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AUTO REVIEW

and improved handling goes to the
new AWD system. The ability to
spread some of the power to the
front tires obviously improves trac-
tion, which helps optimize accelera-
tion, but it’s still hard for me to
process the fact that a luxury sedan
that we can walk into a dealership
and buy today can accelerate from 0-
60MPH more than a second faster
than a late 1970s Porsche 935 race
car. It boggles the mind.
Anyway, AWD also helps handling
through torque vectoring and other
software tricks, which is presumably
why the new M5 feels so much
lighter on its feet than its predecessor
did even though they weigh about
the same.
The engine in all M5s is a twin-
turbo 4.4 liter V8 paired with an 8-
speed automatic transmission. No manual will be offered. (As I’ve
written before, there’s a size of car above which a manual no
longer really works, and that size is smaller than an M5.)
For around $7,000 an M5 Competition with suspension en-
hancements, a bit more power, and a few other tweaks is available.
As noted in detail above, the M5 hardly needs more power, but in
case your neighbor just bought an M5 and you need bragging
rights, this will do it.
At various times in the past, BMW has added a Competition
package to M-cars for true enthusiasts. Now, rather than offer a
package, BMW has created a separate Competition line to go with
their M-vehicles. So far we have M2 and M5 Competitions avail-
you buy an M5 (or anything else) for sound advice and the best
able, with more to come later.
BCMS pricing.
The styling of the new M5 is best described as subdued, which
The 2019 BMW M5 provides supercar performance in a sedan.
may be off-putting for some buyers. Even non-car people can
And if you crave performance that’s even more OTT there’s a
look at an M3 with its aggressively flared fenders and big front
Competition version. Buyers looking for a more extroverted ex-
intakes and tell it’s not a standard 3-series. That’s not the case with
terior may prefer the Mercedes E63 AMG or Porsche Panamera
the M5, which blends in. If you’re OK being Clark Kent with just
S, but otherwise the M5 remains the large performance sedan
a faint hint of Superman, this is your sports sedan.
benchmark.
Inside the M5 things feel more special. The seats are very sporty
and supportive with illuminated M5 emblems and beaucoup bol-
As always, contact Phil Hornbeak at 210-301-4367 to get infor-
stering. Many M5 badges, electronic and otherwise, abound and
mation about options and your best BCMS deal on a Navigator.
even small details like meaty shift paddles and bright red (pro-
grammable) M1 and M2 buttons behind the steering wheel make Stephen Schutz, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist
driving the M5 more of an event than piloting a lesser 5-series. who lived in San Antonio in the 1990s when he was sta-
This is a German car, so many options and trim packages are tioned here in the U.S. Air Force. He has been writing auto
available for additional cash. As always, call Phil Hornbeak before reviews for San Antonio Medicine since 1995.

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