For me, shifting is half the fun. You are ALWAYS in the gear you want to be. But don't worry - the M5 has so much torque that you can start in second and stay there all around town. Not that I recommend this, but you really can minimize shifting if you want to this way. You can actually make a reasonable rolling stop down to a few MPH in 2nd and move on out without ever depressing the clutch.
The reason most people choose the M5 is because they WANT to be heavily involved in the driving experience, and the M5 rewards that involvement like no other car. I can't tell you how you will like it - if you really think you want an automatic with similar performance, get a Mercedes E55 instead.
The reason most people choose the M5 is because they WANT to be heavily involved in the driving experience, and the M5 rewards that involvement like no other car. I can't tell you how you will like it - if you really think you want an automatic with similar performance, get a Mercedes E55 instead.