiem3

Yup - the X5M and X6M got some bad reviews....

And the new M5 gets good reviews. Your point, being?

[dsc201knoc]

I think the e46 CSL was "uncool" for top gear also I think the previous post was to say that some ///M cars do get bad reviews from time to time.

[TonyMeister]

Being uncool didn't mean it was a bad car.