BMW M5

I've written several times about my love for BMW, but one of them was a car I longed for a long time ago.

It's the E60 M5.At that time, when I saw the M5 and M6 that I rarely see in the city,What and how can I get into such a car?I remember looking at it with my finger in my mouth. For me, it was a flower of Takamine, and I was longing for it.

first impression

This time, theI had the opportunity to test drive the 2007 BMW M5.The feature of this car is the V10 engine that sits on the front. At the time of its release, BMW was in its heyday with F1, and it became an engine that generously introduced that technology.

The 5-liter V10 engine produces at 507ps / 7,750rpm and has a torque of 53.0kgm / 6,100rpm, which is an unthinkable high-speed engine. The red zone is around 8250 rpm, and you can see how great its potential is.

When you get in the car and press the start button, the engine starts relatively quietly. I hardly feel the fierceness that I imagine from the V10 engine. It's a little bigger than the normal 5 Series.

The transmission is SMG (SMGⅢ), which was introduced only to sports models in BMW at that time, and it seems that it comes from the acronym of Sequential Manual Gearbox. Unlike DCT transmissions such as modern PDKs,It is a so-called "semi-automatic" and is a manual transmission that automatically operates the clutch.

Regarding the SMG, I often heard information that the shift shock is large or the repair fee is high if it breaks, but there is no particular shock when starting. The car starts running smoothly as if a person with good clutch operation starts.

The gear changes to 2nd gear with a slight pull in 1st gear. At that time, the head moves slightly forward due to the feeling of torque coming off due to the disengagement of the clutch. This is not a shift shock, but a mere sway due to torque fluctuations, and is not a kind of so-called "shock" that makes you feel like a bad AT in the past.

It feels just like the Abarth 595 AT.

I can run normally unexpectedly,While thinking, first try slowly flowing in normal mode.

It's hard to tell that it's a V10 engine, and it gives the impression that it's a sport sedan with a slightly sporty feel. The ride quality is good, I don't feel the violent power so much, and the steering responsiveness is a sporty category, but the overall impression is mild.From the image of the M5 I have, it felt like a quiet car.

At the downhill corners and tight corners, there were scenes where I felt the weight of the V10 engine a little, so I ran through thinking that the setting was not suitable for such a tight mountain road in Japan.

Unleash the V10 engine

Next, press the M button to change to M dynamic mode. The engine, which was suppressed to 400ps, is now 507ps, and the suspension is tightened. M5 changes suddenly like a beast that has unchained.

First of all, the ease of cornering is completely different.It seems to be a lie that I thought that the front desk was a little heavy. The dull weight is completely canceled out, and the feeling of contact with the tires is greatly enhanced. It's very exciting to bend in a stable posture.

The tachometer hand points to just around 12 o'clock and runs through. It's very easy to handle and has a great tone. Since this individual has been replaced with a one-off muffler, I do not know the normal tone, but this muffler has a very gentle volume and sound quality, and it feels very good.

It's an ultra-high-speed engine, but like the GT3, "Turn more!It is a car that you can fully enjoy even if you run around sporty by keeping the rotation in the middle rotation range on general roads without the car crouching.

In M dynamic mode, the shift speed is also faster. However, since it is a semi-automatic, it is honestly slow here compared to DCT such as Porsche's PDK. There is a clear valley of torque when shifting, and the neck shakes a little each time.

Probably.It may be smoother if you adjust the accelerator pedal a little more.However, I regret that I couldn't afford to try it that much.

The SMG I wasn't used to was a bit jerky, but even so, it's a lot of fun to turn the curve.It feels like the car gets smaller and smaller as the speed goes up.And there is something close to that of Panamera.

In a straight line, I stepped on the accelerator a little deeper.

Then, the tachometer needle jumps up at a stretch, and perhaps from around 6500 rpm, the movement of the needle becomes more powerful like a two-stage rocket. In addition to the acceleration G, the grainy V10 sound mercilessly stimulates the driver's emotions.

Aiming for 8000 rpm, instead of slowing down the growth of rotation, it tries to rotate further. The feeling at this time is a little crazy and even scary. It is exactly the same as Porsche's feeling of the high rev range of the GT3 engine.

There are many high-speed engines in the world. I have experienced a lot of engines,There are very few engines whose rotation speed increases at an accelerating rate at the last 1000 to 2000 rpm.Most of the engines have a slightly slower speed increase or a slightly shortness of breath.

Meanwhile, this M5's V10 engine gives you a great feeling of revs. This is a dramatic engine. At low revs, it is quiet and torqueful, at medium revs, it enjoys running the engine, and at the final high revs, it has a crazy feeling of rotation.

Should I get it now?

It's a treasure of Germany. It's a great engine.I think it is a masterpiece that lives up to the name of the Bavarian engine shop (BMW = Bayerische Motoren Werke).

Nowadays, it is no longer possible to sell such an engine due to environmental regulations and noise regulations.

This treasure is still sleeping at a cheap price in the used car market. At the time of writing the article, there were only 5 car sensors. It seems that it is sold for 1.77 million yen to 4.65 million yen.

Of course, it may be expensive for the model year, and it will cost maintenance and repair costs. According to the owner, it was cheaper when it was bought, and now it is gradually getting higher.

This is the only BMW V10 engine later and earlier.If you are interested, it wouldn't hurt to buy it before it really becomes unavailable. At least this engine alone is worth the price. It was such a wonderful car.