[verbs]

About 2 months ago I bought a 2008 M5, with the intent of replacing my 2007 335i (which I'm selling right now). Just had a little one and needed a bigger car for clients, so a larger 4 door sedan was in order.

2007 is up for sale BTW. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433245

My review......Dinan Stg. 2 software 2007 335i 6 speed Coupe vs. 2008 M5 SMG.....











vs.











Compared to my 335i, the M is less torquey down low especially under 3k rpm....keep in mind my 335i has ~ 380hp/420tq, so it moves.... but the 335i runs out of steam above 5000rpms. Holy fuck the M just keeps pulling on the top end. After about 70mph in the M it almost feels like each gear is faster than the last. Feels almost as fast as my 550hp heads/cam 2001 Z28 I had years back. I forgot how much I missed the top end speed.

SMG transmission took some time to get used to....very rough shift at WOT and parking lot speeds, and a little akward at parking lot speeds in general. Definitely feels like a much bigger car. Way too many buttons/settings, and a lot more options on the M. The leather seat material and radio/nav area are worse on the M than my 3. That one disappoints big time. A lot more space in the 5 than the 3....the interior dimensions numerically aren't that much different, but it seems so much bigger inside. Not sure what I'm going to do mod wise....probably nothing.


Option wise:

I still have only read a few small parts of the car's manual, but am really starting to notice the numerous additional features over my 335i.

2 power level settings
3 suspension settings
6 shift settings
ventilated seats (which I love!) and heated rear seats in addition to fronts
heated steering wheel (didn't have on my 335)
folding side mirrors (didn't have them on my 335)
car changes the suggested redline as the engine warms up to operating temperature
another 10 or so automatic seat/headrest position settings (and of course the active seats)
automatic high beams
auto tilting/adjustable steering wheel


Driving like a bat outta hell, mostly city driving, I think I'm getting a surprisingly high 12mpg


Then I took a 6 hour road trip through some of the twistiest roads in my area....and this is where I can comment more on the performance.

1. Car feels A LOT bigger/heavier than the 335i, especially at low speeds and through turns. In a straight line from a roll I don't really notice so much. Car doesn't drift/waver/skip/hop as much as the 3 does. Feels more planted. Took it through the turns aggressively, but cautious. This car has fairly new Hankook Ventus Evo V12 tires... I've never run this tire before, so I can't tell if the car would handle better with a pair of PS2's or something else. This tire did get solid reviews in dry condition driving, so who knows. The sidewalls did feel a little soft.

2. Straight line.....my modded 335i feels faster than the M5 below 4000rpms and tooling around town and off idle. Above 5000rpms it's all M5. This car just keeps pulling up top. Had a few jaunts up to 150mph and it was still pulling like crazy. Had a few gears left to play with. The M5 really need to be at 5000rpms IMO to get good thrust to pass someone quickly. 3000rpms is a bare minimum for passing at a slightly brisk pace.

3. Interior....seats are more comfortable than the 3, hands down, even though the leather is of lesser quality. The woman loved the active seats as a passenger, it kept her involved in the drive. Ventilated seats are a nice touch especially in the AZ heat. She was in love with the comfort of the seats. Radio doesn't sound any better than the 335i.

4. Exhaust/Engine note....not too loud but definitely noticeable at WOT. I hear the engine more in the car than the exhaust, the woman who was a mile away heard the exhaust nicely from afar.

5. Tranny....I'm used to it now and have it mastered for the most part...the paddles are a pain in the ass to modulate during turns, so I'm going to have to get used to using the auto stick during turns. Definitely a harsh WOT shift, no doubt. The fact that it rolls backwards in 1st gear without the brake depressed also took a little getting used to....I'm used to using a little lift on the clutch to keep my car steady in first gear w/o the brake on my stickshifts.

6. Gas mileage. Shit. It's actually not too bad if you keep it in 7th and drive 55mph all day long. But fuck a whole bunch of that. I didn't buy the car with the intent of trying to get any gas efficiency out of this pig at any point in time. In fact, every time I see a Prius I make it a point to pass it at WOT.

[tres]

nice car i love the sound of the v10 kinda reminds me of f1 racing

[JohnSprm69]

Originally Posted by verbs

Not sure what I'm going to do mod wise....probably nothing.

if you are into modding your cars and don't mind minimal drone inside the car, i would highly suggest intake and eisenmann race exhaust for the M. i have yet to hear anything nicer that that convo with the v10.

[Repsol]

Looks great. E39 M5 is still my favorite but I wouldn't turn down a chance at your car

[Forcefed3]

Awesome review, but i would that that M5 over the 335i any day.

Originally Posted by verbs

About 2 months ago I bought a 2008 M5, with the intent of replacing my 2007 335i (which I'm selling right now). Just had a little one and needed a bigger car for clients, so a larger 4 door sedan was in order.

2007 is up for sale BTW. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433245

My review......Dinan Stg. 2 software 2007 335i 6 speed Coupe vs. 2008 M5 SMG.....











vs.











Compared to my 335i, the M is less torquey down low especially under 3k rpm....keep in mind my 335i has ~ 380hp/420tq, so it moves.... but the 335i runs out of steam above 5000rpms. Holy fuck the M just keeps pulling on the top end. After about 70mph in the M it almost feels like each gear is faster than the last. Feels almost as fast as my 550hp heads/cam 2001 Z28 I had years back. I forgot how much I missed the top end speed.

SMG transmission took some time to get used to....very rough shift at WOT and parking lot speeds, and a little akward at parking lot speeds in general. Definitely feels like a much bigger car. Way too many buttons/settings, and a lot more options on the M. The leather seat material and radio/nav area are worse on the M than my 3. That one disappoints big time. A lot more space in the 5 than the 3....the interior dimensions numerically aren't that much different, but it seems so much bigger inside. Not sure what I'm going to do mod wise....probably nothing.


Option wise:

I still have only read a few small parts of the car's manual, but am really starting to notice the numerous additional features over my 335i.

2 power level settings
3 suspension settings
6 shift settings
ventilated seats (which I love!) and heated rear seats in addition to fronts
heated steering wheel (didn't have on my 335)
folding side mirrors (didn't have them on my 335)
car changes the suggested redline as the engine warms up to operating temperature
another 10 or so automatic seat/headrest position settings (and of course the active seats)
automatic high beams
auto tilting/adjustable steering wheel


Driving like a bat outta hell, mostly city driving, I think I'm getting a surprisingly high 12mpg


Then I took a 6 hour road trip through some of the twistiest roads in my area....and this is where I can comment more on the performance.

1. Car feels A LOT bigger/heavier than the 335i, especially at low speeds and through turns. In a straight line from a roll I don't really notice so much. Car doesn't drift/waver/skip/hop as much as the 3 does. Feels more planted. Took it through the turns aggressively, but cautious. This car has fairly new Hankook Ventus Evo V12 tires... I've never run this tire before, so I can't tell if the car would handle better with a pair of PS2's or something else. This tire did get solid reviews in dry condition driving, so who knows. The sidewalls did feel a little soft.

2. Straight line.....my modded 335i feels faster than the M5 below 4000rpms and tooling around town and off idle. Above 5000rpms it's all M5. This car just keeps pulling up top. Had a few jaunts up to 150mph and it was still pulling like crazy. Had a few gears left to play with. The M5 really need to be at 5000rpms IMO to get good thrust to pass someone quickly. 3000rpms is a bare minimum for passing at a slightly brisk pace.

3. Interior....seats are more comfortable than the 3, hands down, even though the leather is of lesser quality. The woman loved the active seats as a passenger, it kept her involved in the drive. Ventilated seats are a nice touch especially in the AZ heat. She was in love with the comfort of the seats. Radio doesn't sound any better than the 335i.

4. Exhaust/Engine note....not too loud but definitely noticeable at WOT. I hear the engine more in the car than the exhaust, the woman who was a mile away heard the exhaust nicely from afar.

5. Tranny....I'm used to it now and have it mastered for the most part...the paddles are a pain in the ass to modulate during turns, so I'm going to have to get used to using the auto stick during turns. Definitely a harsh WOT shift, no doubt. The fact that it rolls backwards in 1st gear without the brake depressed also took a little getting used to....I'm used to using a little lift on the clutch to keep my car steady in first gear w/o the brake on my stickshifts.

6. Gas mileage. Shit. It's actually not too bad if you keep it in 7th and drive 55mph all day long. But fuck a whole bunch of that. I didn't buy the car with the intent of trying to get any gas efficiency out of this pig at any point in time. In fact, every time I see a Prius I make it a point to pass it at WOT.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by verbs

6. Gas mileage. Shit. It's actually not too bad if you keep it in 7th and drive 55mph all day long. But fuck a whole bunch of that. I didn't buy the car with the intent of trying to get any gas efficiency out of this pig at any point in time. In fact, every time I see a Prius I make it a point to pass it at WOT.

Hahaha..

Awesome review! Two great cars.

[ttomczak]

Actually came from a 2006 M6 (same V10) to my 07 335i...

Now you look forward to (when maintenance ends)

$350 to $500 Oil Changes (every three you need to do the diff and Tranny (this is $700.00)
Brakes - about $3K to $3.5K, for front and rear, (need to replace disc's, after all it's an "M")

New gas stations you will find (range about 190 miles on average)...

On the SMG, drive it like a clutch, with lift off's and it becomes great... If you go in "D" mode, use either 3 or 4 and it's ok, less and it's slow, more and it's too hard...

Keep oil in the trunk, about a liter / quart every 700 to 1000 miles... And the 10w60 is about 12 bucks a quart...

Taking off most of the front to change the oil your self... Mine when from the prior to about $45.00 and I can do my 335 myself...

It's an awesome car, you will enjoy it...

One last note, I upgraded my intake, exhaust and controller, for less than the cost of the exhaust (ASR) I put on the M6... Actually, the 335's intake and exhaust was less than the CAI I put on the M6 (again, ASR)...

Common upgrades are RPI filters and plates... I did a Dinan Stage one on mine (the M6), please don't waste your money...

Oh, LOL, I have a killer set of wheels and tires for your car if your interested! Forged 360's and Generals!

[Brey335i]

That V10 is beast... have fun. Drive safe...

[bsamoul]

e60 m5 is my dream car




unless the new one looks better, which i'm thinking may not be the case

[Trojan4evr]

love that V10. I would make love to it.

[verbs]

Originally Posted by ttomczak

Actually came from a 2006 M6 (same V10) to my 07 335i...

Now you look forward to (when maintenance ends)

$350 to $500 Oil Changes (every three you need to do the diff and Tranny (this is $700.00)
Brakes - about $3K to $3.5K, for front and rear, (need to replace disc's, after all it's an "M")

New gas stations you will find (range about 190 miles on average)...

On the SMG, drive it like a clutch, with lift off's and it becomes great... If you go in "D" mode, use either 3 or 4 and it's ok, less and it's slow, more and it's too hard...

Keep oil in the trunk, about a liter / quart every 700 to 1000 miles... And the 10w60 is about 12 bucks a quart...

Taking off most of the front to change the oil your self... Mine when from the prior to about $45.00 and I can do my 335 myself...

It's an awesome car, you will enjoy it...

One last note, I upgraded my intake, exhaust and controller, for less than the cost of the exhaust (ASR) I put on the M6... Actually, the 335's intake and exhaust was less than the CAI I put on the M6 (again, ASR)...

Common upgrades are RPI filters and plates... I did a Dinan Stage one on mine (the M6), please don't waste your money...

Oh, LOL, I have a killer set of wheels and tires for your car if your interested! Forged 360's and Generals!

Ah yes.....I will be getting rid of my car in about a year so I don't HAVE to look forward to that.....thankfully I only drive it 3 miles each way to/from work, so that helps a ton. I'd be shocked if I put more than 8000 miles on it this year, and plan on getting rid of it before the warranty is up. No plans on modding it, though it came with Dinan lowering springs.

Already had to fill with oil once.

[galahad05]

Please tell me you drive it for longer than 3 miles at a time! This is bad for the engine and battery.

[verbs]

Originally Posted by galahad05

Please tell me you drive it for longer than 3 miles at a time! This is bad for the engine and battery.

Actually it's 2.5 miles each way, but I rounded up. I do usually hit a stoplight on the way as well.

I do some weekdays put more than 2.5 miles on the car, but most weekdays this is not the case.

My longer driving is done on weekends.

[ttomczak]

I will go plus 10 on the previous posters post...

That is terrible for the engine... Take an alternate route or get a bicycle...

The oil will never heat up...

You got this beast for what reason? The M5/6 is a drivers car, no, it's not a M3 by any means, but it's still fun in it's own right...

But to each his own...

[AMASIAN]

I was going to get a stick M5 but ended up getting the Audi. I just couldn't do the gas. I drive about 24,000 miles a year and 80% in the would be M5...

Still have the itch though...

[verbs]

Originally Posted by ttomczak

I will go plus 10 on the previous posters post...

That is terrible for the engine... Take an alternate route or get a bicycle...

The oil will never heat up...

You got this beast for what reason? The M5/6 is a drivers car, no, it's not a M3 by any means, but it's still fun in it's own right...

But to each his own...

My drive ends up being about 5 minutes each way as it's slow neighborhood driving. I'm not driving agressively to/from work. By the time I get to work the engine oil has heated up and the car's recommended redline moves all the way up to 8250rpms indicating optimal operating temperature.

Got the car because I needed a 4 door for a carseat, and to take clients around in. Best of both worlds for me as it meets my function and form needs.