[FAST 5]

I just got my copy today. Its an impressive article and well written. Has anyone else read it? Your thoughts on this. :cheers:

 

[RobertV]

For some reason I got mine two days ago.

This is the first time I got mine early.
I wish the article was a bit longer.
Interesting that Steve was surprised that the active sway bars were not part of the M5....anyone know why we will not get these? Do they not fit the M way of life?
I love the picture of the engine parts (I thought it was odd that the rubber gasket is a out of the channel on the throttle body, since they are BMW pics.) It would be fun to drive along with Steve in the M5.....love the way he described the drag race part!!!
Everything I read, makes we want the car more. I do have a deposit on one and it may be between the M5 and a C4S (like the awd in NY), but the M5 sure feels like it is in another class.
Good to hear that he likes the SMG, was one concern of mine.

 

[MEnthusiast]

I don't know why- but I can speculate: weight, and maybe power loss due to system demands, and finally, maybe packaging issues?

I personally was disappointed that Steve Dinan was chosen to write the article. I do not trust him and I think he has an even more vested interest than Roundel to skew his opinion on any car he could offer parts for (eg- they have to sell so he can mod them!). I don't know if he has written for Roundel before, but I think it is a very questionable choice. I just knew he would end the article with something like- now its time to do the Dinan special on the car and wouldn't you know it- he ended it that way.

 

[Ilya Zverev]

I don't know why- but I can speculate: weight, and maybe power loss due to system demands, and finally, maybe packaging issues?

I personally was disappointed that Steve Dinan was chosen to write the article. I do not trust him and I think he has an even more vested interest than Roundel to skew his opinion on any car he could offer parts for (eg- they have to sell so he can mod them!). I don't know if he has written for Roundel before, but I think it is a very questionable choice. I just knew he would end the article with something like- now its time to do the Dinan special on the car and wouldn't you know it- he ended it that way.

I agree - every review I read so far gives a very vague picture of the car... they all remind me of a marketing effort rather then the driver's prospective...
May be they haven't spend enough time with the car? But as a rule 90 % of the article describes the gizzmos, 5% the event and maybe 5% - driving impressions.
I want to know:
How bad is the understeer? What is the camber in the front? Can we put wider wheels in the front?
How is the torque feeling below 4K RPM? (is it really M3 like)
How bad are the brakes? pad fading or rotor overheating? any brake ducts? Open or closed?
Does S6 mode feel as brutal as in M3SMG and upsets the rear on the track while banning the shifts?
Cold start issues?
M DSC - is it really working or is it just another marketing gizmo (will it letyou slide or is it just dummed down e39 DSC)
How balanced is the car? Can you slide it around the skidpad as easy as e39?

Now about the suspension. I Drove 545 6sp for 2 days and tried to like it.. But I couldn't. The car feels huge and heavy. Acteeve steering - a disaster.. (No feel what so ever, heavy braking and turning for ramps or on track - not working).

Brakes - very mushy.. work for first 5 heavy braking applications and ..buy buy... Not like e39 M5 pad fade..It felt different.. the pedal wasn't ever as firm and kept getting softer and softer)
Active Roll - very tricky - The car loads in the corner like the wound up spring.. you don't feel the roll but know it's there - and all of a sudden it snaps - unloads all the energy and spins the car.. very difficult to catch.
The car won't slide very easy - the inside wheel just keeps spinning and nothing happens

I was so happy to get back into e39 and exit that deler lot sideways.. My God it felt like a glove that jsut fits, the car telepathically listens to your brain and every input.. 545 felt like a Mercedes.. big, lazy and overgizzmoed

 

[Gop-Dogg]

Re: For some reason I got mine two days ago.

Interesting that Steve was surprised that the active sway bars were not part of the M5....anyone know why we will not get these? Do they not fit the M way of life?

According to some early articles, BMW swore off the active crap for the M5 since it took away quite a bit of feel (don't fit the M way of life, as you put it). I'm glad they made that decision. I also have a suspicion that the Active Swaybars wouldn't work well with the EDC system.

 

[Enigma]

Re: For some reason I got mine two days ago.

According to some early articles, BMW swore off the active crap for the M5 since it took away quite a bit of feel (don't fit the M way of life, as you put it). I'm glad they made that decision. I also have a suspicion that the Active Swaybars wouldn't work well with the EDC system.

Active sway bars could have worked just fine with EDC. After all thats little more than just selecting diffrent shock settings. I was disapointed when I heard this and active steering didn't make it on the M5.

 

[vndkshn]

I agree on ARS.... unless it is really heavy. I have not noticed any ill effects from the system at all.

AS... I am not sure. It felt kinda numb and overboosted at parking lot speeds, but once it switched into the higher speed settings I didn't have an issue with it. It didn't seem that much worse than the steering in the e39. The only part I didn't like was how light it was a slow speeds... with the quicker ratio, I almost jumped curbs in it.

 

[bernhtp]

It's been a while since I've had my 545 but I liked AS. I did not mind it being numb at low speed as this is not where you need really good feel. I let me make super fast low-speed turns without phrenetic hand shuffling or crossing. I appreciate that its rough edges may not be right for an M car, but I hope they continue to develop the technology for the sporting application.

Tom

 

[MEnthusiast]

I know a few people who think AS is a big help for dealing with NYC traffic: tight spaces, easy to turn. They have to address the changing ratios during a turn issue. This is probably 100% software controllable so I do not see much issue. As to feel, that is something they should only address mechanically. I hope they continue to develop it too. There is potential there.

 

[Enigma]

I finally got my copy. His comments about the active sway bars were right on target. I hope BMW hasn't backed away from this technology and instead continues to refine it for a future M car.

 

[M5_2010]

I would pass on the Active steering.... It works fine at higher speeds but feels awful in the city.... The original e39 steering was magical.
ARS is OK...but the sport suspension is way too stiff. Changing the run flats did help... Skip the sport suspension (AS and ARS) and invest on getting regular tires... I do like the SMG.

 

[bernhtp]

The original e39 steering was magical.

Maybe another M word like mushy, but certainly not magical. The steering of the E39 M5 was among its few weak points. Another was the excessive body lean and that's why I looked forward to ARS on the M5, but if they managed to do it with a stiffer suspension and EDC, that's fine too.

Tom

 

[Enigma]

Maybe another M word like mushy, but certainly not magical. The steering of the E39 M5 was among its few weak points. Another was the excessive body lean and that's why I looked forward to ARS on the M5, but if they managed to do it with a stiffer suspension and EDC, that's fine too.

Tom

I am wondering if they put in very stiff springs and bars in the E60 and soft shocks by default. Normally you need to tune the two to go together but while the car is not being thrown around at the limit, underdamped would be just fine and produce a much nicer ride. Shocks dictate most of the ride of a car, not the springs. With EDC they could then dynamically adjust the shocks up to the correct stiffness for the rest of the suspension as needed. Just a guess...