The best saloon car in the World is here, BMW’s €134,850 ‘M5’, writes Michael Sheridan. With 507bhp on tap, the 5-litre Munich Saloon has more pulling power than Daniel O’Donnell at a retirement home.
I guarantee this car will have you signing up to track days and driving holidays in Germany just so you can legally explore the car’s incredible ability. The engineering and attention to detail that has gone into this super saloon is simply phenomenal.
Just look at the numbers: Top speed is limited to 250Km/h (155mph) but derestricted the M5 can do 330Km/h (205mph)! The massive race bred brakes can bring the flagship 5 Series to a dead stop from 100Km/h in just 26 metres.
The 7-speed SMG (sequential manual gearbox) changes gears far quicker than any human could enabling a 4.7 second sprint to 100 Km/h. 520Nm of torque is a figure lorry drivers dream of but it is reality in the sensible five-seater M5.
The age old question of where can you use all that power responsibly in Ireland is valid. True in the wrong hands this power will absolutely corrupt (insert your own ‘politicians’ gag here) but when it comes to safe overtaking this car delivers.
Sudden changes in direction are safely achieved while at legal speeds the M5 is so unstressed it barely seems to be ticking over. You can let the car shift the gears for you using ‘D’ or ‘S’ automatic settings but enthusiasts will fine the steering column mounted paddle shifts ideal. Your left hand shifts down and the right manages the up shifts. Like all SMGs there is a beautiful throttle blip on downshifts that sounds particularly nice out of the four-pipe exhaust.
The array of standard electronic driver aids turn what could be a very hairy driving experience for those unused to 500 + horsepower into a calm and predictable drive.
The M5 can sort out deliberate changes in direction from the accidental ones and keep you on track. In the wet the M5 even dries its brakes and if you lift off the accelerator suddenly it will put 3 bar of pressure into the brake system so they’ll work lightning fast when you press the pedal. The driver aids can be switched off if you want a more hardcore experience but believe me they are best left on.
My favourite button is ‘M’ found on the steering boss. When pressed it carries out a number of instructions that you have pre selected like boosting the power from the default 400bhp (on start up) to 507bhp while adjusting the ride stiffness and gear change speed.
Honestly this car is a technological tour de force and an anorak’s dream - I am half thinking of setting up night classes in it. Petrol heads love cylinders and up until now most could only aspire to eight but the award winning V10 is truly the mother of all engines.
The only downside to ownership apart from keeping it safe is fueling it. If you run an M5 expect to get Christmas cards from every petrol station in the country (365 days of the year) as the car devours petrol when used with intent.
Other than that it is serious grins all the way so if you have an M5 ordered may I use an old Monty Python catch phrase “You lucky, lucky B******!
- Michael Sheridan
