M5 test drive report

[Jobbo]

I tried an M5 this afternoon and really liked it. After being rather taken by the new RS4 and realising that it was going to be too small and a bit OTT for me - plus the petrol tank being too small - I realised the M5 Touring is probably setting the template for everything going forward. And the ~50 miles of electric range means I could in theory only turn on the engine at weekends but still drive it to work.

They're so big aren't they? I've been driving fairly big cars for years so in reality the saloon I test drove felt fine; the surround view cameras feel more precise than the Audi ones and parking it between two other cars wasn't an issue when I got back.

Watch this space. There are some deals available...

[Simon]

RS5*

[Simon]

Have you tried the E53 or are you discounting it because of the value?

[Jimmy Choo]

You're tempted, then?

[IanF]

Have you seen the LCI spy shots?.. looks like a better front.

ETA:ah, looks like its next year

https://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/m5/207630/new ... 3%20saloon.

[Jobbo]

Have you tried the E53 or are you discounting it because of the value?

I like them but the compromised boot and lack of deals mean it’s not really in the running.

Oh yes, RS5. Obviously it’s harder to get used to the name than I thought

Doubt there will be £20k+ discounts on the LCI and BMW don’t have a habit of improving the looks of cars these days, so I’m going for one which is already built if everything ties together.

[Mito Man]

Have you seen the LCI spy shots?.. looks like a better front.

ETA:ah, looks like its next year

https://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/m5/207630/new ... 3%20saloon.

I’m impressed you can deduce that it looks better from those camo pics!

[IanF]

Have you seen the LCI spy shots?.. looks like a better front.

ETA:ah, looks like its next year

https://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/m5/207630/new ... 3%20saloon.

I’m impressed you can deduce that it looks better from those camo pics!

Some of us read the words as well The link was more the info regarding launch date

[Matty]

No matter how good the car, the practical aspect of a massive car like that would just be too much of a hassle for me to even consider it.

Whether it be country roads where so many people have zero spacial awareness of their 2m wide Range Rover so end up taking up too muchof the road anyway, tiny spaces in car parks - plus people not bothering to park square anyway...and the fact that many car parks are pokey enough just to make driving around difficult.
Plus while you're finding a space big enough for your barge, you need to look at that interior.

Remind me why the RS4 is too small?

[mik]

I really liked the previous gen. Less keen on this one, but can see the appeal.

[Jobbo]

No matter how good the car, the practical aspect of a massive car like that would just be too much of a hassle for me to even consider it.

Whether it be country roads where so many people have zero spacial awareness of their 2m wide Range Rover so end up taking up too muchof the road anyway, tiny spaces in car parks - plus people not bothering to park square anyway...and the fact that many car parks are pokey enough just to make driving around difficult.
Plus while you're finding a space big enough for your barge, you need to look at that interior.

Remind me why the RS4 is too small?

It’s not much bigger than my S6 and I deliberately took it down some small roads near my house. No problem at all. It doesn’t feel its weight either.

The RS5 has a raised boot floor compared to the normal A5 Avant and the capacity is about the same as a Golf. That’s no good for collecting the family from Heathrow or chucking an MTB in.

The interior ambience of the M5 is really nice; there are some cheap bits of plastic, annoyingly including the sun visors, but it feels modern compared to my S6 and yet still has a physical iDrive controller and plenty of useful buttons so the ergonomics are good. And the seats are amazing.

[Simon]

Have you tried the E53 or are you discounting it because of the value?

I like them but the compromised boot and lack of deals mean it’s not really in the running.

Oh yes, RS5. Obviously it’s harder to get used to the name than I thought

Doubt there will be £20k+ discounts on the LCI and BMW don’t have a habit of improving the looks of cars these days, so I’m going for one which is already built if everything ties together.

But the M5 is still a hybrid estate, right? How much boot space is there for comparison?

[Jobbo]

Same amount as a non-hybrid 5-series Touring. The underfloor storage is reduced but the main cargo area is entirely unaffected. No 4” high lump and ramp to push things up.

[Simon]

Right. Because it's a lot smaller battery. I see.

[IanF]

Think BMW state the same boot space for M3 and M5, but I’m not sure how.. Joe shows off the difference in this video

[Jobbo]

Right. Because it's a lot smaller battery. I see.

The E-class is based on the previous generation platform, this 5-series was an entirely new platform for both ICE and EV so it’s not surprising it’s less compromised. The batteries arent just under the boot floor I think.

Ian, I don’t have a clue how Joe came to that conclusion when he had the two cars next to each other. The 5-series boot isn’t just bigger, it has straight sides without wheel arch intrusion.

[Jobbo]

Deal done anyway. I’m not going to do a guess the new car thread because it would be too easy. Maybe guess the colour…?

Over £24,000 off list price. Happy with that.

[jamcg]

Christ you’ve saved about double my current car buying budget there

Black with bright orange interior?

[Jobbo]

The saloon I test drove was Sapphire Black and I still think that’s a fantastic colour - it does hide the swollen wheelarches but subtlety is appealing. I was offered a Touring in Sapphire Black with red leather and that was a no

[Simon]

I'm gonna guess sophista grey with Silverstone interior..