Style: September 07, 2018

108 Style | motoring
MIGHTY M5
BMW’s high-performance sedan combines fashion and fury.
Words Ross Kiddie
Combing beauty and brawn in a motor vehicle is what
some manufacturers do very well – take the legendary
supercars Ferrari and Lamborghini for example. However,
what those cars don’t have is practicality. They look
spectacular and have performance to match, but they won’t
take the family across the city, or anywhere for that matter;
they lack functionality.
Enter BMW’s M5. It’s a wild exaggeration to call it a
supercar, but with its macho style and aggressive detailing,
it looks a million dollars and is one of the fastest cars I’ve
ever had the privilege of driving. With its four-door, five-seat
layout, the M5 has practicality in doses.
Quite obviously, the M5 is an extension of the 5-Series
and is true to the M concept, BMW’s performance arm.
Under the bonnet sits a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8
engine. Its power outputs are phenomenal. BMW claims
441kW and a whopping 750Nm of torque; the latter is
significant, it is developed low in the rev band at 1800rpm,
and is responsible for producing a possible 3.4sec time to
reach 100km/h from a standstill. Some industry analysts
are suggesting the M5 is the quickest accelerating BMW
road car.
All that aside, the engine always seems understated; even
with the exhaust settings on its loudest option the M5 is not
a car that blasts the senses. It is fast, but it doesn’t seem so.
There is a subdued bark out the tailpipes when the engine is
really working hard, but it doesn’t backfire like a cannon like
some other German cars.
The engine does have a characteristic V8 howl and growl,
but you do have to listen intently, it rumbles quietly in the
background, and its refinement is almost uncharacteristic
given the fury it can unleash.
The driver needn’t be concerned by the massive power
outputs. The M5 is so well engineered, it puts power down
purposely through an eight-speed automatic transmission
to all four wheels. Even though power is biased towards
the rear, any thought of breaking traction and wild power
oversteer needn’t be considered, the M5 squats and delivers
with unsurpassed grip and drive. Drive to the front can be
disengaged through dynamic drive settings, but I really don’t
know why you would want to do that.
On the tight backroads the M5 steers with absolute
precision and accuracy that is pin-sharp. The steering is
well weighted and can be strengthened through selectable
settings – in fact, the entire car can be adjusted to suit any
driving style or preference. There are sport suspension
settings and power modes that can be customised for any
journey. To be fair, the M5 is a little complicated in that
respect, there are buttons and functions galore, and I guess
that is what performance car buyers want; if you are paying
$200k for a performance car then you want all the bells and
whistles, and the M5 doesn’t disappoint.
As fast as the M5 goes in a straight line, so does it stop.
Huge M-brand brakes are included, and with a substantially
strong pedal the M5 has retardation that quickly generates
G-forces. That is something the driver needs to be aware
of: such is the acceleration, speed and the cornering force it
develops, there is a lot of in-cabin force ensuring the senses
are constantly elevated. That’s not saying it’s uncomfortable,
given the technology within the vehicle and the platform
on which it sits there is comfort in abundance; even in the
settings where the dampers are at their firmest, the M5
is compliant and is far from a handful on Christchurch’s
broken roads.