Discussion
Hi all
after 2 years, 30,000 miles I have decided it is time for a change and have sold my Sakhir Orange F10 M5. This is the 4th M5 that I have owned having previously owned an E39 and 2 E60 M5s.
The F10 is easily the best all round car that I have ever owned, docile and comfortable when you want that and savage when you want that. When I first bought it I had an electrical problem with the car that ended up with the entire fuel system and computer systems being replaced (all under warranty), through out this problem the supplying dealer was really good and through all of my M5s the BMW warranty is a godsend, and I would not run of these cars without one.
Over the last two years the OBC shows an average of 23.5mpg at an average speed of 43mph, and I think the economy is frankly amazing. The two E60's both averaged around 12mpg doing the same stuff, a remarkable step forward and the E39 averaged 19mpg. The other big difference is the the real world range of the F10 outstrips the others, and particularly the E60 by a long way.
In fact, my biggest criticism of the E60 was the number of times I had to stop for fuel, real world long distance driving in the E60 is seriously compromised by the low range.
The DSG is also miles better than the E60 SMG, although I did like the SMG, the biggest real world difference is that you can drive the F10 as a full auto whereas you couldn't really do that in the E60. Also the F10 is a simpler car than the E60, which I sometimes felt was complicated for the sake of it. The more modern i-drive is so much easier to use.
In terms of comfort the E39 is the most comfortable and also the purest M5 I have owned, a real back to basics car (comparatively speaking) and was deceptively fast, but it is a better car than the F10? IMHO no, the F10 is better in every measurable way, possibly the only "win" I would give to the E39 is the looks, which is very subjective.
In terms of options, my car had the 20" wheels and I thought the ride was very acceptable on them, and would certainly choose that size again, if for nothing else than the looks. My car also had the 5 year service pack which made regular servicing free to me, which was a pleasant surprise.
The service indicator is a bit of liar too, by December of last year it said the rear brakes needed doing in 1400 miles, fast forward to now and 7000 miles later the warning says that the rear brakes need doing in 1400 miles - go figure!
Oil use was about 1 litre for 5000 miles or so between the top up warning popped up, it seems that this is specific to each car and they all seem to vary.
If I had to have one M5 only, without hesitation I would choose the F10. I have driven the F90 and it is very capable, but in reality I couldn't justify the cost of it.
Between M5's I had a brief foray with an E92 M3 (3 months) and a Porsche Cayman S (4 months). I found the E92 just a little dull, and none of the theatre of the M5. The Porsche was better than the E92 (for me) but in the end lacked that special feeling that makes you come back to it.
Each of the M5s have had that draw, which I think that I can sum up as the incongruity of a large heavy 4 door saloon which is comedy fast, a combination hard to beat.
Is it better than a similar E63 or RS6? No, they are all really good, the choice being down to personal preference and brand appeal.
The most memorable M5 experience? The first time I ran an E60 in full maniac mode, brutal hardly describes it and the engine noise it amazing, but ultimately the car is compromised by the fuel range and SMG. And to those that say a manual is better, I had one in the USA and believe me, it isn't.
So now into something completely different. Will I come back to an M5 in the future? I am not sure, the new F90 just doesn't flick my switch.
S
after 2 years, 30,000 miles I have decided it is time for a change and have sold my Sakhir Orange F10 M5. This is the 4th M5 that I have owned having previously owned an E39 and 2 E60 M5s.
The F10 is easily the best all round car that I have ever owned, docile and comfortable when you want that and savage when you want that. When I first bought it I had an electrical problem with the car that ended up with the entire fuel system and computer systems being replaced (all under warranty), through out this problem the supplying dealer was really good and through all of my M5s the BMW warranty is a godsend, and I would not run of these cars without one.
Over the last two years the OBC shows an average of 23.5mpg at an average speed of 43mph, and I think the economy is frankly amazing. The two E60's both averaged around 12mpg doing the same stuff, a remarkable step forward and the E39 averaged 19mpg. The other big difference is the the real world range of the F10 outstrips the others, and particularly the E60 by a long way.
In fact, my biggest criticism of the E60 was the number of times I had to stop for fuel, real world long distance driving in the E60 is seriously compromised by the low range.
The DSG is also miles better than the E60 SMG, although I did like the SMG, the biggest real world difference is that you can drive the F10 as a full auto whereas you couldn't really do that in the E60. Also the F10 is a simpler car than the E60, which I sometimes felt was complicated for the sake of it. The more modern i-drive is so much easier to use.
In terms of comfort the E39 is the most comfortable and also the purest M5 I have owned, a real back to basics car (comparatively speaking) and was deceptively fast, but it is a better car than the F10? IMHO no, the F10 is better in every measurable way, possibly the only "win" I would give to the E39 is the looks, which is very subjective.
In terms of options, my car had the 20" wheels and I thought the ride was very acceptable on them, and would certainly choose that size again, if for nothing else than the looks. My car also had the 5 year service pack which made regular servicing free to me, which was a pleasant surprise.
The service indicator is a bit of liar too, by December of last year it said the rear brakes needed doing in 1400 miles, fast forward to now and 7000 miles later the warning says that the rear brakes need doing in 1400 miles - go figure!
Oil use was about 1 litre for 5000 miles or so between the top up warning popped up, it seems that this is specific to each car and they all seem to vary.
If I had to have one M5 only, without hesitation I would choose the F10. I have driven the F90 and it is very capable, but in reality I couldn't justify the cost of it.
Between M5's I had a brief foray with an E92 M3 (3 months) and a Porsche Cayman S (4 months). I found the E92 just a little dull, and none of the theatre of the M5. The Porsche was better than the E92 (for me) but in the end lacked that special feeling that makes you come back to it.
Each of the M5s have had that draw, which I think that I can sum up as the incongruity of a large heavy 4 door saloon which is comedy fast, a combination hard to beat.
Is it better than a similar E63 or RS6? No, they are all really good, the choice being down to personal preference and brand appeal.
The most memorable M5 experience? The first time I ran an E60 in full maniac mode, brutal hardly describes it and the engine noise it amazing, but ultimately the car is compromised by the fuel range and SMG. And to those that say a manual is better, I had one in the USA and believe me, it isn't.
So now into something completely different. Will I come back to an M5 in the future? I am not sure, the new F90 just doesn't flick my switch.
S
Excellent write up, and interesting comparisons between the M5s. I kept my E39 M5 5 years, and E60 and F10 1 year respectively.
The F10 was an excellent all rounder but I missed some aural drama, so abundant in AMG and even RS products.
Your findings about real life range are spot on, the 80 litre tank made for a proper GT car, in fact fuel economy of my X5 M50D was exactly the same as the F10!
Good luck with the next car!
The F10 was an excellent all rounder but I missed some aural drama, so abundant in AMG and even RS products.
Your findings about real life range are spot on, the 80 litre tank made for a proper GT car, in fact fuel economy of my X5 M50D was exactly the same as the F10!
Good luck with the next car!
Thanks for the feedback.
I have recently decided an F10 M5 is my next car and am just in the process of test driving cars and seeing what deals are out there.
My budget is early £20K, maybe a bit more for the right car.
Can you tell me is it a buyers market at the moment, how hard was yours to sell?
Thanks
I have recently decided an F10 M5 is my next car and am just in the process of test driving cars and seeing what deals are out there.
My budget is early £20K, maybe a bit more for the right car.
Can you tell me is it a buyers market at the moment, how hard was yours to sell?
Thanks
Thanks for the write up. Interesting. I loved the E39 M5 ever since I say my old boss roll up in one. Gorgeous and pure with that NA V8. The current M5 with X drive makes it pretty much all the car you'll ever need but I prefer the looks of the previous generation. I was looking over a 4 year old one in my local dealer while my M lite was getting a service but who am I kidding. Top end of my budget to buy used and I couldn't afford to run one anyway. I never gelled with the E60's. My brother had a normal version and the I just hate the looks. I'm sure the V10 was comical on full chat but it's the only M5 I've never coveted. Be interesting to see what you get next and if you go back to the M5 in the future.
crusty said:
Thanks for the feedback.
I have recently decided an F10 M5 is my next car and am just in the process of test driving cars and seeing what deals are out there.
My budget is early £20K, maybe a bit more for the right car.
Can you tell me is itr a buyers market at the moment, how hard was yours to sell?
Thanks
Mine was a LCI model, 50k miles and still had an extended bmw warranty and one previous owner, and turned out pretty easy to sell.I have recently decided an F10 M5 is my next car and am just in the process of test driving cars and seeing what deals are out there.
My budget is early £20K, maybe a bit more for the right car.
Can you tell me is itr a buyers market at the moment, how hard was yours to sell?
Thanks
One one piece of advice to you is get a bmw warranty, I wouldn’t run one without it.
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