BMW M5 and X3 M

[JST]

I test drove a new M5 and an X3M at CES this week. I mean, it wasn't much of a test drive--a 2 mile loop around the Vegas convention center, fully half of which was mostly stop and go traffic.

But there were a couple of places where you could get on it a little...

Anyway, the M dynamic adjustments in both were familiar to me, and the control setups generally mimic those in my F80 M3.

The M5 is fast and makes great noises. I mean, it's really fast. But it also feels nice. Bigger than the M3, for sure, and broad of beam, but well controlled and relatively nimble for its size.

The X3 M...isn't those things. Even with the adjustable suspension set to sport, it doesn't feel taught or controlled, particularly. It feels tall and stiff, like Larry Bird must when he gets off a trans-Atlantic flight.

It's fast, too, and makes decent noises, though after the M5 it feels a little less special. As I mentioned in talking about the Jaguar F-Pace, I appreciate that companies like BMW are still building cars that DON'T have 2.0L four cylinders, though.

But the X3 M left me feeling the same way the Stelvio QF did. It's fast. It's loud. But it's not fun.