From Automobile.com
The Worlds Best Sport Sedan?
Having
chosen the previous M5 as one of my all-time favorite cars, not
necessarily for its styling but definitely due to its combination of
mind-blowing performance and family functionality, I had high hopes for
BMWs all-new, all-powerful replacement. And, for the most part, the
sport sedan company didnt let me down, but its a very different animal
from any previous M5.
Instead of a hands-on super-sedan, that
reacts intuitively to both subtle and climactic input from a skilled
driver via a nicely weighted conventional rack and pinion steering
system, powerful four-wheel disc brakes, a velvety smooth six-speed
manual transmission and a well-modulated clutch pedal, plus sporty
bucket seats with seat hugging side-bolsters, and an ideally balanced
fully-independent suspension setup that made the old midsize
super-sedan feel like a pocket-sized sports car, the all-new 2007 model
delivers superior steering, even more powerful four-wheel discs
complemented by a number of three-letter acronym-dubbed electronic
aids, a state-of-the-art 7-speed SMG sequential-manual gearbox, sporty
buckets with active side-bolsters, and an active suspension system that
makes it hard to put a wheel out of place. Truly, its better than the
old M5 in every way, and depending on the eye of the beholder, is a lot
more visually stimulating and therefore more supercar-like to look at.