Zafiro
Supreme Roadmaster
Nice driveway 
What a great day this was. Weather was perfect, the kind of day where everyone was either washing their cars or out for a ride. Like the majority of you, I imagine, I made this purchase on faith, not having the opportunity of taking a test drive. There was a bit of uncertainty on my part, having never owned a BMW let alone an M5. So when Robert offered (thank you very much) to "demo" his car for me, my answer was "when and where?"
I'd had a brief run through on the car at my dealer so I knew some of the basics of the IDrive system. Robert went over the various settings for the SMG, the M functions, suspension, etc., as well as the voice commands (very cool). Now it was time for the ride. I'll preface this by noting that he had completed his 1200 mile service last week and was "enjoying" his rpm freedoms. Starting the engine, I immediately noticed the different sounds--rough idle, rumble of the exhaust, you could tell there was something special under the hood. We drove out of his development a few miles and found a nice stretch of road to put it through its paces.
Robert pulled off the road for a moment to let traffic clear and explained he was switching it to 500 hp/moderate suspension&transmission settings (don't know all the terminolgy yet but will soon) and then hit it. Holy s@#t!!! In a blink, we were through 3rd gear, the side supports squeezing you in as we took some turns at 80 mph and then a burst up to 115 mph or so before we caught up to traffic. My heart was pounding, don't think I took a breath for a minute--felt like I was on a roller coaster. We repeated this all out assault another time before settling in to some every-day driving.
My thoughts: Wow! What an amazing machine. The sound of the engine/exhaust is intoxicating. Downshifts are worth the price of admission--the engine blipping to match rpms to speed, don't you feel like you're driving a race car? Incredible power/speed coupled with rock-solid handling. And yet, a very comfortable car that won't leave you feeling beat up after a 200 mile trip. What an amazing combination.
So, no more anxiety for me about whether this was a good purchase. I do have second thoughts on should I have taken the active seat option (I didn't) after experiencing them. They really felt good. But I can't wait 'till Friday to press that start button on my own M5!
Thanks again to this board and to Robert for all the info. Will post photos upon my return.
Pictures:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=70357
What a great day this was. Weather was perfect, the kind of day where everyone was either washing their cars or out for a ride. Like the majority of you, I imagine, I made this purchase on faith, not having the opportunity of taking a test drive. There was a bit of uncertainty on my part, having never owned a BMW let alone an M5. So when Robert offered (thank you very much) to "demo" his car for me, my answer was "when and where?"
I'd had a brief run through on the car at my dealer so I knew some of the basics of the IDrive system. Robert went over the various settings for the SMG, the M functions, suspension, etc., as well as the voice commands (very cool). Now it was time for the ride. I'll preface this by noting that he had completed his 1200 mile service last week and was "enjoying" his rpm freedoms. Starting the engine, I immediately noticed the different sounds--rough idle, rumble of the exhaust, you could tell there was something special under the hood. We drove out of his development a few miles and found a nice stretch of road to put it through its paces.
Robert pulled off the road for a moment to let traffic clear and explained he was switching it to 500 hp/moderate suspension&transmission settings (don't know all the terminolgy yet but will soon) and then hit it. Holy s@#t!!! In a blink, we were through 3rd gear, the side supports squeezing you in as we took some turns at 80 mph and then a burst up to 115 mph or so before we caught up to traffic. My heart was pounding, don't think I took a breath for a minute--felt like I was on a roller coaster. We repeated this all out assault another time before settling in to some every-day driving.
My thoughts: Wow! What an amazing machine. The sound of the engine/exhaust is intoxicating. Downshifts are worth the price of admission--the engine blipping to match rpms to speed, don't you feel like you're driving a race car? Incredible power/speed coupled with rock-solid handling. And yet, a very comfortable car that won't leave you feeling beat up after a 200 mile trip. What an amazing combination.
So, no more anxiety for me about whether this was a good purchase. I do have second thoughts on should I have taken the active seat option (I didn't) after experiencing them. They really felt good. But I can't wait 'till Friday to press that start button on my own M5!
Thanks again to this board and to Robert for all the info. Will post photos upon my return.
Pictures:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=70357
