2002 BMW M5 Reviews

When children grow too big for the sandpit, they move up to the swings; when a car outgrows ordinary roads, it goes to the track. Not just any track, but the Nurburgring.This is a playground in the satanic sense, a 21km "green hell'' according to former racer Jackie Stewart, that winds through the Eifel mountains in Germany. Just about any carmaker with a performance model goes there to wring the vehicle's neck. Then, when it goes on sale, they can say that it has been tuned at the most demanding place on earth. It's virtually a back yard for German makers and it comes up quickly when you start learning about BMW's new M5. For the fifth version of its performance luxury sedan, that's where it went.It needed to bed down stiffer double-wishbone suspension at the front and a rear axle mounted more rigidly, apparently.Then there's a trick rear differential that uses an electric motor and sensor input from the electronic stability system. But you get the feeling any excuse would have done. A production car that can rip around the Nurburgring in less than nine minutes is doing exceptionally well. BMW claims its M5 can do a sub-eight minute lap, without saying exactly how sub.That puts it among supercars, thinly disguised track specials, the most insane Porsches and the best Japan can offer, such as Nissan's GT-R. For a car weighing near-as-makes-no-difference two tonnes, that's a moon-shot. Thanks to the 'Ring, the M5 inhabits a realm between real world driving and Apollo 11. You won't get any idea of what it can do going from A to B on speed-limited roads. You need a road that only goes from A to A, and puts limits only on your daring. The closest we have to a green hell is the aquamarine purgatory of Phillip Island. You can see the ocean from much of this world-class track. But don't look. You're flirting with the devil and the deep blue sea.BMW's chassis engineers must have realised they had a job on their hands after they saw what the engine department had done. This car ditches the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10 from the previous model in favour of a smaller 4.4-litre V8, but adds turbocharging.It's the way everyone is going for just about every type of car because it reduces fuel consumption... by 30 per cent in this case. That isn't what you'll remember about the M5. You'll remember a little yellow light in the dash telling you the traction control is working overtime.Demand acceleration and it has no choice but to blink a reprimand. Turbocharging changes the nature of this car completely. The previous V10, motivated by BMW's less-than-stellar spell in Formula 1, revved stratospherically to 8250rpm - and needed to soar to deliver.This car has more power, up 39kW to a supercar-like 412kW, and it arrives sooner, at 6000rpm. But the big difference is in its torque, brought on by the twin-scroll turbo nestled in the engine V.This rises by 160Nm to 680Nm. Where 6100rpm was needed to access maximum torque previously, it now arrives at just 1500rpm. From virtually no revs, this engine wants to twist the rear axle.The result is ludicrously easy wheelspin, constantly reined in by the electronics. If you get traction, 100km/h arrives in 4.4 seconds. You can power through the overtaking zone from 100km/h to 200km/h in just 8.6 seconds. In a car this size and weight, that's extraordinary. Overseas, where the speed limiter can be removed, it will keep going to a Bentley-like 305km/h. Turbo-lag, that delay between right foot and forward motion, has been banished here. The engine also sounds glorious - unlike most turbos - even if the rev ceiling drops to a (relatively) modest 7200rpm and unless you're belting around a track, it's pretty quiet inside. The double-clutch transmission flicks through gears willingly, without the jarring of the previous automated manual system, and the enormous brakes (thankfully) hold up well. Except under the most extreme deceleration, the M5 is amazingly stable and predictable.A turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 was offered in a non-M version of the previous 5 Series, but this is the first time BMW's tuners have employed air pumps and in this respect, they follow a path already taken by Audi and Mercedes. The handling precision, though, is all BMW. For purists, it retains hydraulic steering rather than switching to electric, which is good. When it comes to the suspension tuning BMW has applied all the dynamic software it can find.As before, you can set the car up for different degrees of aggression but it's easier now and the dampers can be on max while the steering is on comfort if you want.For Phillip Island, I dial the throttle back from sport plus to sport, because that makes it less of a grenade, but leave the transmission and dampers on the shortest fuse. Of course the light still blinks.So I'm not game to entirely disengage the electronic stability control, which is on BMW's fence-sitting middle setting. A bit of wayward throttle on corner one and I'd be ocean-bound. You're aware of its weight and thanks to the head-up display, which projects information on to the windscreen, you're also aware of your speed when normally you wouldn't be game to glance down. Without that evidence, the two figures would not compute. But they do because the Phillip Island track feels ludicrously easy in this car. The front tyres have brilliant grip so you can have confidence they will stick where you point them. Ease off the throttle and the car instantly tightens its line.The M5 was nurtured in green hell but I'm in blue heaven.

Formula One is dead at BMW and the all-new M5 proves it. The new M flagship is softer, easier to drive, and has lost the signature F1 connection of its predecessor - its lusty, high-revving V10 engine.The 2012 M5 is more of a grand tourer than a track weapon, as well as the greenest M-car yet, which is both a good and a bad thing.Fans of the outgoing M5 - now sure to become a collector's classic - will find the newcomer a bit soft and uninspiring. The old car was always up for a bit of hooligan fun but the newcomer is more adult and refined.You can still tap the M well with the new car, but it has to be a deliberate decision. Once you do, as I discover during hot laps at the superb Ascari circuit in Spain, it's a thumpingly good drive, very fast and nicely responsive.Then again, out on the freeway afterwards, the M5 is as cushy as a 520i and not much louder inside. It also has the benefit of the excellent M sports bucket seats - and on-tap acceleration that will fry your license as quickly as the back tyres.The new M5 hits Australia in February next year and the bottom line - even with more standard equipment, is expected to be less than the $241,000 of the F10 with V10.The package is built around the latest 5 Series as always - the Five is best in class today - and the key M additions are a twin-turbo V8 engine and a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual gearbox, but the car also gets M front brake calipers - with blue paint, no less - an active limited-slip differential, a bunch of driver-adjustable chassis and engine settings, a leather cabin, giant alloys and everything else you expect - down to an alloy M footrest for the driver.The bottom-line number are 412 kiloWatts of power, 680 Newton-metres of torque, a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds, a genuine top speed of 305km/h and a Nurburgring lap time better than eight minutes.Every one of the numbers is better than the previous M5, yet the car is also capable of sipping 30 per cent less fuel with claimed consumption of 9.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 232 grams/ kilometre.So, how did it happen? The decision to go easier for the new M5 is driven by a number of things, from the efficiency of the car's twin-turbo V8 engine - the basics are the same as the 4.4-litre, force-fed V8 already in the X6 M and X5 M - to the overall refinement of the latest 5 Series donor car and the need to create a bigger gap between the rorty youthful M3 and a grown up's M5."We wanted to improve the suitablly for everyday use. We wanted the customer not to have to choose between a car for the racetrack and for every day," says Max Ahme, M5 project leader.He says 80 per cent of the parts in the car are specific to the M5, although it still only has the basic rear brake calipers of the regular Five because of the car's electronic parking brake. The car is a hefty beast at 1870 kilograms but not as heavy as the previous model.Finally, why is the V10 dead?  "Efficiency. More cylinders, more revs, it means more fuel," says Ahme. Oh, and BMW has also withdrawal from F1 after famously failing to make the right impact in grand prix racing.An M5 is always going to be a special car. Arriving in Spain I expect to see and experience a car at the top of its game, and capable of putting the sword to its direct rivals - the Jaguar XF-R and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.There are doubts about the turbo engine, which is brilliantly aggressive in the X6 M but missing the sharp edge of M greatness, and questions about everything from the styling to the seven-speed DSG- style gearbox.The first doubts are erased within a couple of kilometres, as the package is taut and surprisingly relaxing. It also has brutal kickdown acceleration for overtaking.But slippery Spanish roads - a combination of dust and polished bitumen - show the tweaked V8 - which gets better cylinder heads, variable valve timing and other advances over the one used in the go- faster SUVs - has too much torque for the conditions. From as little as 60km/h, and as much as 100km/h, the traction control light starts blinking at every overtaking sprint.The exhaust note is also flat and trucklike, although there is a nice exhaust thump at every gearchange and during tight braking for corners.A day later, heading to Ascari, I have adjusted to the GT side of the M5. It's a cushy run, quick but not silly, and the car is very very nice.On the track - despite a nanny-style BMW pace car - the car shows its true M credentials, with cracking pace on the straights, great grip in corners, and all-round driving enjoyment.There is no question that the M5 is a top-drawer car, and a worthy member of an M5 family that now runs back through five generations.But it's just not as memorable as the old car, or as thumpingly aggressive as an E63. It's a car to drive and enjoy and savour. And a great car for a long quick trip. I just do not feel the M love that's made so many of its predecessors so special.

M spells 'magic'where BMWs are concerned, particularly when it’s accompanied by the number ‘5’. In the case of BMW ‘M’ is the universally recognised symbol for the company’s ‘M Sport’ special tuning arm, which takes ordinary BMWs and transforms them into some of the greatest sporting models yet seen.It began in the 1970s with the M1 sports coupe, but gathered pace in the 1980s with the release of the first M3 and its bigger brother, the M5.The E34 M5 was the first of the line that continues with today’s awesome model. While the current M5 is well out of reach of most of us the earlier models like the E34 are also awesome sports sedans and much more affordable.MODEL WATCHThe M5 first appeared in local showrooms in 1990 when we were given a taste of sophisticated sports motoring in the form of the E34 model. That first model ran for barely three years before it left the market, to return in 1999 in the later E39 guise.The E34 5-Series was a great car to begin with which makes it a perfect foundation for the M5.The great thing about the M5 is that it’s barely recognisable as anything other than a regular 5-Series. The external changes are subtle so only the informed would pick it as something special.There is a subtle front airdam and side skirts, but no wild wing on the boot. The alloy wheels are larger than those on the regular 5-Series and there’s an M5 badge on the grille, but that’s about it.At the M5’s heart is the wonderful BMW six-cylinder engine. At 3.5 litres the 24-valve double overhead camshaft six is silky smooth and the extra tuning by BMW Motorsport makes it sing even sweeter.The power peaks at 232 kW at 6900 revs while the torque peaks with 360 Nm at 4750 revs. It’s red-lined at 7000 revs, with an electronic limiter set at 7200 revs to keep the most enthusiastic drivers in check when the engine feels as though it could happily rev on forever.When pressed that’s sufficient to propel the four-door flyer to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, and cover the standing 400-metre sprint in 15 seconds, before hitting an electronic wall at 250 km/h.The real strength of the M5 is its ability to cruise at very high speeds over long distances, it’s really built to burn on the ’bahns of its homeland.BMW offered the M5 with a five-speed manual transmission only. It had a slick shift that was precise and a joy to use. Through the gears it would do 60 km/h in first, 100 km/h in second, 155 km/h in third, 209 km/h in fourth and 250 km/h in top.Under the understated skin lay MacPherson Strut front suspension and semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension, tweaked of course by BMW Motorsport to produce response and balance that is nothing less than awe inspiring.Big discs at both ends provide powerful braking while standard antilock electronics deliver added safety.Not surprisingly the M5 came well equipped. Leather-trimmed powered sports seats were standard along with a sports steering wheel, climate control air-conditioning, trip computer, premium sound, central locking, and a sunroof.IN THE SHOPThere are few flaws with the M5. The engine is bullet-proof, but needs proper servicing, even more so if it’s been driven hard.The reality is that most of these cars are bought by people who rarely push them to the limit of their extreme capabilities so most are kept in good condition.The most common problem is the gearbox, in which second gear synchro is a weakness, so check carefully for any reluctance when trying to select second.On such a high performance car it’s important to use good tyres and brakes and they will be expensive, so be prepared to spend some money on maintaining the performance.IN A CRASHRecent surveys of cars in crashes suggest the E34 BMW is average in both protection of its occupants and its impact on those in cars it hits.In its favour the M5 has the steering, handling and braking prowess to avoid collisions, but without airbags its secondary line of protection is a little lacking by today’s standards.OWNER’S VIEWSimon Ansell has owned plenty of exotic performance cars, like an Audi Quattro, Lancia Delta Integrale, BMW M3, and a couple of Golf GTis, and says his M5 is one of the most fantastic cars he’s owned. He has restored it to as new condition as the previous owner lived in the country so it got a bit stone chipped. It has had a new gearbox, but other than that big job it has had a relatively trouble free run. One of the things he likes about it is that only motoring people know what it is and it is still so quick for a car of its size. The engine is an absolute gem and sounds sensational when run to the red line.LOOK FOR• subtle styling hides performance potential• superb six cylinder engine• possible synchro problems in gearbox• silky smooth performance• understated looksTHE BOTTOM LINEOne of the best sports sedans ever made if you can afford it.RATING90/100

The road from the racetrack to the High Street is not so long.

BMW has proved that it is possible to have your cake, and gorge it too, with a car that's more than just a king-of-the-hill sports sedan.Its all-new M5 road warrior will answer the questions of road worriers all over the world, and satisfy $200,000-plus shoppers who want something quick and classy for their garage and commuter run, as well as weekend escape work.The M5 could offend some people because it is fry-the-tyres fast and costs so much but it also carries an M message for much more mundane motoring. It's about sensible speed, enjoyment with safety and the power of passion.The engine is getting all the attention, because BMW is the first major carmaker to put a lightweight V10, complete with 8200rpm redline, into a regular four-door sedan.It has 18-inch alloy wheels with rubber ribbons, sports-tuned suspension and powerful anti-skid disc brakes, a steel-and-alloy body, the latest Sports Manual Gearbox with seven ratios and a raft of electronics including stability control, braking assistance and a massive engine controller.It has a body upgrade with muscular nose and a signature four-pipe exhaust in the tail.It also has a small-and-useful heads-up display and less smart-and-useful, the troubled iDrive cockpit computer system.The M5 will always be quick and exclusive but BMW promises the lessons it learns on the car will eventually trickle down, just as Toyota has transferred Lexus technology to the Camry, to the rest of its range from the baby 1-Series.The M5 will arrive in Australia in the middle of 2005 with a price tag of about $220,000, with 85 cars available in the first year.BMW previewed the M5 in Germany last week with a full technical presentation, an on-the-edge driving demonstration at a closed military airfield and an open-road drive over all sorts of roads near Munich. But the company really wanted to talk about its V10."It was the engineers' idea for the whole package of the car," says V10 development chief Helmut Himmel. "We weren't allowed to increase the capacity (from the previous 5-litre V8), so we decided the high-revving concept was best for the driving dynamic. Our big target was to make a car with outstanding driving dynamics, so everything had to be light. If you use the short gears you can make performance figures of a car with 600 or 650 horsepower."The M5 with V10 comes with 373kW of power (500hp) at 7750rpm and 520Nm of torque at 6100rpm. But it's an on-demand system and the car starts and runs with "only" 298kW; you have to ask for more by pushing a new "sports" button.There are also a range of settings on the SMG manual gearbox, which has an extra ratio (up from six to seven) to condense the performance but also provide long legs for cruising. Oh, and a top speed which could jump from 250km/h to 334km/h if you could convince the people at M to disconnect the top-speed limiter.There is so much more to the M5, from gorgeously supportive leather sports seats to smooth new door mirrors, a leather roof lining and a punchy sound system.As well as a system which allows you to pre-set your sports choices – suspension tune, engine output, gearshift operation – and call it up with a single button on the steering wheel. Otherwise it will just rumble around in light-and-easy mode, providing genuine luxury for four adults. The best thing in driving the M5, by far, is tweaking the SMG sports automatic shift and seeing the car's electronics at work. That can mean a crisp no-lift upshift, a satisfying pre-programmed "va-voom" blip on a downchange, or a fuel readout that's below 10 litres/100km on a gentle autobahn cruise.It can also unleash a volcanic F1-style launch, complete with a 0-100km/h eruption in 4.7 seconds, which makes the M5 a memorable wonder. And shows why BMW did the performance proving at an airfield.We also got to sample the delights of 2005-style electronic stability control during a hit-and-miss romp around Munich as well as the impressive heads-up display and the old-fashioned comfort and support of a cabin designed for driving.The M5 feels as if it's shrinking around you as you drive, which is the best test of any performance car. The steering is meaty but has great feel – the M team rejected BMW's active steering – and the brakes are powerful despite rejecting the latest multi-piston calipers to give better feel and cut squeaking.The M5 passes the "50m test" with a muscular look that lifts its impact beyond any regular Five, and it provides absolute delight with an engine note that starts grumbly, clears to a muscular V10 roar and then finally an F1-style scream to the limiter at 8200 revs. It is unique and, thanks to a full five litres of capacity, sounds even more meaty than the V10 in Porsche's Carrera GT supercar.It's hard to judge the electronic systems in the M5, beyond the programs for the SMG gearbox, which is still a bit jerky when cold, but quicker and more responsive when warm.The M5 is rated a winner over the Mercedes E55 and Audi RS6, and it is almost impossible to find faults. It only seats four, the iDrive is no fun and it's not as obvious as a 2004 Monaro, but those things won't worry potential owners.

This time it's the 5-Series, the car at the heart of the German maker's showroom contenders, that has been given the wheels-up makeover on style and substance.The result is a car that shares the dramatic new design work already seen on the flagship 7-Series and sporty Z4, as well as taking a more refined drive into 21st-century luxury motoring.This new Five is intended to be more youthful, more stylish and a much tougher challenger to the pace-setter E-Class from the rival Mercedes-Benz stable. It's a tough job, but BMW has decided it's a job that has to be done now.The new Five – its official label in BMW-speak is E60 – obviously has a new look, but the mechanical package includes everything from a new six-speed automatic gearbox and a second-generation iDrive computer controller to a world-first Active Steering system that provides variable assistance to keep the steering lock down to 1.7 turns at any speed up to 120km/h.All Australian cars will come with leather trim and a colour monitor in the dash, a reflection of the car's luxury position.Not that it's really needed, because price tags from $87,400 will definitely set the tone.There will be a full family of Fives in coming years, from the baby 525i up to the master blaster M5 with a grand prix-inspired V10 engine.But BMW Australia has just begun its delivery program with the emphasis on the mid-level 530i, priced from $103,400. The 525i (from $87,400) and V8-powered 545i (from $149,000) will be added over coming months, but the M5 is still at least 18 months away.Opening the action with the 530i gets customers into a car that has the best of the new Five without the exotic price tag of the 545i. It should be swift enough with a hi-tech, six-cylinder engine and there are plenty of options for people with fat wallets and a yen for toys, but it doesn't give uncommitted shoppers the impression the car is out of their reach.The whole Five line-up benefits from a new-look body that is one of the most dramatic shapes on the road, as well as a cabin that's a minimalist-design delight.There is still plenty of space for four adults – five will be a bit of a squeeze – and a second-generation take on some of the electronics previewed in the big new Seven.The Five still has a conventional ignition key, gearlever and handbrake, while the iDrive system has been simplified and a ¿heads-up¿ display added to the options list.The mechanical package is much as you'd expect, with 141 to 245kW available from the various six-cylinder and V8 engines, and 245 to 450Nm of torque.The standard luxury gear runs from alloy wheels to electric seats, windows, mirrors and steering column. And as you'd expect in any new BMW, airbags are set front, side and roof.But BMW owners are expected to have the cash or credit for high-octane fuel. On the roadThe new Five is more refined than the cars that have worn the badge in the past.It's not just the body. People make their own choices on what's attractive or ugly, and we prefer to concentrate on stuff we can touch, feel and measure.Driving the new Five is much like before, apart from the Active Steering. The first 90-degree corner comes as a big shock, because the first time you turn the wheel at more than walking pace you think you're going into an unplanned U-turn. It's that dramatic.But a few kilometres gets you adjusted, then the variable-assistance package – perfect for tight parking, light and easy at speed – is a revelation.We think it's a big breakthrough and will provide the link to the days of steer-by-wire systems similar to the commonplace "drive-by-wire" electronic throttles used on many cars today, and the "brake-by-wire" electronic stoppers on some Mercs.We'll concentrate on the 530i because that's the car we drove, and because it sets the tone for the new Five.It is very comfy and fully equipped, but doesn't flaunt it. The cabin is a masterpiece of restrained design and shows that car cockpits don't have to be loaded with buttons and gadgets to do the job. We definitely prefer it to the electronic trickery of the Seven and the overly plastic look and feel of the E-Class Benz.But we still don't love iDrive, even if this one is smarter and simpler, though the sound system is great.The new 530i gets along well with 170kW of power and 300Nm of torque, but it's so quiet, smooth and refined that it feels a bit slow. And it can take a while to get a response if you push the accelerator to the floor in a tall gear.The new six-speed is a smooth shift with well-spaced ratios, we like the BMW touch-change shifter, and the brakes are great. The headlamps – our car had the xenon brights – are brilliant, the boot is big and well shaped, and the back seat is comfy with plenty of room.But BMWs are designed to be driven, and the new Five shows its strengths everywhere from arrow-straight freeway to city backstreets and twisting country roads.The suspension is plush and well controlled, and the car turns well and has great grip.It is quiet and relaxing to drive.Compared with the E-Class from Benz, it's a new type of challenger. It actually looks and feels more substantial for the first time.There is plenty to celebrate in the new Five. It has moved on without losing its roots, it makes a new type of challenge to Mercedes, and it leaves plenty of space for coming improvements with the V8.The M5, complete with a Formula One-inspired V10 engine, will be a cracker.