I actually first saw this Interlagos Bavarian Beast leaving from a parking spot outside of the Pan Pacific hotel here in Vancouver. The owner was there and I complimented him on his exquisite taste in automobiles. After arranging my own accomodations at the Pan Pacific, I took off back to my car half a block away only to see Mr. M5 had parked his car right behind mine. I quickly took the opportunity to slap on a wide angle lens and take a shot of my current car next to my future car

 

wut kinda camera u used? pic quality is excellent !

 

There's a few floating in Vancouver already. I've only seen the black one driving by some old white guy..........

 

lol.........u guys act like its an enzo. there is 6 of them sittin @ my local bimmer dealer.

 

Besides, no stick = no care. The old M5s only came in stick so you had to at least be semi-cool to have one -- and if you weren't very good, you'd eat your clutch so fast that you'd probably feel like an **** and sell it anyway. So seeing one of those things on the road actually meant something.

This new M5 comes with SMG (manual version might be available later). That opens it up to being bought by people who just want a toy. The owner might be cool, but he/she might also just be some putz with an inferiority complex and lots of money.

Great car.... Really great car... But just like the big-ballin' Mercedes AMG cars, not as meaningful to see on the road as some of us might like.

 

I can appreciate that comment. My dream car is still the E39 M5 (in Sterling Grey with black sport interior :-)). I think you'll be glad to learn that a 6-spd stick driven tranny will be available in 2007 or so. With that said, I think the SMG is a good idea. Some people who use their M5 as a daily driver wouldn't want to be clutching in and out in traffic. Plus, it'll save customer's and BMW's money by not having to replace clutches so often.



I used a Canon 20D. I had to photoshop it a little bit though.

 

Yeah, with the torque and weight of that car, I can definitely see how clutch feel and wear might be an issue. At least the gearing is fairly short, which might help a little (less resistance from the gearbox in a given situation).

It'll be interesting to see how the 6-speed turns out. They had really good reasons for making the M5 and M6 SMG-only -- it allowed them to have 7 speeds (good match for a high-revving engine) in a relatively small package and to put 1st and 2nd gears in the strongest part of the housing, without having to worry about the totally weird shifter pattern that that would produce with a manual shifter. A 6-speed would likely weigh more, and could have durability issues... it'll be interesting to see how BMW pulls it off.

I'm really glad they're making it though. Apparently most of the pressure came from US dealerships who complained that a lot of potential customers were walking away when they found out that the car was SMG-only. That seriously bolsters my waning faith in humanity. And at the same time, like I said, there are some very good reasons and very clear advantages to the SMG, so I'm totally fine with it in and of itself. I just think it sucks that so many idiots and mediocre drivers will now have unfettered access to such an engineering masterpiece.

This has got me thinking of this craggly little middle-aged putz I saw at a gas station one time with a Lamborghini Murcielago. He thought it came turbocharged ("...well, if it's not turbocharged then it's supercharged") and able to hit 240 or 250 mph from the factory, he barely knew how to operate the doors and the gadgets, and his measure of how fast it was was that he "can take it up to 150 without battin' an eye" (that's like saying your Max is roomy because you can fit 4 people and a suitcase in it... true, but that doesn't quite cover it). Then when my brother and I kept knocking down all his claims and exposing his lack of understanding, he told us to "get some real literature" and read up on the facts.

Or that guy with the Gallardo E-Gear (paddle shifters, AWD, 500hp) that my brother videotaped losing a drag race to a stock '01 M5 (stick, RWD, 400hp).

Some people....

 

i wouldnt mess with that ride

 

From what I've heard it's very hard to work on the new BMWs yourself. You have to take it to the dealer for almost everything. There's even a special tool to change the oil (once again only what I've heard...) Still it is a nice car though. It's a shame that BMW think's it's costumers aren't compitent enough to do anything to their cars. (sadly most aren't though)

 

yeah that is a nice pic. those bmw's are nice too

 

I don't know that photo looks photoshopped. The bimmer looks too sparkling to actually be present in that shot. Also, if you guys look at the background buildings. They are all cartooned for some reason...

 

The reason it's sparkling is because I photoshopped it to make it look better (the fact that it was new also helped out substantially). Here's what it would've looked like if I posted it unedited. Pictures from DSLR's always require post processing.

 

Wow! *drooling uncontrollably over computer screen* That car is flawless IMO!!! I always hear that there are lots of rich people in BC!

 

nice pictures

 

Nice... Yeah, the fact that the car looked so perfect in that shot threw me off there. That is a really professional looking shot, what kind of camera are you using?

 

Like he stated earlier......

 

I've driven it when I valeted. It's fast even with the 400 HP setting

 

i also valet in the hamptons long island,ny. i would drop my max quick for that car.

 

I still like the old m5's better.

 

The new M5 is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

 

Yea most of the things that go wrong with BMWs requires you to take it to the dealer. The new M5s oil changes are quite difficult, as you have to remove most of the plastic on the bottom and then use a special tool to open up the oil filter housing. I can tell you that those cars are awesome looking from underneath especially with all the coverings off.

(I work at a BMW dealership BTW)

 

i've yet to see a new M5 on the road...might take a ride past the dealer and see if they have any in

 

There's a blue one that's been bombing around the suburbs just west of Philly. It's kinda neat.

Nothing like the black Porsche Carrera GT, though.

 

thats a nice car how much do they go for yo know?

 

About 80-90K+

 

...and from what I hear, the waiting list is about 2 years for one....

 

The cheapest one I have seen through the dealership I work at is $90k. I have also seen them going for $120k and even more. The waiting list is quite large, unless you come upon one that somebody bought just to re-sell.... your chances of finding one are very slim.

 

here they are $130k CAD. $90k USD sounds a lot cheaper considering the exchange rate

 

someone above said that you dont wanna burn the clutch, but the smg has two clutches. thats why the smg shifts so fast, .3 sec upshift and .5 downshift. i dunno if you guys have ever heard of the Chrysler design your dream car competinion for high school kids, but i placed 8th in the comp last year. we had a hybrid v8 wiht ~psi of boost for 430 hp 470 ft lbs. 2750 lbs total and awd. could also have 4cyl mode and get 50+ mpg. it woulda been a beast. it had a smg too, thats why i know about it.

 

Incorrect.

Audi's DSG system is the one with two clutches.

BMW's SMG gearboxes are just like manuals -- i.e. single clutches, traditional-style gearboxes (although the one on the M5 is a little funny). They just have computer-controlled electrohydraulics to actuate the clutch and select the gears. The version on the M5 is able to knock off shifts in as little as 50 milliseconds (0.05 sec).

 

wow,I'm really liking the mags...
so sick looking

 

This is correct. BMWs SMGs have always been a manual adapted to have the computer control it. The M5s tranny is the first from the bottom up SMG built transmission. Its built stronger with the first and second gear placed at the strongest parts of the case. They say a human couldnt understand the shift pattern.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Unfortunately, I have seen quite a few middle aged women driving E39 M5s, and that has detracted from these feelings a bit. I was also admiring a black B5 S4 when a woman in her late 30s/early 40s chirps the alarm and starts getting in. I commented and, gritting my teeth, asked if it's stick or auto since I hadn't had enough time to look, and she replies with "stick, of course!" and acts like I'm crazy for even asking. Is it just me or are middle aged broads getting a little cooler..?

 

She was probably a B!tch at 20, and now she's just an older B!tch...

What changes do you think will happen to you in you 30's or 40's???

I actually feel I'm going backwards in age, plus more money, more fun...

 

I'm right with you there. Maybe the daughters of men with muscle cars on the eve of the energy crisis are just growing up and expressing their fathers' angst that the age of unrestrained speed came to such a brutal end.

Or maybe the rich have finally run out of ways to put themselves above each other.

All I'm saying is, it's practically impossible to be a *total* idiot and drive an earlier-model M5. You could still be a bit of a jacka$$, but you can't be the kind of unsalvageably shallow moron that WILL be buying the new M5 as a ***** extension.

The only kind of fool who could really have a go-fast car with a stick is the kind of person who thinks that's all they need to deserve respect as the driver of a fine car. But at least they have some skill and sense of involvement with the car.

 

At 30, I'll have an M3. At 40, I'll have an M5.
If this means I will have no house, so be it. I'll invest in a garage instead.

You used to be able to weed out the posers and idiots by who had an auto. Some guy was trying to mack on my girlfriend and told her that a Z32TT auto was "faster" than a Z32TT 5sp (he has a modded Z32TT auto, 'rents bought it for him). She came to me, puzzled, we had a good laugh at him, and long story short, my girlfriend now knows more about cars than this douche. I still just wish I could get a 3.5 swap, roll up on him and then leave him in my dust with a family sedan that in total cost less than his did stock.

I still think it's a good judge of someone, but not as much any more. There are still some morons out there who drive stick. It takes a little gouge from my heart every time I meet one.

 

I know its sad... But this is the exact way I think. It really wouldnt bother me to live in a sad house if my car was awesome. I LOVE to drive and think BMW does it the greatest. I know that my next car will definetly be a BMW. Thats why I work for them, Gets me in early without even paying for the car.

 

Your thinking is right up their with your age group, (sporadic thinking). Gee, live in a sad house will probably mean you'll be living in a sad neighborhood. Let's see how many people in your low income or deprived area will be respecting your fly ride as much as you do. God forbid you get married and have a kid(s). Ah fu%ck it, sh!tty house, no milk, diapers, looking hungry, at least you’ll look good when your rollin…

 

I know that it might change eventually. But its still nice to have dreams isnt it? Maybe if I work hard enough with school, I may end up like one of the customers that has car seats in the back of their M cars???

BTW although BMW is a big status thing, I love the car because it drives... And maybe to show that I work hard

 

Dude, we all have dreams, and trust me they’re cool. Since I was raised in the inner city, I can pretty much tell people who have some success in their life and others who don't. I've seen too many wannabe rollers, pimpin in Caddies, Mercedes, BMW's etc. too broke to do anything but cruise and parking their fly rides on the ghetto streets or broke a$$ houses.

It is NOT about the look; it's about succeeding after knowing you have worked hard to achieve something. I'm not rich and did not come close to being raised in a family that came from money. I do have one claim to fame; my fly ride has a fly driveway in a safe neighborhood with a nice house sitting on it with my wonderful family inside. Get your priorities straight now and your success will come a lot faster...

It’s not about the car; it’s more about the man behind the wheel. Never get that turned around…

Good Luck...