M-1

What is excatly in the M package for the E60? Is it available now or only after E60 M5 is released? Most important is it possible to get the Limited Slip differential in the M package or otherwise?

m630

where are you located? if you are in the US, we cannot get the package yet, just check my sig

there are too many things to list in it, but theres alot and it would cost about $7000 if we do the currency conversion for the option

... but the rest of the world already has the ability to order it, just check the member photo gallery for some nice pix


there is NO LS on the E60, only the M5 gets that

ISUK

You haven't given your location so I don't know if the M sport package is available to you - it is not sold in the north American market. If you go to BMW Great Britain you can see what is included in the M sport pack. There is the M bodkit, different wheels, and a host of interior trim differences as well as sport suspension.

M-1

I just updated my profile to include my location, I am in California.

OK, I looked on the UK site but didn't find a description. So the only performance enhancement is the suspension? The aftermarket stuff is way better than anything BMW has to offer even in the M5.

ISUK

Here is the equipment list for the M package: -

Sharing styling cues of the recently unveiled high-performance M5 Saloon, the 5 Series Sport models feature a number of interior and exterior enhancements over the existing 5 Series SE variants, as well as a distinctly sporting and agile ride courtesy of M Sports suspension.

Sport model standard equipment:
All 5 Series Sport models have the following standard specification:
? Flashlight Cloth/Nappa leather upholstery (leather for 545i Sport)
? Anthracite headlining
? Sport seats ? part electric (full-electric for 545i Sport)
? M Aerodynamic Package
? M Sports Suspension
? M emblem on door entry sills
? M Sports multifunction steering wheel
? M Light alloy wheels double spoke styling 135 M 8Jx18?
? Optional rear boot spoiler

There is no performance upgrade other than the suspension. The M package is cosmetic. If you want upgraded power from the factory you need to buy an M car not a sport model.

M-1

The wait time for the M cars in the US is 3 years currently, unless you want to pay $25K over MSRP. The M package in a 550 is probably the closest thing for now. I don't need 500hp in a daily driver, just good handling and SMG.

So no M cars for us ... no M package ... and no LSD. What's wrong with BMW they don't make real sports cars anymore.

beewang

In case you haven't noticed.... the 5 series is not a sports car.

M-1

In case you haven't noticed.... the 5 series is not a sports car.
[/quote]

Beewang, by sports car I meant sports sedan (BMW core business) ... as in not Taxis and Limousines (the Mercedes core business.)

beewang

Alright.... I don't mean to continue to correct you. However, the 5 series is in fact a "limousine" as well as a "Saloon"

I do understand what you are saying, and what I am saying is: BMW is in the business of building (in US) Luxury Sports Sedan. And they are doing a good job at it. If you want the absolute fastest and the best that they offer, you will need to buy their cream of the crop M5. Especially in the NorthAmerica Market, BMW has always taken the position that they will NOT do anything to dillute the brand image of the "M" cars. Thus, anyone who wants a 5 (52/530/545) series in U.S. that resemble the looks of an M5 would need to DIY, or wait until the last model production year (when sales has slowed down) to order from BMWNA.

Believe me, this is far from fair from a BMW M5 owners prospective.

just my 2 cents worth,

beewang

ISUK

It's also probably worth pointing out that the M sport model was launched early in the E60's life cycle after initial sales started to slow down following the launch. The E39 sold in far larger numbers here in the UK as a sport model and the market here has come to expect that option from BMW. Not having it at launch turned some buyers off but now that it has arrived I'm told that sales of the E60 are really starting to pick up. The M kit helps to make the car's design look more cohesive and aggressive, a trait that turns buyers on in this market segment. Audi are now doing it with the A6 sport, again a model that was not introduced until later in the model cylce of the previous generation A6. The TV ad for this model is also a pastiche of the ad BMW used to launch the 5 series here which is very interesting.

The E60 is also a much more "common" car in the UK as opposed to the US where it still seems, from some posts on this board, that there are some states in the US where it is rare to see two E60's in a day. BMW NA must think that they can get away with saving the M sport version for a mid life sales boost whereas BMW in Europe had no choice but to release it to keep sales buoyant in the face of stiffer competion from Audi/Jaguar/Mercedes etc who all responded to BMW's original sport model ploys with the E39 and E46 ranges by intoducing sport models of their own. Without a sport model in the E60 line up, BMW were vulnerable here.

I'm sure that the new E90 3 series will also see an M sport variant launched within a year in Europe at least.