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Claudia Hommel
Cabaret Singer
Extraordinaire
Cordell Koland
Car Writer
Weekly Reviews
 2006 BMW M5 by Cordell Koland You¹ve seen those ads on late-night cable selling 'girls-go-wild' videos. If I had to come up with a slogan for the new fourth-generation BMW M5, it would be, BMW Engineers Go Wild. The specfic engineers in question work for the subsidiary BMW M GmbH, a separate company that must be a perpetual spring break for technical wizards. BMW M engineers have taken the respectable 5-Series sedan and stripped it of engine, transmission, suspension, and wheels and replaced them with the wildest, most flagrant upgrades possible. For example, the M5 features a 500-horsepower five-liter V-10 engine, the first for BMW in a production automobile. This engine unveils incredible performance: acceleration registers zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and attains a top speed of 155 mph. In full launch mode it will pin you to the seat back. The M5 also features a seven-speed sequential manual transmission, a special suspension, compound, cross-ventilated brakes, extra-wide 19-inch wheels and high-performance tires and an unprecedented number of electronic controls. The body is tricked out with modified front and rear aerodynamic tweaks, special M 'gills' behind the front wheel arches, a slightly lower stance and four tailpipes. And while the M5 speed and power is impressive, it's handling seems even more remarkable. No matter how fast I threw it around a corner, I felt I was just dipping into its road holding prowess. However, raw performance is not the whole story with the M5. Over the years, my wife has become an acute observer of things automotive and my personal reactions. I was surprised when she said this was the first BMW M that I haven't felt the urge to buy. She's right. I have lusted over every vehicle in the long-running M series and having caught her in a moment of weakness actually bought a fast M. Here's my problem. The M5 has a very complex interface with the driver that gets in the way of the driving experience. There are computer controls for the engine, transmission and suspension as well as BMW's iDrive. Let's deal with iDrive first. The essence of the iDrive is a controller, a center console-mounted joystick, and display screen. With iDrive, you select from hundreds of choices via a menu system that accesses the navigation, audio, and climate controls. You move the controller in one of four directions, up, down, left, right, that correspond with one of the car's basic electronic systems, such as entertainment or the navigation system. When you've found the right function, you push the controller down to make a selection. I thought I had mastered iDrive. I even wrote a feature on iDrive for a computer magazine. Sometimes I could easily access the desired function. Sometimes I could not. Nevertheless, the system is complex and slower in actual operation than just twisting a knob to access an audio or climate-control function. As for control of mechanical components, the complexity of the transmission interface is a testament to the engineering mind. The gearbox offers 11 computer shift maps that manage the engine speed and the quickness of the gear change. Five of these programs can be chosen in the automatic mode and six under manual operation. In actual operation, I found the fastest settings to be somewhat harsh or abrupt under some conditions. On the other hand, the slowest setting seemed as if the transmission case was filled with molasses. While a good driver cannot shift as quickly as a sequential manual, I think he or she could make a gear change more smoothly. Overall, BMW says that the driver has 279 combinations of control settings to chose from that manage throttle response, transmission, suspension and electronic stability control. The BMW M5 is often referred to as a four-door sports car. But in my dictionary, a sports car is a simple tool that reduces the equation to a vibrant motor, a firm suspension and fast, direct steering. You turn the key and away you go, concentrating on the road ahead, the steering wheel and the gearbox. The BMW M Coupe in my garage meets this definition. Driving, the M5 by contrast seems more like piloting a 747 or the NASA Space Shuttle. Vehicle:
BMW M5
Price as tested: $94,965 Engine: Type: 5.0 liter V-10 Horsepower: 500 @ 7,750 rpm Torque: 383 lbs.-ft. @ 6,100 rpm Fuel economy, sequential manual transmission City 12 mpg Highway 18 mpg Curb Weight: 4,012 lbs. Cordell Koland is an automotive journalist based in California's central coast. He can be reached at cordellkoland@oakparkjournal.com |
