[Black M5]

I dont know if its just me or if there were anyone else feeling the same but im not impressed with the new M5. The looks isnt all that and no manual make it suck... Also it doesnt have the Wow factor like the e39 did. It could be just me..... : /

So i posted this poll to see how it will turn out with your opinions...

 

[SC'dKellenersM5]

The problem is, the engineering is great but its too much like a MB in the interior setup now.

I want a drivers car...not a car that you have a driver for.

 

[SACM5]

Should have dropped the whole setup in the E39 M5. IMO...

The E60 looks like a terd.

 

[howler]

I've seen this Bangle abortion up close and all I can say "it s**ks!"
The interior materials are very cheap looking and you already know the story on the exterior. Way too little for $92k.
I'll keep dumping money in my E39 until they get the next version right.
I'm trying to talk my wife into the M4 (V8-400hp) when it is introduced in 07.
At the moment she is in love with her 03 CLK 500, but I have over a year to change her mind.

 

[BmwNut]

I actually like the looks of the E60, iDrive isnt really hard to use, and the claimed performance is increadible. The sound is top notch too.
SMG is a killer for me, but if it comes in stick I will own one before my time on earth is up. Modern BMW's getting older scare me though, but I guess that is just a fact of life now.
:cheers:

 

[Jayson]

I like the smg and engine, but i just can't get into it enough and the inteior is cheap looking and feeling and is.

 

[Ingenere]

I have to say....I was quite dissappointed by the look of the new M5. I had the opportunity to drive one in Germany..........It is brilliant. As far as the SMG goes, it takes different driving style (drive it like a kart...left foot brake)....once you get that down, it is very special. I started driving the SL55 like that and I haven't found very much of anything that will keep up with it on a mountain road or the track.

As far as price goes........I think its overpriced and will depreciate like a rock!! It will make a great performance bargain in 4-5 years, like the E39. I will buy one.

 

[a_ok2me]

It's OK. I wasn't impressed with the E39 at first either. It looked out-dated from day 1. The rear quarter panel has much to do with it. The E60 definitely is not spectacular, but I admit that it looks tougher on the outside. I bet if you parked one next to an E39 M5, you can definitely notice the age on the E39, as shown on this board. Interior wise, the dash is "Cadillac"; looks like an old geiser car. Basically, Bangle's design is terrible, inside and out. Nonetheless, it's still a more fresh look than the E39. I would be more tempted to shop for an MB the next time around. I like their new look. If their new 6.2L engine turns out to be good, then the decision should be simple. To reiterate, the E60 M6 is OK.

I forgot, the E60 needs a better wheel design and they need a metallic blue color option like LMB or avus.

 

[KevinM]

Amazingly enough the E60 M5 is growing on me. The E60 body, never my favorite, looks much better with the M5's aerodynamics and large wheels. The quad exhausts don't hurt either!

Still, the interior is not to my taste and I'm still not sure about SMG vs. a true manual. That said, I drove my friend's E46 M3 competition package with SMG the other day and found it a blast. On a regular basis, I'm not sure about SMG but my mind is definately more open now.

As far as the V-10...well, nothing else needs to be said!:biggrin:

I'm very concerned about reliability of the E60 in general and god knows about the E60 M5, so I'm going to sit back for a while and enjoy my E39. But in a few years, we'll see...

P.S. I will NEVER get rid of my E39 M5, even if I buy a E60. It's my dream car, and it's worth more to me than what I purchased it for!

 

[bimmer23]

I serious do not like the look. No matter what they put on the inside. I really cannot get use to the shape at all. It is just not classic BMW as I know it. It makes me a little concerned with the future of the design. I however, love the 7 and 6 and even the new 3 but something about that 5 is just not sitting for me.

Also with any new car if you sit the old next to the new it is not hard to tell the difference but not because I have an older one but there is just something classic about the shape of the E39 as oppose to the E60 in my opinion. Again the only way I sort of like it is when it is the M because of the duak exhaust setup and slightly better wheels, other than that it does nothing for me. It also makes things easier for me when it is like $80K.

Late

 

[Ashok Arora]

I have experienced both cars first hand.

At first I thought (like most people) that the E60 was hideous. In the flesh, however, it really grows on you and when you see it next to the E39 the older car looks very dated.

Whether the interior and exterior "work" is very dependent on which colour you select. The biggest mistake BMW have made with the new M5 is offering such a poor palette of shades to choose from.

Driving the two cars is very different. I loved the way you could just think about moving in the E39 and the torque would move you effortlessly. The E39 M5 will remain a classic super-saloon for years to come.

The E60 requires a lot more input from the driver (e.g. revs) but in return it rewards you with a stellar experience. This really is the next generation of Starship and I am impressed (my run-in isn't even over yet!).

Please try out the E60 and spend some time with it before passing judgement - under that initial weirdness lurks a true M5 :thumbsup:

 

[quickenough]

I have experienced both cars first hand.

At first I thought (like most people) that the E60 was hideous. In the flesh, however, it really grows on you and when you see it next to the E39 the older car looks very dated.

Whether the interior and exterior "work" is very dependent on which colour you select. The biggest mistake BMW have made with the new M5 is offering such a poor palette of shades to choose from.

Driving the two cars is very different. I loved the way you could just think about moving in the E39 and the torque would move you effortlessly. The E39 M5 will remain a classic super-saloon for years to come.

The E60 requires a lot more input from the driver (e.g. revs) but in return it rewards you with a stellar experience. This really is the next generation of Starship and I am impressed (my run-in isn't even over yet!).

Please try out the E60 and spend some time with it before passing judgement - under that initial weirdness lurks a true M5 :thumbsup:

I had a test drive in a demo M5 a ouple of weeks ago - but only for 6 miles or so.
I was impressed by the feel of the car, the salesman wouldn't let me engage the M button or switch off the DSC.
On a roundabout the DSC cut in a bit early for me on the exit and allthough the car is very quick - it didn't feel it due to the lack of low down punch I get from my E39, it just revved and revved and revved.
I will get one though, the dealer quoted a "two years plus wait" but I cant see that materialising, and only four months after its launch there are several secondhand examples at less than list knocking around.
My bet is that this time next year a low milage car will be selling for less than £50K

Steve :hihihi:

 

[blue max]

The more I see it the less I like it.

I'm well past the point of no return.

However, I'm sure it's an excellent driving machine.

 

[Ahmed]

There is absolutely nothing special about it at the first glance! Nope, doesnt do it for me!

 

[Anglas]

I’m afraid the E39 M5 is last example of what you could truly call BMW CLASSICS. Only one thing makes me want new M5 – V10 engine and it is definitely not enough. I doubt that it will ever grow on me.

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[tranck]

It just doesn't look like a BMW to me - I don't like the new 6, OR the new 3 series either.

I do like the 7 though for whatever reason.

 

[rvacha]

Still can't get used to either the exterior or interior styling. While the E60 (and E63) may look less dated, they don't look "better" to me. Many people have expressed dislike for the headlights and Bangle Butt but I equally dislike the high belt line, which is all the rage in the auto world these days. I think it makes the cars look heavier and less sporting, almost as if everyone is trying to offer up cars that look more like "urban assault vehicles" and less like a sedan. I wish the auto makers would think of sedans as sedans, not a car crossed with an SUV (in much the same way that crossover vehicles are approached as a touring crossed with an SUV). SUV should not be the starting point for every vehicle design coming out these days. Bangle recently changed his defense of high belt lines saying they were needed to package and stylize cars containing modern high efficiency double VANOS engines. I'd say that what they need to do is re-style engines, not cars if that is the case.

I think the interiors are cold, uninviting, cheap looking and decidedly not driver oriented. Even fit & finish is a step backwards. "Luxury" is the last word I think of when describing these cars. In the past I might have been able to overlook a poor exterior design but its hard to forget how ugly it is when you are subjected to such an uninspired interior all day long.

I've never driven one so I can't speak for performance but I have 4 BMWs and they share one attribute - plan on getting to know your SA on a first name basis for the first 50K miles as they will fail in just about every way imaginable. Only after the 50K mark does reliability begin to improve - and then only in terms of mechanicals. Every single one of my cars still has unresolved software problems. I don't feel compelled to help BMW sort out more quality issues on such an expensive stylized turd.

 

[SCORPIO]

At first, I hated the bangle style. I still don't love it, but it has grown on me a bit. I don't think you can compare the body style of the new 5 with the M5 - we were looking at pics yesterday and noticing the side skirts and the front - the M5 looks more menacing.

I drove a 530, just to get a feel for the interior layout - I actually liked the car and since I will be spending most of my time on the inside of the car, that was a positive thing.

The e60 M5 will be 50/50 weight distribution instead of the 60/40 we have now in the e39 M5 - so I am looking forward to that around the track!

So let me pose another question - what if you could get the e60 M5 for $18,000 less than what is being offered today (after MSRP, taxes, etc.) - would it matter/make a difference? i.e. MSRP goes to $73k and no sales tax, no gas guzzler tax, etc.?

 

[MINENCE]

It is interesting to see that most of the negative remarks about the E60 come from the old and die-hard members (in terms of registration dates not their ages) and BMW enthusiast, which I am a memeber of the latter pack myself. I personally don’t remember such negative uproar about the E39 when it debuted. Any thoughts about that? Would or should it matter? I wonder how the younger generation of Motorsport enthusiasts thinks about the E60?

 

[gsfent]

The e60 M5 will be 50/50 weight distribution instead of the 60/40 we have now in the e39 M5 - so I am looking forward to that around the track!

Don't think that is right. If my (admitted aging) memory serves me right, it was 52/48. 60/40? You must be thinking Audi quattro!! :cheers:
Regards,
Jerry