OV9

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...

RS5*

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

You're tempted, then?

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.

Simon wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 5:57 pm 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.

IanF wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 6:13 pm 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!

Mito Man wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 6:45 pm

IanF wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 6:13 pm 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

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?

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

Matty wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 7:19 pm 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.