stream
11-04-2005, 10:51 AM
My dealer got their M5 demo (that's right--an M5 demo! :) ) and I took it for a nice, long test drive yesterday. What a fantastic car! Naturally I didn't push it to the limit since it's in the break in period, but even so it was abundantly clear that this was one awesome car.
The exhaust note is very subdued when idling, and howls under acceleration. Great handling, terrific acceleration--it's very easy to go too fast in that car! It had the ventilated seats, and the rear side bolsters are nice and pronounced (and the active feature is great), but the bolsters in the seat bottom weren't as deeply cut as the sport seats in my 545i, for example, or the M multifunction sport seats in the brochure. They were very comfortable, but I prefer the non-ventilated sport seats since I like more deeply cut bolsters.
I spent a good amount of time seeing how SMG was, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Much, much, much better than the SMG I've driven in an M3 or 545i. Totally different. My fears of it being jerky are allayed. Driving in S5 and slightly lifting with each gear change, it was every bit as smooth as a traditional manual trans, and I didn't find the gear changes to be too slow, as some have commented. Certainly not instantaneous, but very much on par with a conventional manual. I even tried shifting without feathering the throttle and while not as smooth as when feathering, I really didn't find it objectionable--actually felt pretty sporty. In the interest of thoroughness, I even parallel parked twice--once while on an incline--and it was very smooth. I drove in stop and go traffic with no issues, and even drove in D5 for 5 minutes just to see what it was like, and with some judicious throttle feathering it was more than acceptable in shifting smoothness. Not an auto trans, but very acceptable. When in S mode I primarily paddle shifted, but also drove a few minutes shifting with the lever, which seems like it will be good for those times when we long time stick drivers go through withdrawals ;) . The drive lasted about an hour original.gif and I must say that after trying all the ways that I was concerned SMG wouldn't be comfortable, I give SMGIII 2 thumbs up. :thumbup: :thumbup:
The full leather interior, will all the exposed stitching, really makes it feel like a different car inside than my 545i, and the steering wheel is nice and beefy. When I got into my car to drive home, it felt like it was missing a few cylinders--I guess that would be 2...and 175 or so HP ;) ! I've never felt my car lacked power, but for the first half of the drive home, it just didn't seem as peppy as it usually does--of course, not a fair comparison!
For those in the bay area, the dealer is East Bay BMW in Pleasanton, and they sell at MSRP. Ask for Helen Akkawi (888-216-9269) and tell her Russ referred you. Needless to say, I have no interest other than to refer fellow enthusiasts.
The exhaust note is very subdued when idling, and howls under acceleration. Great handling, terrific acceleration--it's very easy to go too fast in that car! It had the ventilated seats, and the rear side bolsters are nice and pronounced (and the active feature is great), but the bolsters in the seat bottom weren't as deeply cut as the sport seats in my 545i, for example, or the M multifunction sport seats in the brochure. They were very comfortable, but I prefer the non-ventilated sport seats since I like more deeply cut bolsters.
I spent a good amount of time seeing how SMG was, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Much, much, much better than the SMG I've driven in an M3 or 545i. Totally different. My fears of it being jerky are allayed. Driving in S5 and slightly lifting with each gear change, it was every bit as smooth as a traditional manual trans, and I didn't find the gear changes to be too slow, as some have commented. Certainly not instantaneous, but very much on par with a conventional manual. I even tried shifting without feathering the throttle and while not as smooth as when feathering, I really didn't find it objectionable--actually felt pretty sporty. In the interest of thoroughness, I even parallel parked twice--once while on an incline--and it was very smooth. I drove in stop and go traffic with no issues, and even drove in D5 for 5 minutes just to see what it was like, and with some judicious throttle feathering it was more than acceptable in shifting smoothness. Not an auto trans, but very acceptable. When in S mode I primarily paddle shifted, but also drove a few minutes shifting with the lever, which seems like it will be good for those times when we long time stick drivers go through withdrawals ;) . The drive lasted about an hour original.gif and I must say that after trying all the ways that I was concerned SMG wouldn't be comfortable, I give SMGIII 2 thumbs up. :thumbup: :thumbup:
The full leather interior, will all the exposed stitching, really makes it feel like a different car inside than my 545i, and the steering wheel is nice and beefy. When I got into my car to drive home, it felt like it was missing a few cylinders--I guess that would be 2...and 175 or so HP ;) ! I've never felt my car lacked power, but for the first half of the drive home, it just didn't seem as peppy as it usually does--of course, not a fair comparison!
For those in the bay area, the dealer is East Bay BMW in Pleasanton, and they sell at MSRP. Ask for Helen Akkawi (888-216-9269) and tell her Russ referred you. Needless to say, I have no interest other than to refer fellow enthusiasts.