Quote:
Originally Posted by SCA
Fully agree.
BMW basically invented the “sports sedan” while the M division made the original E28 M5 a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
A sports car to me equals vehicles equipped with only two doors.
This… the steering in the E39 540/M5 is horrendous. Let’s call a spade, a spade… it is total garbage!
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Sure, I just can't help but compare it to the F80 - another BMW M sedan that is still somewhat contemporary. That car felt big and heavy at low speeds (but always tight and sporty), but if you drove it hard it was fun and definitely "shrunk around you." I felt I had to be a little careful with the RWD setup, but otherwise, if you were willing to go faster than you should it was actually pretty fun and engaging. I'll add that the M5 is big and clearly bigger then the F80, but not THAT much bigger. The F80 isn't small. And from the driver seat, as you are driving it, the difference seems even smaller. If you stop and look around, sure, the cabin is clearly roomier, especially the back row.
The M5 does the same but it is more isolated and with less feel. The limits seem so ridiculous that I will never come close, but what the AWD takes away in terms of coming even close to the limit it gives back in terms of confidence. In that way, it reminds me of the 997TT. The M5 can go full-on RWD, but I'd need a ton of seat time and the right setting to be willing to push that.
How quiet the cabin is may be messing with my head here a bit too. I need to get to the bottom of the sound thing.