Παράθεση:
Collected the car last Friday evening at the M dealership (Munich Automobiles Singapore) and have given it a good 3 days of running-in since. As I have never driven the E60 M5, I can't really offer any meaningful comparison of the 2, but I am comparing it with my E92 M3 DCT ZCP. My photography talent is about as plentiful as there are F10 M5s on the road now. Please bear with those that I can come up with. Here's my brief review of the car:
Power: This dept will not get touched on too much as I am sticking religiously to the run-in limit. I mostly play around the 2-4k rpm range. Despite that, the car has enough power to lose me my license real quickly even at part throttle. I drove their test drive car this morning, which has completed its run-in interval and boy was I amazed at the power!! The car felt different somehow. It's more willing to rev and seemingly more vocal. At least with the M5, the run-in period is quite satisfying. I hated driving the M3 during the same period as that car is unspectacular in those range. The M5's wide and punchy torque band means you pick up speed rapidly without the usual manic action in the tacho of the M3. It's said that the car comes with 10 radiators or something and you can hear the cooling mechanism working even after you shut down the car. There is a low audible motor pumping sound telling you that the coolants are being circulated. That's reassuring to know.
Sound: Not much to be had at this point due to part throttle application and 2-4k rpm range. More on this after run-in.
Gearbox: Super smooth shifting and a lack of humping jerk, which I always get when moving off in the M3 with uncommitted throttle application. Set it at Sports for the most part at least until run-in.
Steering: This is the part that I was most curious about as I did not test drive the car before ordering. It did not take me long to decide that Sport-Plus is the setting for me under any situation and the other 2 settings will never see the light of day henceforth. The online review from TopGear is the most accurate that I have read so far concerning the steering. In Sport-Plus mode, the steering is weighted just nice. I won't call it heavy at all. In fact, it still feels lighter than my previous 135i. That makes wonder why MotorTrend said the Sport-Plus setting is like: "trying to twist a paddle in a barrel of molasses." Whoever wrote that probably weighs 50lbs and has tiny arms. Anyway, the steering has less vagueness off centre compared to my M3, but a loaded M3 steering still has more feel. The M5's steering never rivals the M3 in feel/feedback. However, the steering is pin-sharp accurate and responsive. Overall, I would say the steering feel suits the car just fine.
Handling: It's quite creepy driving the M5. All that visual bulk seem to disappear into thin air the moment you get behind the wheel. Looking at the M3 and M5 side by side, the M5 looks almost like a mother ship to the M3. It's so much bigger, it's ridiculous. Yet, it shrinks around you and never felt ponderous on the road. I cannot emphasize this enough! Even at Sports-Plus setting, the suspension still feels more comfortable than the M3 in Comfort. My setting of choice in this case is Sports. Sport-Plus just seem to take the perfect balance of ride/handling away from the car. I do not feel the weight of the car at all and only become conscious of its size when manoeuvring in tight spaces or when parking. I will never take the car to the track, so the weight should not be a bother for me.
The grip level of the car is astounding! It tackles high speed cornering with unflappable poise and feels superior to the M3 in this regard. The lack of drama in this dept is going to make some feel that the car is boring, but it's anything but boring. It's just so well sorted and planted. It's no wonder the M5 is doing faster lap times than even the 1M in some circuits despite the heft and weight. The longer and wider wheelbase has something to do with it I believe.
Looks: You can decide for yourselves, but I am sold on the looks. In my opinion, the car looks good from almost every angle except when viewed directly from the front. There is not much that sets it apart from the series cars apart from the front bumper in that angle.
Interior: Excellent build quality and design. I drove the M5 home and then climbed onboard the M3 to shift the car. I never thought I would feel this way, but the M5's interior made the M3's seem almost low rent. I guess there is too much black in the M3 with those carbon trim and black interior. I like the paddle shifters on the M5 a lot more. It has a softer, more tactile feel to the click compared to the M3's paddles, which I hated for its overly stiff action without any satisfying click. The gear knob on the other hand, feels lesser than the M3's. There is this annoying clack whenever you shift it to 'R' and back. It's almost as if the gear lever is hitting the gear housing. More rubber insulation wouldn't hurt.
Conclusion: Absolutely no regrets in ordering the car without even test driving it. I am sure I will have more fun after run-in. Am I keeping the M3? I am not decided at this point. I will be doing more back-to-back driving of the 2 cars in the days ahead.
