M5 US car magazine first drives
10-07-2004, 04:27 PM
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The new issues of Automobile Magazine and AutoWeek came today and both have M5 first drives.
Overall, they like the car even though they haven't figured out what most SMG owner's have already figured out. They still don't get it...
Overall, they like the car even though they haven't figured out what most SMG owner's have already figured out. They still don't get it...
10-07-2004, 06:51 PM
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The best quote is from AutoWeek when they claim they'd prefer a traditional manual and BMW responded that the SMG is the manual "evolved."
I couldn't have said it better myself! (Well, actually, I did say pretty much the exact thing over and over again on these boards...If you missed it or would like to read my SMG rants again, you can start digging right here!)
I couldn't have said it better myself! (Well, actually, I did say pretty much the exact thing over and over again on these boards...If you missed it or would like to read my SMG rants again, you can start digging right here!)
10-07-2004, 10:33 PM
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It?s a pity that there are no journalist with the ability to analyze and evaluate, both i-drive and SMG, in a thorough and professional way.
You get sooo tired of all these tests with complaint about " no manual "
You get sooo tired of all these tests with complaint about " no manual "
10-08-2004, 05:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Rudy' date='Oct 7 2004, 08:51 PM
The best quote is from AutoWeek when they claim they'd prefer a traditional manual and BMW responded that the SMG is the manual "evolved."
I couldn't have said it better myself!? (Well, actually, I did say pretty much the exact thing over and over again on these boards...If you missed it or would like to read my SMG rants again, you can start digging right here!)
I couldn't have said it better myself!? (Well, actually, I did say pretty much the exact thing over and over again on these boards...If you missed it or would like to read my SMG rants again, you can start digging right here!)
[snapback]42386[/snapback]
10-08-2004, 09:40 AM
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Those auto magazine journalists usually want things impress them during their few hours/days test drive. I-Drive and SMG cannot do that job within that time frame, so those journalists start crying like a baby: "I want manual. I don't like SMG (whining...)I want buttons, I hate i-Drive(whining...)". What they need is a long term test like a month or so to get familiar with the car, and they should make their judgement at that time. 99.999999% owners own their car at least a month, so a few hours/days is not enough.
I found those magazine does not cover as much as I found in this forum
I found those magazine does not cover as much as I found in this forum
10-08-2004, 10:38 AM
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You're right except that the normal "long-term" tests that the magazines have means that they keep the car around for a month or so but everybody drives it in small time-slices and logs their impressions in a logbook.
That method would yield the same results.
The best way to become familar with these technologies is to use them continually for a short time, not for a short time continually. That's the problem with all these automotive magazines, they just don't "get it". Sooner or later, they will because they won't have a choice -- unfortunately, BMW is taking the heat for being on the cutting edge and being ahead of the times.
That method would yield the same results.
The best way to become familar with these technologies is to use them continually for a short time, not for a short time continually. That's the problem with all these automotive magazines, they just don't "get it". Sooner or later, they will because they won't have a choice -- unfortunately, BMW is taking the heat for being on the cutting edge and being ahead of the times.
10-09-2004, 08:00 AM
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Here is my email to AutoWeek about that article. They never respond to me.
Greg A
It is distressing to me, as an AW reader, to see glaring factual errors in EVERY issue.
I thought I had retired from giving the magazine freebies, but I can't seem to ignore the mistakes.
I had greatly anticipated reading Natalie Neff's article, "The Ultimate Machine", on the new BMW E60 M5, but I ended up being very disappointed. I could only make it to the third column before the story went bad. It is sad to see a professional magazine I enjoy reading get the information wrong so frequently.
It shares its 5.0 liter displacement with its predecessor, but cranks out 107 more horses. (With the power button activated; every time you restart the M5, it returns to a more modest P400 performance program with an output of "only" 400hp.) Interestingly, the V10 turns out less peak torque than the old V8--at a higher rpm--with a maximum 384 lb-ft at 6100 rpm. The E39 M5 produced 395 lb-ft at 3800 rpm, with most of that available between 2000 and 6000 revs, well shy of its 7000-rpm redline.
The E39 M5's displacement was actually 4.9 (4941cc), not 5.0 liters. And then we run into this gem: "...the V10 turns out less peak torque than the old V8". The E39 M5 torque rating is 369 lb-ft at 3800 rpm, not 395. Just like that, a whole paragraph has become irrelevant. Way to go on the fact checking!
Next, let's look at Natalie's description of both the SMG II & III transmissions. Natalie mentions that the magazine's first test of the SMG II in the E46 M3 "proved a novel but crude beast, the blipping throttle downshifts its niftiest feature". Well, there have been at least two software revisions since that test. Why doesn't Natalie mention that she hasn't driven an updated version? She might have found out that it shifts similarly to the E60 M5's SMG III. Or maybe not, but at least she could have actually conveyed some useful informtation instead of saying the E60's SMG didn't snap her head back like the E46's. Yeah, that's deep, insightful journalism.
Now you can also dial in the SMG's level of attack using what BMW calls Drivelogic, whereby you select a shift program from a least aggressive Level One up to Five (automatic mode also has five levels).
Thank you, Natalie! Maybe if you had paid attention to the SMG II in the E46 M3, you would have noticed the DRIVELOGIC rocker switch just behind the shift lever! Can you guess what it does? Yes, that's right, it allows you to change shift programs (1-5 & 6--w/DSC off in manual & 1-5 in auto). That should sound amazingly similar to what you seem to indicate as being a new feature in the E60. You should think long and hard about switching professions if this is new information to you.
Launch control was also a feature on the E46 M3's SMG II, but from reading the article, I get the impression that Natalie was unaware of the presence of that feature in the SMG II.
That is all I'm willing to give you. There are still more in the article, believe me. I just don't have the energy or free time to spend correcting errors that should have been addressed before this article was published.
Mediocrity will slowly decimate what was once a great magazine. Please do not let that happen. Why can't ANYONE at AW find the errors in this article--and many others--before the magazine reaches our mailbox? It took me one quick scan to find all of these mistakes in just one article. And remember, no one at Crain Communications is paying me...yet.
AW has never responded to any of my emails, and rarely prints corrections in the following issue based on the information I've provided. Why is that? I hope you don't believe that I'm the only person who sees these mistakes.
Greg A
I thought I had retired from giving the magazine freebies, but I can't seem to ignore the mistakes.
I had greatly anticipated reading Natalie Neff's article, "The Ultimate Machine", on the new BMW E60 M5, but I ended up being very disappointed. I could only make it to the third column before the story went bad. It is sad to see a professional magazine I enjoy reading get the information wrong so frequently.
It shares its 5.0 liter displacement with its predecessor, but cranks out 107 more horses. (With the power button activated; every time you restart the M5, it returns to a more modest P400 performance program with an output of "only" 400hp.) Interestingly, the V10 turns out less peak torque than the old V8--at a higher rpm--with a maximum 384 lb-ft at 6100 rpm. The E39 M5 produced 395 lb-ft at 3800 rpm, with most of that available between 2000 and 6000 revs, well shy of its 7000-rpm redline.
The E39 M5's displacement was actually 4.9 (4941cc), not 5.0 liters. And then we run into this gem: "...the V10 turns out less peak torque than the old V8". The E39 M5 torque rating is 369 lb-ft at 3800 rpm, not 395. Just like that, a whole paragraph has become irrelevant. Way to go on the fact checking!
Next, let's look at Natalie's description of both the SMG II & III transmissions. Natalie mentions that the magazine's first test of the SMG II in the E46 M3 "proved a novel but crude beast, the blipping throttle downshifts its niftiest feature". Well, there have been at least two software revisions since that test. Why doesn't Natalie mention that she hasn't driven an updated version? She might have found out that it shifts similarly to the E60 M5's SMG III. Or maybe not, but at least she could have actually conveyed some useful informtation instead of saying the E60's SMG didn't snap her head back like the E46's. Yeah, that's deep, insightful journalism.
Now you can also dial in the SMG's level of attack using what BMW calls Drivelogic, whereby you select a shift program from a least aggressive Level One up to Five (automatic mode also has five levels).
Thank you, Natalie! Maybe if you had paid attention to the SMG II in the E46 M3, you would have noticed the DRIVELOGIC rocker switch just behind the shift lever! Can you guess what it does? Yes, that's right, it allows you to change shift programs (1-5 & 6--w/DSC off in manual & 1-5 in auto). That should sound amazingly similar to what you seem to indicate as being a new feature in the E60. You should think long and hard about switching professions if this is new information to you.
Launch control was also a feature on the E46 M3's SMG II, but from reading the article, I get the impression that Natalie was unaware of the presence of that feature in the SMG II.
That is all I'm willing to give you. There are still more in the article, believe me. I just don't have the energy or free time to spend correcting errors that should have been addressed before this article was published.
Mediocrity will slowly decimate what was once a great magazine. Please do not let that happen. Why can't ANYONE at AW find the errors in this article--and many others--before the magazine reaches our mailbox? It took me one quick scan to find all of these mistakes in just one article. And remember, no one at Crain Communications is paying me...yet.
AW has never responded to any of my emails, and rarely prints corrections in the following issue based on the information I've provided. Why is that? I hope you don't believe that I'm the only person who sees these mistakes.
Greg A
Greg A
Hope they give it the credit it is due. Will check it out in the next issue.