07-17-2015, 10:08 AM
So my first 1500 miles were on the highway with nothing but stops for gas, coffee, breaks from southern talk radio, and roadside BBQ. The car just gobbles up the highway. Now it's been a couple weeks and another 1000 miles of normal use and I wanted to document my thoughts on it. It's in the unfortunate position of being compared to an e46 M3 with a 5-600(?)lb weight advantage and a much more aggressive suspension, which is kind of a tough baseline.
Motor: what a peach. Overall, it's in the same ballpark as the M3 speed-wise, but the way the s62 delivers the power is much different. The s54, though not completely torqueless, goes to 8k for a reason - that’s where the power is, and it really feels like it wants to go up there. I'm not even sure I've hit fuel cut in the s62 yet, as it just feels totally happy in the 2500-6000 range. And the s54 really doesn't like being below 2k...kinda lugs and feels unhealthy and so I never do it. Without realizing it in the M5 yesterday, I slowed down for a red light on a 55mph road in 4th or 5th down to like 1500rpms, and then just pulled away when it turned green before I stopped...right back up to 60. No noises or vibrations that triggered “time to downshift.” Both cars have the same ratios in the trans, but the 3.15 diff in the M5 compared to the 3.46 in the M3, along with the torque, makes for less shifting and a more relaxed daily driver type experience.
Gas needle drops quickly around town though.
Exhaust note (Dinan on M5, Scorza on M3): weird to give this its own bullet, but it's kind of a big part of the experience. At part throttle, the V8 is more refined, while the I6 is raspy...give it the beans, the V8 sounds pretty pissed and the I6 just kinda yells at ya. Each is cool in its own right…but the V8 burbles.
Handling: at first, at low speeds and when not asking much of the car, the M5 felt kinda lazy - it is a lot of weight to move around, and the suspension isn't super aggressive. We’re not talking like it feels like a boring family sedan, but in contrast, the M3 feels like it's on its toes and ready to go at all times, and nimbler in general. After taking some backroads to my folks house the other day, the M5 really came into its own. At speed, it's just about (not quite ;-)) as fun as the M3. Maybe the M3 was the same when it was on stock suspension - I don't remember - but the M5 really has a sense of duality to it.
“Technology”: the M5 has the MK3 nav (CD-based, I have like 8 “region” discs), where as the M3 has MK4 (DVD, just one disc). Major highways seem to be on all CD’s for the M5, as it got me to VA from TX - but I had to switch the Mid-Atlantic one to get street level detail once I got home. I also miss the iPod connectivity and bluetooth that the M3 has, but apparently those (and the MK4 nav, which is plug and play) are easy to retrofit. I might look into this Intravee thing that a lot of folks rave about. It's also really nice that the controls/etc are basically the same in the M5 as the M3, as when I switch back and forth from the Jeep, I always end up reaching for the wrong button or control stalk. The M5 has a nice feature called “auxiliary ventilation” which will turn the cabin fans on either at a given time you program or when you push a button (like running into a store but leaving someone in the car). Fancy for 2001, I’d think. Park Distance Control, front and rear, beeps loudly and a lot...thankfully there's a button to turn it off.
Everyday stuff: with less shifting, being quieter, and the softer suspension, the M5 is a markedly more comfortable daily driver (though 5-10 years ago, I probably would've preferred the M3 in all circumstances). I still think it's weird to say a car as quick as the M3 has "no torque", but there is a significant difference between the two in that department, and it matters. My better half prefers the M5 by quite a bit.
Another weird bit is the sport button. In the M3, it just remaps the throttle so that at like 50% of the pedal you get 90% of the throttle. I hate that and never use it. In the M5, it does something similar with the throttle but also makes the steering heavier (with apparently no change in "feel"). I don't prefer either change...but you really have to mash the throttle in the M5 to rev-match in "non-sport" mode...where as in sport, it takes about the same blip as the M3. I'll probably use sport just so it's one less thing to mentally recalibrate when swapping cars.
Motor: what a peach. Overall, it's in the same ballpark as the M3 speed-wise, but the way the s62 delivers the power is much different. The s54, though not completely torqueless, goes to 8k for a reason - that’s where the power is, and it really feels like it wants to go up there. I'm not even sure I've hit fuel cut in the s62 yet, as it just feels totally happy in the 2500-6000 range. And the s54 really doesn't like being below 2k...kinda lugs and feels unhealthy and so I never do it. Without realizing it in the M5 yesterday, I slowed down for a red light on a 55mph road in 4th or 5th down to like 1500rpms, and then just pulled away when it turned green before I stopped...right back up to 60. No noises or vibrations that triggered “time to downshift.” Both cars have the same ratios in the trans, but the 3.15 diff in the M5 compared to the 3.46 in the M3, along with the torque, makes for less shifting and a more relaxed daily driver type experience.
Gas needle drops quickly around town though.
Exhaust note (Dinan on M5, Scorza on M3): weird to give this its own bullet, but it's kind of a big part of the experience. At part throttle, the V8 is more refined, while the I6 is raspy...give it the beans, the V8 sounds pretty pissed and the I6 just kinda yells at ya. Each is cool in its own right…but the V8 burbles.
Handling: at first, at low speeds and when not asking much of the car, the M5 felt kinda lazy - it is a lot of weight to move around, and the suspension isn't super aggressive. We’re not talking like it feels like a boring family sedan, but in contrast, the M3 feels like it's on its toes and ready to go at all times, and nimbler in general. After taking some backroads to my folks house the other day, the M5 really came into its own. At speed, it's just about (not quite ;-)) as fun as the M3. Maybe the M3 was the same when it was on stock suspension - I don't remember - but the M5 really has a sense of duality to it.
“Technology”: the M5 has the MK3 nav (CD-based, I have like 8 “region” discs), where as the M3 has MK4 (DVD, just one disc). Major highways seem to be on all CD’s for the M5, as it got me to VA from TX - but I had to switch the Mid-Atlantic one to get street level detail once I got home. I also miss the iPod connectivity and bluetooth that the M3 has, but apparently those (and the MK4 nav, which is plug and play) are easy to retrofit. I might look into this Intravee thing that a lot of folks rave about. It's also really nice that the controls/etc are basically the same in the M5 as the M3, as when I switch back and forth from the Jeep, I always end up reaching for the wrong button or control stalk. The M5 has a nice feature called “auxiliary ventilation” which will turn the cabin fans on either at a given time you program or when you push a button (like running into a store but leaving someone in the car). Fancy for 2001, I’d think. Park Distance Control, front and rear, beeps loudly and a lot...thankfully there's a button to turn it off.
Everyday stuff: with less shifting, being quieter, and the softer suspension, the M5 is a markedly more comfortable daily driver (though 5-10 years ago, I probably would've preferred the M3 in all circumstances). I still think it's weird to say a car as quick as the M3 has "no torque", but there is a significant difference between the two in that department, and it matters. My better half prefers the M5 by quite a bit.
Another weird bit is the sport button. In the M3, it just remaps the throttle so that at like 50% of the pedal you get 90% of the throttle. I hate that and never use it. In the M5, it does something similar with the throttle but also makes the steering heavier (with apparently no change in "feel"). I don't prefer either change...but you really have to mash the throttle in the M5 to rev-match in "non-sport" mode...where as in sport, it takes about the same blip as the M3. I'll probably use sport just so it's one less thing to mentally recalibrate when swapping cars.
*insertusernamehere* Wrote:Maybe this will be the M5 I buy in the coming years... *hopeful tear falls from my eyes*I intend to take damn good care of the thing, but I'm also gonna drive it, so...might have a few more miles by then!
2001 M5
2016 M3
2014 Grand Cherokee
Been had: 1984 318i | 2003 S2000 | 1990 330is | 2005 STi | 2005 M3
2016 M3
2014 Grand Cherokee
Been had: 1984 318i | 2003 S2000 | 1990 330is | 2005 STi | 2005 M3