Never Forget the Brilliant BMW M5 E60 V10

Now that the new M5 has come along, people seem to have forgotten about the old car, the 2005 - 2010 E60. It’s the kind of car which would have spat on a turbocharger, for fun, and then revved its 4999cc V10 to the 8300 rpm redline to muffle out any complaints the turbocharger would have had.

The E60 was the last ‘proper’ M5, for the true purists who wanted a proper, naturally-aspirated ‘M car’. Owners complained about its gearbox which did not understand city driving or the fact that it had too many options and sub-menus which were useless, as two modes for everything would have been enough: M Performance Mode and Comfort Mode, with nothing in between.

The car handled brilliantly, it was comfortable, spacious and practical (not that the new car isn’t, but what it gains in turbocharging and fake engine noise, it lose in feeling) and it had the best engine ever fitted to a four-door saloon - ever. The fact of the matter is that the new M5’s new turbocharged engine is its weak link, as turbos muffle engine noise and ruin the experience, and the experience is what you buy such a car for, in the first place.

If you ignore the slightly distasteful wood trim, you will thoroughly enjoy this video of a Meistercraft-tuned M5 doing all sorts of things, with the key feature being that the engine is always (more than) audible and it's the car's main feature for being something which German cars are usually not - evocative. If you were thinking of buying the new M5, why not consider a good used E60? You'll have a lot more fun in it!

Via: autoevolution