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19th
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Heard when climbing into the M5: “At this time, please make sure that all carryon items are stored in the overhead bins or underneath the seat in front of you and that your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright and locked positions."
We are about to take off. Pressing the start button to the right of the steering column disrupts the earth's rotation. The TwinPower 4.4L V8 awakens from its slumber; clear the runway.
The sound that escapes the quad tailpipes when the V8 roars to life blurs the mind, raises arm-hairs and the vibrations permeate ever bodily orifice. The German equivalent to a muscle car rumble is rushed, steady and full of intent. As engine idle slows, the 7-speed M Double Clutch transmission lever is pushed to the right, the electric parking brake is released and the skies open up.
M Power
The fury in the belly of the 2012 BMW M5 is like few I've ever experienced before. The rated 560 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque may as well read 48,782 hp and 391,042 lb-ft as this car feels infinitely more powerful.
BMW notes a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds. This number is realistic if only because the 20x10 rear wheels shod with P295/30ZR20 Michelin Super Sport rubber, despite their best intentions and massive section, can only do so much to contain the fire. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h; I'd hate to be that limiter as I can scarcely imagine the effort required to tame this beast, preventing it from humiliating the sound barrier.
An excellent feature of the M5 is, beyond the lag-free power delivery of the V8, its 7-speed DCT transmission. Through the button located directly behind the shifter, shift patterns can be modified from rapid to skull-crushing fast. With the wheel-mounted paddles, slapping up or down through the gears is rewarding with instantaneously smooth shifts.
Yes, the new M5 is insanely, ungodly fast, quick, rapid, swift, brisk, and expeditious. Don't let anyone tell you differently. This car feels every bit as monstrous off the line as the Porsche Panamera Turbo. I've, unfortunately, not sampled the Panamera Turbo S but can only imagine that it would crush the M5 from a standstill, but only just keep up with it once underway.
Luxurious accoutrements
As with every German performance sedan, be they $60,000 or $260,000, the quality and design of the interiors, although austere in some instances, are irreproachably well crafted. In the 2012 BMW M5's case, it's all about the driver. These are A380 First Class accoutrements.
The dash's slightly angled centre stack presents itself to the driver for maximum ease of use. The same goes for the centre console on which the shifter, the all-important M Chassis controls and iDrive controller are all aslant in such a way as to allow the right hand to find everything without having to pivot the wrist.
The M steering wheel, M seats, M pedals, M door sills, are all mmm mmm good. The M seats are especially noteworthy as their seemingly limitless ability to adhere to the contours of one's body make them as supremely comfortable as they are supportive.
On the kit-side of things, the M5 has everything, unless it's optional. At $101,500, the base car lacks nothing, but should more be desired, the $9,500 Executive Packages throws in the M seats and the very useful Head-Up display which are all well worth the extra few bucks.
The M road
How all the elements which make the 2012 BMW M5 an M5 come together is exceptional in some respects, and not so much in others.
The entire driving experience is somewhat marred by an odd filtered-unfiltered feeling. It's as though BMW built into the car a way to insulate the driver from the goings-on underneath only to then digitally or electronically permit portions of some of the remastered original organic sensory material back to the driver. I don't know; it felt good, but not natural.
Up front, the steering's precision and assistance are impossible to fault, however, somewhere between my hands and the tires' contact patches was a sieve that only allowed my sense to sense what it wanted me to sense.
The car's suspension with Dynamic Dampening control's work is faultless. Its stabilizing effect on the car's on-road behaviour feels electronic and calibrated to suit drivers who otherwise buy the M5 because it's the top-of-the-line 5 Series as opposed to real driving enthusiasts. The settings -- Normal, Sport and Sport+ -- allow the driver to tune the ride to taste, but even in Sport+ (reserved for the track), although highly effective, seems tweaked.
All of the available modes can be programmed and solicited through the “M” button. There are three “M” modes that can be saved for future call-ups, of which one should always have suspensions, steering and throttle/transmission response set in Sport+ -- just because.
Confidence in this car is unflappable, despite my misgivings on certain aspects. The M5's kicker points are the Active M Differential which is nothing short of magical given its control over the V8, and massive flawless disc brakes. Going fast is a given, as is coming to a full stop, all the time and every time.
An M5 to crush all others?
The F10 2012 BMW M5 casts a huge shadow over the outgoing E60 M5. Not only is the new car faster but its driving dynamics are far superior and, not that we should care, it's much better on gas. Actual numbers are not necessary...
The new M5, especially draped in Alpine White, is as beautiful to behold as it is savage to drive. There are few other cars on the road today under the quarter-million dollar price tag that have any hope to tango with this car.
In fact, at under $115,000, the M5 works out to be some kind of bargain. The Nissan GT-R is nothing but a compromise and the Jaguar XFR falls short on many levels, even though it sports a leaping leopard crest.
 |
We are about to take off. Pressing the start button to the right of the steering column disrupts the earth's rotation. The TwinPower 4.4L V8 awakens from its slumber; clear the runway.
The sound that escapes the quad tailpipes when the V8 roars to life blurs the mind, raises arm-hairs and the vibrations permeate ever bodily orifice. The German equivalent to a muscle car rumble is rushed, steady and full of intent. As engine idle slows, the 7-speed M Double Clutch transmission lever is pushed to the right, the electric parking brake is released and the skies open up.
M Power
The fury in the belly of the 2012 BMW M5 is like few I've ever experienced before. The rated 560 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque may as well read 48,782 hp and 391,042 lb-ft as this car feels infinitely more powerful.
BMW notes a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds. This number is realistic if only because the 20x10 rear wheels shod with P295/30ZR20 Michelin Super Sport rubber, despite their best intentions and massive section, can only do so much to contain the fire. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h; I'd hate to be that limiter as I can scarcely imagine the effort required to tame this beast, preventing it from humiliating the sound barrier.
An excellent feature of the M5 is, beyond the lag-free power delivery of the V8, its 7-speed DCT transmission. Through the button located directly behind the shifter, shift patterns can be modified from rapid to skull-crushing fast. With the wheel-mounted paddles, slapping up or down through the gears is rewarding with instantaneously smooth shifts.
Yes, the new M5 is insanely, ungodly fast, quick, rapid, swift, brisk, and expeditious. Don't let anyone tell you differently. This car feels every bit as monstrous off the line as the Porsche Panamera Turbo. I've, unfortunately, not sampled the Panamera Turbo S but can only imagine that it would crush the M5 from a standstill, but only just keep up with it once underway.
 |
| The rated 560 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque may as well read 48,782 hp and 391,042 lb-ft as this car feels infinitely more powerful. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Luxurious accoutrements
As with every German performance sedan, be they $60,000 or $260,000, the quality and design of the interiors, although austere in some instances, are irreproachably well crafted. In the 2012 BMW M5's case, it's all about the driver. These are A380 First Class accoutrements.
The dash's slightly angled centre stack presents itself to the driver for maximum ease of use. The same goes for the centre console on which the shifter, the all-important M Chassis controls and iDrive controller are all aslant in such a way as to allow the right hand to find everything without having to pivot the wrist.
The M steering wheel, M seats, M pedals, M door sills, are all mmm mmm good. The M seats are especially noteworthy as their seemingly limitless ability to adhere to the contours of one's body make them as supremely comfortable as they are supportive.
On the kit-side of things, the M5 has everything, unless it's optional. At $101,500, the base car lacks nothing, but should more be desired, the $9,500 Executive Packages throws in the M seats and the very useful Head-Up display which are all well worth the extra few bucks.
 |
| The dash's slightly angled centre stack presents itself to the driver for maximum ease of use. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
The M road
How all the elements which make the 2012 BMW M5 an M5 come together is exceptional in some respects, and not so much in others.
The entire driving experience is somewhat marred by an odd filtered-unfiltered feeling. It's as though BMW built into the car a way to insulate the driver from the goings-on underneath only to then digitally or electronically permit portions of some of the remastered original organic sensory material back to the driver. I don't know; it felt good, but not natural.
Up front, the steering's precision and assistance are impossible to fault, however, somewhere between my hands and the tires' contact patches was a sieve that only allowed my sense to sense what it wanted me to sense.
The car's suspension with Dynamic Dampening control's work is faultless. Its stabilizing effect on the car's on-road behaviour feels electronic and calibrated to suit drivers who otherwise buy the M5 because it's the top-of-the-line 5 Series as opposed to real driving enthusiasts. The settings -- Normal, Sport and Sport+ -- allow the driver to tune the ride to taste, but even in Sport+ (reserved for the track), although highly effective, seems tweaked.
All of the available modes can be programmed and solicited through the “M” button. There are three “M” modes that can be saved for future call-ups, of which one should always have suspensions, steering and throttle/transmission response set in Sport+ -- just because.
Confidence in this car is unflappable, despite my misgivings on certain aspects. The M5's kicker points are the Active M Differential which is nothing short of magical given its control over the V8, and massive flawless disc brakes. Going fast is a given, as is coming to a full stop, all the time and every time.
 |
| All of the available modes can be programmed and solicited through the “M” button. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
An M5 to crush all others?
The F10 2012 BMW M5 casts a huge shadow over the outgoing E60 M5. Not only is the new car faster but its driving dynamics are far superior and, not that we should care, it's much better on gas. Actual numbers are not necessary...
The new M5, especially draped in Alpine White, is as beautiful to behold as it is savage to drive. There are few other cars on the road today under the quarter-million dollar price tag that have any hope to tango with this car.
In fact, at under $115,000, the M5 works out to be some kind of bargain. The Nissan GT-R is nothing but a compromise and the Jaguar XFR falls short on many levels, even though it sports a leaping leopard crest.