2013 BMW M5: It's Officially Official

Wow, what a buzz-kill to go all the way there and not to be allowed to drive it! Well, enjoy the shrimp cocktails, I suppose.

James May will not be pleased.

First M5 that I find attractive since the pre-Bangle years. I'd rock one as an everyday car if money was no object.

"from the Nurburgring to the office."

So you get two cars in one for the cost of two expensive cars. With a deal like that its hard to pass up.

hrm, I could swear I saw a an M5 in Calgary last week - same color as this one. I guess its possible someone gussied up a regular 5-series to look like an M. The one I saw had the M badges, and the front diffuser. Color me confused.

Am I the only one that hates the blue calipers?

First M car with fixed calipers?

I'm going on record saying I'd choose this over a GT-R for the same money. Never thought that would happen!

And with that the M engine dies a little more. Once the E92 M3 ceases production next year the M engine will be gone forever. No more high reving, normally aspirated -S38, S54, S65...replaced by "tuned" versions of BMWs mainstream engines. RIP M.

liked the last gen car better

v104lyfe

I was excited for this car, until you mentioned the last one had an 8k rpm V10.

And suddenly everything went gray.

Boy, this car has about as much life in it as a corpse in a morgue refrigerator. Or maybe a zombie is a better analogy.

Completely cold and soulless, but it will be good at what it's designed to do. (Who knows if we can count on that even. Seems BMW has been letting us down with the current gen 5 slowly but surely)

The interior looks completely unappealing, not that it looked any more appealing in lesser models.

And it still looks, as well as is, fat and bloated.

BMW has completely forgotten that what made their cars great was that they were not JUST about the numbers. They created an experience for the driver. They made you feel. This car makes me feel nothing (actually, I lie, it makes me feel disappointed), and that is truly the saddest part of it all.

I say the CTS-V is a much better looking car. It's just as powerful and cost less.

i thought everyone knew redline would be considerably lower with the new engine. The looks of the 5 series needed to be upgraded substantially for more aggression and that hasn't happened. As noted, this looks like any old 5 series with a sport package and exposed exhaust tips.

"Boy, this car has about as much life in it as a corpse in a morgue refrigerator. Or maybe a zombie is a better analogy."

Hit the nail on the head with that one!!

The current 5 series is being asked to cater to such a broad market segment - from wealthy Chinese businessmen who ride in the back seat, to executives tearing up the autobahn - that it should not be a surprise that the new 5 has to be equipped with all sorts of moniker bearing electronics, just to give us a borderline sporty driving experience.

The original 5 was the best in the sports sedan segment, because of its narrow focus.

Now with this M5, BMW can be expected to let loose another barrage of acronyms in the shape of M this and M that... and drown any objections or concerns by throwing a boat load of power at us.

At this rate, I would rather spend my $90K (whenever I have them) on the ugly duckling - the Panamera S.

Sure, for the same money, it has less power but should be considerably lighter (the Panamera S is a claimed 3968 lbs vs. the 550 @ 4343 lbs for the manual), and thus more efficient in converting fuel to forward motion. It is somewhat slower than the M5, but is certainly no slouch. And I am almost certain that with less weight and a more inherent focus on the sporty aspect, it should steer and handle better. As a bonus, the interior seems much more special than what I see in the pictures here.

Has the makings of a good comparison test?

The year 2000 called and wants its interior back! Is there no soul or excitement at BMW? The most boring, yet squished center stack in history. One by one the lemmings drop over the cliff.

For sure it won't be in the $88k range if you buy the actual car in the dealer lots.

The regular 5s are somewhat close to last gen maroon, but when you show up at dealers, 528i is close to $70k, and 535i is almost 80k. Much more expensive than last gen if equipped similarly. Same for 3 series.

I would say I would be more of a $ 130k disposition on a car that could be slower than cts-v

cjasis says:
08:02 AM, 08/18/11
Am I the only one that hates the blue calipers?
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I don't like the color either, but am glad BMW is finally making their brakes look good with the caliper design most high-performance cars use vs the bare-bones look M cars have had in the past.

That $88k starting price sounds optimistic and even if its accurate you know cars wont be sold for anywhere near that. The E63 already crosses into 6 figures with options- expect the same here.

After all this development I doubt BMW will release a car that cant beat a CTS-V around a track. The issue is cost- how much more are they going to charge you to get slightly better performance.

This looks just like 535 s that I see roaming around LA with big wheels and body kits (from the factory it seems).
And the interior is seriously weak. Looks just like any other 5 series. Needs to be much more aggresive.

"From the Nurburgring to the Office"

James May will not be happy.

Wow, what a mistake of them putting this MY2013 M5 next to the MY1988 M5. That previous car has 100x more soul than this could ever hope to. It was baddass. It got 10MPG. It made no apologies.
BMW, how far you've deviated from your mission of building driver's cars.

I like the understated exterior and the mega-torque motor, but the inside could put a stadium full of sugared up 9-year olds into a mass coma. BORING!!! Oh, and the SIZE of the thing!! It must be at least as big as a late 1980s 7-series. There can be no doubt that to increase sales, BMW have lost their sharp focus. Sigh.

@ dougtheeng

M-sport package available on the regular 5 series looks very much like the M5, including the wheels. I think only the exhaust is different, and they do slap the M-sport badge all over that thing. So it's very possible you saw a 5 series with M-sport package. Makes you think why they bothered camouflaging this thing during development, when you could already buy the same look from the factory.

The more i see this turd, the more my heart longs for an E39 M5.

Is its weight a classified secret? If not, what does it weigh? Thanks.

4.4?
Sounds like it won't keep up with a CTS-V

The 535i is almost 4100 lbs (How about a salad, fatso!), so I peg this at 4400lbs, or about 400 lbs more than the E63

The 5-series in general has lost it's edge, and gotten soft around the middle.
Is the M5 next?
BD

Blue calipers? Why? Last time i checked red was a M color too.

I can't say I like everything about this car but I don't see it loosing to the CTS-V simply because the performance of the last M5 was a few tenths off the CTS-V's pace. The new car packs much more torque and power under the curve vs the former (yet marvelous) V10. Before we all pass judgement let's wait and see what it does in a comparison test. I smell a dirty fight brewing between the awesome CTS-V and the M5!

Why all the hate...? I seriously doubt given the chance to actually experience this car in the real world and push its limits your rediculous comments would still stand, i agree it is a whole different direction for BMW, one that might seem to take the soul out of what once made these cars. but to bag on BMW's flagship performance sedan seems crazy, i highly doubt BMW would produce such a vehicle that wont set the bar for others to fallow

I don't know what many of you were expecting in terms of design as passed M5's were always subtle. In terms of design, the M5's usually consisted of a unique rim design, more agressive front and rear bumpers and more pronounced fender flares. This is no different!

They say that those don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Sadly, BMW, Volkswagen, Honda, and Toyota are going down a perilous path. It kinda reminds me of how the Big Three fell... Excellent, passionate manufacturers for thirty years who eventually became profit obsessed and tried to make cars for the everyman -- with ever decreasing quality and individuality. Granted health care and unions contributed to the cost cutting, but the Big Three became crap before overhead got that high. What happened? They lived off their brand equity for too long. BMW is doing that now: they are trying to appeal to as many buyers as possible, which is bastardizing the 'M' brand (an BMW overall.) BMW is going to eventually lose it core buyers, and once that happens the cache will go along with it. Bimmer are not terribly dependable, and if they are bland and lose cache/appeal, buyers will purchase elsewhere.

A couple disparate example: Coke-Cola eliminating their original formula for 'New Coke' only to find that the market did not want a second Pepsi... and Chevy using the SS moniker through the '90s and 2000s on boring crap cars.

Thankfully, Detroit is making major steps in the right direction. I've driven an M3 and a CTS-V (not an exact comparison, i know.) I think that the CTS-V is a little more raucous but far more engaging. It makes me wonder just how dull the new M5 will be.

Here's a tip BMW: Be true to your fundamentals. Don't try to be 'New Coke." Don't let the 'M' name become diluted like Chevy's 'SS.' You are NOT Lexis and M-cars are tools for driving and not marketing.

@coolb944

Absolutely spot on with what I was thinking.

Anyways, I know there are many people that say they would choose the CTS-V over this in a heartbeat but I always wondered if this car is really a competitor. GM seem very clever in making the CTS-V slide in between M3 and M5 in terms of dimensions but I cant help but wonder if the Cadillac's lack of interior space turns M5 or equivalent buyers away. I hope no one is getting the impression that I dislike the Caddy since I thoroughly enjoy that vehicle and would be my choice of vehicle for 60k. Can any potential buyer confirm this?

Not aggresive enough. Previous generation looked meaner.