One really good review.. ![[thumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumb.gif "Thumbs Up [thumb]")
http://www.topgear.com/jsp/individu...esc=BMW&rDesc=5 Series&roadTestNumber=28.html
http://www.topgear.com/jsp/individu...esc=BMW&rDesc=5 Series&roadTestNumber=28.html
M5 review by Top Gear
- Thread starter Militant-Grunt
- Start date
The M5 seems to have lost its soul. That's what happens when they glaze it with electronics and computers which never know better than an accomplished driver would.
WTF is the point of having a power choice in an M5. Just give me the full 507BHP at all times, i'm no retard. And give me a manual option so that a real driver can drive a real car, not a Playstation.
WTF is the point of having a power choice in an M5. Just give me the full 507BHP at all times, i'm no retard. And give me a manual option so that a real driver can drive a real car, not a Playstation.
Unfortunately, though i agree with you whole heartedly, this overwhelming introduction of new and more restrictive driver aids will be the way of the future. BMW have to keep up with all the technologies offered in a 200k+ car of any other manufacturer, and to do so much of the 'drivers car' image of a high performance BMW will go with it.
For we 'enthusiasts' this is a crying shame, but if BMW want to remain a successful car manufacturer, unfortunately it does have to give in to the average consumers expectations.
In saying this, a 400bhp/507bhp button is complete and utter idiocy, and perhaps never before has there been such a rediculous gimmick in a BMW.
For we 'enthusiasts' this is a crying shame, but if BMW want to remain a successful car manufacturer, unfortunately it does have to give in to the average consumers expectations.
In saying this, a 400bhp/507bhp button is complete and utter idiocy, and perhaps never before has there been such a rediculous gimmick in a BMW.
Trev, I totally agree with you when you say that BMW needs to be seen to have a technological advantage over their competitors and i understand that you can't halt the advancement of technology. BUT i have a serious problem with the new BMW philosophy regarding what they perceive as aiding the 'enthusiast' in his/her driving. This excerpt i got from bmwm5.com highlights exectly what I'm on about in an interview with the boss of ///M, Mr Bruhnke:
Realizing that he was in a hurry I complimented him and BMW M for doing a great job with the M5 and I told him I would only ask him one question: why no manual gearbox? Mr Bruhnke's answer was that the first priority was to change gears fast, and the SMGIII will surpass any manual gearshifts. He also said that you can handle the SMGIII as a manual, shifting from the console.
Then I explained that some customers still want a clutch and complete control over it in a traditional way. But Mr Bruhnke told me that shifting optimally at 8300 rpms with manual gearbox will not always be 100% correct, you have the comfort with the SMGIII to shift with both hands on the wheel, you can use it in automatic mode and also the M5 would have had less power if a manual was offered. A manual would not have been impossible, everything is possible but for a cost. And that cost would not have made sense since the car was developed from the ground and up to have the markets best sequential gearbox, as close as Formula One without having to change it every week as the F1-cars do.
Now shifting gears perfectly every time is not the F***ING point! I don't understand why they repeatedly say things like this. It's as meaningless to me as the cornering loads a car can pull on a skidpan. SO F***ING WHAT! It says nothing about how a car communicates with you. Driving enjoyment is when you nail that perfect gearshift or when your double-clutching is as smooth as silk. The challenge of doing this is half the enjoyment. Who cares if you can get a computer-perfect gearshift every time when all you do is pull a goddamn paddle!? Where's the challenge in that? The M5 is supposed to be a drivers car so why not give us one.
Sabine Kehm (the Ring-Taxi chick) even noted how the E39 M5 was a "lot less sporty than the E34". No arguments there. It gained weight and gizmos. But the driver involvement/enjoyment took another hit. The E60 seems to be a continuation of this BMW-wide trend where the idiots who run the company think electronics are the gateway to 'sheer driving pleasure'. Please, spare me the bullshit!
And that's all i have to say about that otherwise my computer screen will end up out the window.![[chair]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_chairshot.gif "Chair Shot [chair]")
Realizing that he was in a hurry I complimented him and BMW M for doing a great job with the M5 and I told him I would only ask him one question: why no manual gearbox? Mr Bruhnke's answer was that the first priority was to change gears fast, and the SMGIII will surpass any manual gearshifts. He also said that you can handle the SMGIII as a manual, shifting from the console.
Then I explained that some customers still want a clutch and complete control over it in a traditional way. But Mr Bruhnke told me that shifting optimally at 8300 rpms with manual gearbox will not always be 100% correct, you have the comfort with the SMGIII to shift with both hands on the wheel, you can use it in automatic mode and also the M5 would have had less power if a manual was offered. A manual would not have been impossible, everything is possible but for a cost. And that cost would not have made sense since the car was developed from the ground and up to have the markets best sequential gearbox, as close as Formula One without having to change it every week as the F1-cars do.
Now shifting gears perfectly every time is not the F***ING point! I don't understand why they repeatedly say things like this. It's as meaningless to me as the cornering loads a car can pull on a skidpan. SO F***ING WHAT! It says nothing about how a car communicates with you. Driving enjoyment is when you nail that perfect gearshift or when your double-clutching is as smooth as silk. The challenge of doing this is half the enjoyment. Who cares if you can get a computer-perfect gearshift every time when all you do is pull a goddamn paddle!? Where's the challenge in that? The M5 is supposed to be a drivers car so why not give us one.
Sabine Kehm (the Ring-Taxi chick) even noted how the E39 M5 was a "lot less sporty than the E34". No arguments there. It gained weight and gizmos. But the driver involvement/enjoyment took another hit. The E60 seems to be a continuation of this BMW-wide trend where the idiots who run the company think electronics are the gateway to 'sheer driving pleasure'. Please, spare me the bullshit!
And that's all i have to say about that otherwise my computer screen will end up out the window.
Pete, you are 100% correct, and there is no doubt in my mind that if it were up to most members of this forum, the new M5 would have been designed with an entirely different intention.
As drivers we are becoming further and further removed from the driving experience, and if manufacturers keep heading down this path, things are only going to get worse.
Maybe we should head off to Munich and give the engineers a few of these![[B)]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_blackeye.gif "Black Eye [B)]")
!
As drivers we are becoming further and further removed from the driving experience, and if manufacturers keep heading down this path, things are only going to get worse.
Maybe we should head off to Munich and give the engineers a few of these
!![[mad]](/images/smilies/mad.png "Mad [mad]")
![[spank]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_spank.gif "Spank [spank]"){kind=icon}
![[bash]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_bash.gif "Bash [bash]"){kind=icon}
