[grabbou]

Hey!

Decided to take the M5 for a spin today before making my final decision. To make sure I could really "feel the weight," I immediately signed up for a follow-up test drive in an M3 for comparison.

TL;DR:

M5 is awesome, and I’m getting one. I am not a professional technician, so what you will read here is subjective feelings, based on driving two cars, and comparing with others in my garage.

For context:

My previous daily was an F82 M4, which I swapped for an S-Class (yeah, I know - quite a change).

Now that the S-Class is getting older and, honestly, boring to drive, I started looking for an alternative. My options are limited since I’m over Mercedes and not really into Audi.

Thoughts on the M5:
- I would’ve never considered previous gen M5s. I think BMW just opened up a new segment, especially for younger audience.
- It's a completely different car than previous M5. I don't think we should compare them. I am not a BMW executive, but it doesn't make sense to keep two sport sedans in the line-up, considering M3 is growing in size with every generation?
- Price is only ~22% more than an M4 at my local dealership. Whether that’s a lot or not, I’ll leave it to you. For me? Definitely worth considering.
- I can't really say it has cheap materials (except for learning about it on this forum), even though I am daily driving an S class with white designo leather. Maybe I am the kind of person that just "doesn't care"?
- I do like iPads, but keep in mind I am biased - I work in the IT, so screens are my life.
- It does carry E60 vibes, I can't believe I am saying this, but it does look awesome and once I complete murdered-out transformation, it will be sick.

Driving Impressions - M5:
- Not concerned about the weight, but the size - this thing is a monster. I always liked that kind of feeling, but I understand it might not be what you're looking for. Definitely takes time getting used to it. I like it. Everything is huge.
- Steering wheel is thicker than M3? Very thick. Wish it would go a bit lower. I felt like my hands were not resting comfortably on it, but I think I can get used to it.
- Road feedback is minimal. For highway cruising and city driving, perfect choice IMO. The lack of feedback actually makes the ride smoother.
- It rides much better than X6M to me. Less body roll, better center of gravity and more comfort.

Jumping into the M3:
- Looks are subjective, but compared to the M2/M5 design language, the M3 already feels dated from the outside.
- If you think the M5 is too heavy, try driving an F80 and come back. The M3 tries to be sporty, but compared to the F80, it’s missing something.
- One hour of city driving? I was a bit exhausted. The ride is busy even in comfort mode.

Final Verdict:
If you need an all-around car that can also handle some casual track days, the M3 might be the way to go. However, I definitely feel a downgrade from tracking F82.

Since I have other cars for the track, I’m picking something more usable for daily driving.

👀 M5 it is.

I am happy BMW made it, because I can finally get back to the ///M family after few years!