After a wait that must have been agonizing to lovers of the racy six-cylinder M3,
BMW has finally engineered a high-performance V8 into the M5. And it has been racking up raves like no high-performance sedan in history. With a six-speed gearbox and 394 horsepower, the M5 on the 5 Series platform is a totally civilized sedan with racing car capabilities.
The BMW M Series consists of four different cars, although three of them share the same basic engine. Along with the new flagship M5 for $69,400, there is the M3 built on the 3 Series platform, which for 2001 will be getting a new 330-horsepower version of its 3.2-liter inline six, price unannounced as yet. The M Coupe ($41,800) is that boxy little bugger that looks like all the weight is on the rear wheels, but in fact it has perfect 50-50 weight distribution. The M Roadster ($42,700) is the same car with a soft top; both Coupe and Roadster use 240-horsepower versions of the 3.2-liter six, with five-speed gearboxes.
Almost all of the good stuff is in the M5, not on it, so you can not see it. With 18-inch wheels, it does not appear to squat low to the ground and the fenders aren't visibly flared. There's a businesslike air dam with black mesh screening covering its generous openings, which draw great gulps of air for the brakes and 302-cubic-inch engine. The super wide (8-inch front, 9.5-inch rear) polished alloy wheels catch your eye for their good looks, not their size, and offer a peek at the brake rotors through the 10 spokes, which collect dirt and brake dust and thus must be cleaned often. Four chrome exhaust pipes stick out the rear and, along with the wide tires, tell cars in your wake that this is no ordinary
BMW sedan.
Under the aluminum hood, There is nothing to ooh or ahh over, as plastic pretty much covers everything. Thick intake tubes flow from the big airbox on top of the engine, down and forward of the wheelwells. A special induction system with dual air cleaners and airflow meters and eight throttles feeds big wind to this heavy breather. The handsome ribbed valve covers are visible, at least, as is a badge on top that announces BMW MPower. But you'll never impress anyone who asks to see what's under the hood. "Hmh," is the likely reaction. Tell them how many liters of air per second the engine swallows, that'll impress 'em.
The six-CD changer, connected to a digital sound system with 14 speakers, lives in the small trunk, in a compartment which also stores two quarts of oil-a racy touch that one hopes is more for effect than need.
Self-leveling Xenon headlights offer state-of-the-art night visibility, and are accompanied by halogen foglights neatly tucked into the corners of small air dam openings under the headlights. Other important safety features include a reinforced passenger cage, and airbags galore: two-stage front airbags, side airbags for each door, and tube-like bags that drop from the headliner and prevent impact against the front windows. And here's a comforting honor greatestowed upon the BMW 5 Series in 1999: The Safe Car of the Millennium Award from the International Brain Injury Association.
Another novel high-tech safety feature is a tire pressure warning message that appears as a digital display, although its words "tire defect" might be alarming. Ours came and went one time during the test, so we shrugged it off. That wasn't easy, considering there is no spare at all; the size of the wheels and tires precludes one. That is what the roadside assistance program is for, to get towed to the nearest BMW dealer; all of them are required to stock at least one front and one rear M5 tire and wheel. Roadside Assistance comes free with the car, but the cellphone does not. Either use your own, or order the optional $595 BMW phone.
The list of civilized features is long: self-dimming mirrors inside and out (the oval shape of the rearview mirror is curiously and neatly retro), headlight washers, sunroof, power sunshades at the rear and side windows, and an onboard navigation system that constantly computes latitude and longitude. The navigation system has so many capabilities, explained in its own manual, that we didn't take the time to learn and critique the system; we spent every precious minute with this car driving it. Suffice to say: If you want onboard navigation in your roadgoing race car, you got navigation.
