jpasiczn

You're doing it all wrong. Here's the solution: Drive in "M mode" all the time. Problem solved

First thing I do after starting the car is, buckle up, press "M" on the steering wheel. P500S, MDM, EDC set to normal (one dot), S5 for the SMG.

SMG is a great transmission. Is it difficult to drive in stop and go traffic? Yes. Hopefully if you were buying an M5 and your commute involves a lot of that type of driving, you tested that out, as it is a well known fact SMG is tough in stop and go traffic.

If the M5 had a standard planetary gear set automatic transmission, I wouldn't have looked at it as an option.

Did you think about a 550i?

JOHN

Not being a dick but if you're concerned about gas prices you can't afford this car. Gas is the least of your worries. The basic maintenance involved in owning an M5 is extraordinary. You're looking at north of $200 just for an oil change. The brakes are insane to replace, you gotta deal with another $1000 for the oil cooler that will eventually go and another $2k-4500 on the clutch that needs replacing between 20 and 50k miles. I regularly got 9-12 mpg on the gas front and most of the enthusiast owners on here and M5 board will tell you the same. The car is a labor of love to own. That said, even with all the expenses and maintenance it was the best car I ever owned. I never got bored of it and I smiled every morning when I saw it in the garage. It was the best thing I've ever bought.

norsecarnut

yeah, it's like when I spent some time on a couple land rover forums. there would always be someone asking about mpg. well, it's a freakin v8 hauling 5500 lbs. I often don't know what the price of gas is nor do I keep up with what I spent, when it gets low, it gets fuel. The only reason I know what I spent last year on fuel is it's all on one visa where I get actual cash back (yes, cash, not some silly credit, rei visa = 1% on every purchase not at rei and you can get it as a check mid year)

So, I almost bought an M5 last summer but decided to stick with the practical space of my e61. After all, my n54 engine is quick enough with the dinan stage 2 and 6 spd.

providenceleaf

With all the driving I do for work it was actually about the same price to buy a nice fuel efficient 2nd car rather than use the M as my daily driver. I had an Infiniti M45 as my secondary car before, but the gas mileage was not much better than the M5 since the M45 was getting about 16mpg.

So I bit the bullet and bought a new Toyota Camry SE as my secondary car. I thought I was going to hate driving my Camry, but it's ended up being a decent looking great car.

I've kept an accurate gas/mileage log since last May. Here is what I've done in driving for the last 9 months in each car...

2007 M5
Miles - 8397
Gallons - 596
Avg MPG - 14.09
Total Cost - $2301
Cost per Mile - $.27

2011 Camry SE - 4cyl
Miles - 24674
Gallons - 852
Avg MPG - 28.95
Total Cost - $3081.15
Cost per Mile - $.12

The two cars combined for 33071 miles and cost $5382 in gas over the last 9 months. If I had just driven the M based on the total mileage and cost per mile it would have cost $8930. That's a difference of $3548! The combined the cost of insurance and the car payments for the last 9 months on the Camry was $3500.

So for the same money over the last 9 months I have 2 cars and more appreciation for my M5 when I get behind the wheel.

If you are concerned about gas and put a lot of miles then this is a good option. If you don't drive as much as someone like me then just get an M5 and drive it like you stole it! That's what I do when I drive my M...