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CarAdvice, and Australian online publication, puts the new BMW M5 head-to-head against the Jaguar XFR and Mercedes-Benz E63 to the test, both on the road and on the track. Design and other features were also discussed. The result? The BMW M5 is ahead of its competitors in many ways. Here is an excerpt of their review:
TRACK ATTACK
Many M, AMG and R owners take their vehicles to track days, and some circuit work was part of CarAdvice’s week-long comparison test.
With dampers set to their firmest setting, engines and gearboxes to their most aggressive mappings, and stability control systems completely disengaged, the M5, E63 AMG and XFR are capable and entertaining machines on the limit.
A saturated track also provided an easier opportunity for each to showcase their talents for going sideways, aided by different takes on limited slip differentials.
Jaguar calls its electronic version an Active Differential but it was the least effective, making the XFR less predictable and enjoyable. When the diff works, the XFR is a beautifully balanced machine – despite the most noticeable body roll of the trio – that slides progressively. But all too often the XFR’s rear inside wheel would be allowed to spin up; revs would soar but without any meaningful momentum sideways or otherwise.
Steering that all three testers unanimously described as overly light also contributed to a consensus that the Germans again had the edge over the Brit.
The BMW M5 is certainly a great track car. It provides the biggest impression of stability both in a straight line and under heavy braking, and it also benefits from a set of Michelin rubber that gives the M5 both superior traction and front-end bite. That grip meant the 5 Series M car’s throttle needed a determined press on the gas to generate the desired slip angle, while on three occasions – with different testers – the M5’s electronics also had a panic attack while sideways.
Conclusion:
And the BMW M5 isn’t perfect, getting noticeably chubby around the mid-riff. It’s ballistic rather than balletic, and BMW may need to consider aluminium construction for the next 5 Series.
But the M5 is coated in an extra layer of civility that allows you to enjoy it purely as a supremely comfortable and cosseting luxury car before peeling away that mask to expose its thrillingly epic ability.
The BMW M5 is more than good.
For more information on BMW M, contact:
Munich Automobiles Singapore
30 Teban Gardens Crescent Singapore 608927
Showroom: 6899 6996 Service center: 6566 7666
http://www.munichauto.com.sg
