f10 M5- how physically large a car is it?

f10 M5- how physically large a car is it?

Author
Discussion

joscal

2,072 posts

199 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
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For where I live (twisty country roads) I definitely preferred my E60 as it was more suitable. Motorway driving and heavy traffic the F10 wins hands down though. Gearbox is perfect and less frenetic if that makes sense.

Skrambles

1,309 posts

263 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
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mattb46 said:
Hi All

As a former owner of a much loved E39 M5, I have been looking to buy a 2013/14 £35k F10 M5 for a few weeks now but whenever I have nosed around one, I have always been struck by what a physically massive car it seems. The car would be our main family car and so my wife will need to drive it regularly. Unfortunately she is not that confident a driver and I suspect she will hate its size (the lanes around us (Sarratt, Herts) are quite narrow). For this reason my head says discount it and look instead at something like a S4/RS4 which will be less physically intimidating. However the heart says "do it, she'll adapt".
Thoughts, experiences?
I know the area around Sarratt very well. The M5 does feel very wide indeed when driving around the country lanes - it's fine on marked roads (like the road across the Common), but can get a bit hairy when the space closes in because of bushes at the roadside encroaching a bit on the road etc (e.g. the bit of Chipperfield Road before you get to the Land Rover dealership), or using the narrower lanes (e.g. the lanes going up to Rickmansworth, behind Loudwater estate).
For a nervous driver, it might become a bit of a nightmare because of the need to anticipate/keep away from aggressive loons flying around the lanes.
All that said, my wife was nervous/unhappy about moving from a Golf to an X5 and soon got used to it, though with the odd grumble about country lanes - now she wouldn't be happy with a regular saloon.


W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
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bennyboysvuk said:
For comparison, (according to Google) it's 5cm wider than my wife's A4, which itself feels wide on country lanes. When a large car comes the other way, it almost requires you to be wing-mirror scractchingly close to the hedge.
You'd expect that though as the F10 is more akin with the A6 rather than the A4. Perhaps just me then but having had A8's, RS's, E60 M5 & a GT-R, the M5 feels like a normal mid sized car & i've never to dater thought it was on the large side, either on country roads, in cities or when parking.

spudgun08

180 posts

181 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
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Had my F10 M5 over a year now, felt massive when I got it, still feels pretty big now if I'm honest. My missus has an x5 and it feels much smaller when driving than the M5. Also, for such a big car, I find the rear leg room a bit disappointing.
Apparently the new one , whilst having xdrive option which would be great, is going to be bigger, which definitely puts me off the next m5.

ds666

2,605 posts

178 months

Thursday 1st December 2016
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Don't think there is a massive difference

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Thursday 1st December 2016
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I had one for three years and the size didn't even enter my mind.

We live in a rural part of SE UK and my daily journey consists of roads with passing places.

Not a problem and after three years not one scratch down either side from the hedges!

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Thursday 1st December 2016
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ds666 said:
Don't think there is a massive difference
Tow hitch on an M5 top man