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Test drive: BMW M5 Touring

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© Motorlegend

© Motorlegend

The exterior of the discreet looking M5 Touring stands out for its magnificent wheels, its M logos on the side air intakes and its quad tailpipes. It also has a superb little 3-spoke steering wheel stamped with the logo with matching topstitching in red and blue, the Motorsport colours that are also to be found on the door sills and rev counter, at 8,200 rpm in the red zone. Control buttons for the power output settings, EDC (Electronic Damper Control) and to disengage the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) are gathered around the gearbox control.

 

Supreme on the road, the M5 Touring proves highly civilised with the V10 operating at 1,500 rpm in 7th without fuss, despite the somewhat half-hearted SMG gearbox. For the time being, the M5 Touring will keep the Mercedes E 63 AMG in check but should evolve to compete with Audi’s new 580 hp RS6 Avant...

© Motorlegend

At the wheel

Driving a car whose engine has graced Formula One single-seaters is not something you do everyday. With the new M5 Saloon and Touring models, BMW has turned a corner by swapping the V8 for a V10 exceeding 500 hp. An output intended more to fire the imagination, since its use on the road remains problematical. From the first mile or so, the smooth, husky noise tells you that the slightest pressure exerted by your right foot will trigger a veritable tsunami. Somewhat mediocre in automatic use, the 7-speed robotised SMG gearbox demands attention, offering dual controls, gear stick or paddles behind the steering wheel (+ on the right to change up, - on the left to change down). The gear shifting is worthy of an F1, and gearchange speeds can also be adjusted.

 

As soon as the traffic thins out, you are sorely tempted to play as if on a game console with these paddles that regulate the V10’s extraordinary potential. However, woe betide the driver who wants to reach 8,000 rpm in the first 3 or 4 gears because they will already have exceeded the speed limits by a long way, with passengers and driver alike not really being aware of the situation, on account of the high level of soundproofing and comfort (if the EDC is in the appropriate position). Even on a bumpy secondary road, the road holding of the M5 Touring requires few corrections at the wheel, since the steering is one of the best on the market, and in any event superior to that of a Lamborghini or Ferrari. The Touring reacts like the saloon, with unexpected ease and precision for a vehicle of this weight and size – the result of an aluminium chassis, the M Dynamic mode and a variable M differential lock.

 

The only cloud on the horizon is the braking system. Deceleration certainly seems to be on a par with performance, but the noise is unpleasant and a curious sensation on the pedal reflects a purely relative endurance of the floating caliper system. On the racing circuit, a carbon-ceramic brake system seems essential, but BMW is not even offering it as an option.

 

For the rest, the brilliantly equipped M5 Touring (including Head-up Display) will impress the most blasé drivers with its versatility and ease of use on a day-to-day basis, if one disregards the jolts generated by the SMG gearbox in automatic mode. Bearing in mind the fact that the majority of customers don’t want to go speeding around racing tracks, an automatic gearbox should be available as an option.

© Motorlegend

Our opinion

The offer of a real estate boasting the performance of a Dodge Viper or Ferrari Scaglietti, with a good level of comfort and cocoon-like ambience, is not common. A veritable technological showcase for the benefit of sportiness, the politically very incorrect M5 has a duty to exist to face up to the corresponding Mercedes and Audi models, with Audi placing the bar even higher with the new RS6 Avant. This never-ending one-upmanship in the power output stakes that Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche and a few others are logically involved in may seem outdated, or even shocking. Driven by the new fortunes that are on the increase in the emerging countries but also in China, Russia and elsewhere, the micro-market of sports cars and high-class GTs makes it possible, through its excess, for technology to evolve, particularly in the field of fuel consumption and polluting emissions. Drastic – and inevitable – progress is expected, since all the specialist manufacturers are thinking about other ways of powering vehicles, starting with hybrid solutions. In the meantime, the M5 Touring is an enthusiasts’ car that one can still treat oneself to and drive on a circuit. Let’s savour this privilege.

 

Strong points

Spectacular V10, performance, handling, steering, relative comfort, on-board technology, versatility of use.

 

Weak points

Brake system lacks bite, no ceramic brake option, mind-boggling fuel consumption (25.8l without any effort!), too many possible settings, disappointing SMG gearbox, no optional automatic gearbox.