2018 BMW M5: Automotive Bliss With a Side of Mystery

I chose to reserve the M2 for the M5’s most focused settings: Sport Plus everything, lightning fast manual mode gear changes (S3), and 2WD. With the front axle out of the mix, the steering seemed to grow lighter and livelier, requiring me to pay more attention and keep my hands at nine and three. At one point on a straight road, I gave the M5 a little too much gas and could feel the back end squirm around as the rear Pirellis tried to bite into the pavement. Without DSC watching over everything, I was left in charge of the M5’s behavior. It wanted to party and I had no intention of crushing its spirit. By giving it all-wheel drive, BMW have may have taken the M5 in a new direction, but the super sedan hasn’t lost its way as a RWD performance car.

No Manual, No Dual-clutch, No Problem

Some cars with sport transmission modes keep the revs high and hold gears during spirited driving, but don’t do a good job of deciphering my less feverish throttle inputs. As a result, they don’t upshift at the right time and I have to use a shift paddle to put the transmission in the spot where I want it to be. I didn’t have that problem in the M5. Its GPS-linked eight-speed automatic could figure out what I wanted it to do based on my throttle application. There were a few times when traffic or speed limits wouldn’t allow me to give it the revs it was begging for in D3 and I had to back my right foot off slightly. Instead of stupidly and stubbornly remaining in the same gear and drinking gas, the transmission would sense that I needed the next gear and would upshift. It was such a cooperative gearbox that I didn’t bemoan the fact that BMW doesn’t offer the F90 M5 with a manual transmission.

Watch Your Step

At low speeds, the M carbon ceramic brakes had a tendency to grab. They were progressive and smooth up to a point, then snatched. They required me to be patient and cautious with my right foot. If I wasn’t, the M5 acted as if it was using a barn door for an airbrake. That eagerness gave way to confidence and composure when I got the M5 away from suburban streets and gave its brakes real speed to scrub off.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Ordinary

The M5 is not a carbon-fiber-bodied bespoke exotic. It’s based on the (relatively) practical 5 Series sedan, a car purchased by people with desk jobs and mortgages. And that’s okay. I fell in love with the 5 Series when I drove the base model 530i last year. It had attractive styling, plenty of power, an impressive array of features (roughly $20,000 in options certainly added a good deal of those), and satisfying driving dynamics. It felt natural. It felt right.

Believe it or not, that ordinariness was one of the many things that made the M5 an outstanding car. BMW didn’t just add a body kit and horsepower to a mediocre vehicle. It kept the comfort, convenience, and innate charm that made the 5 Series great in the first place, then combined those characteristics with all of the power and capabilities the M5 badge implies. Just as I did when I was in the 530i, I reached a point where I thought to myself: “This feels right.” The difference was I reached it a hell of a lot faster in the M5.

Photos for 5Series.net: Derek Shiekhi

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.