2006 BMW M5

"If you really get in a jam, 007, just press this 'M' button on the steering wheel." The unflappable Q didn't really say this to James Bond, but had he prepared the 2006 BMW M5 sedan for him, he might very well have. For if you do press that little button, the engine's offer jumps from 400 horsepower to a raging 500 hp, the suspension tightens, the paddle-shift switches on the steering wheel go to work, and even the seat cinches up to prepare for intense cornering loads. If you're getting the idea that BMW's latest rocket sled has a split personality, you're correct. Its transformation from Dr. Jeckyl to Mr. Hyde is clinically diagnosable as schizophrenia.

Styling

We recently experienced this ourselves on the big track at Willow Springs International Raceway in California where, with its M powers engaged, the Bavarian five-seater leapt out of the pits with a savage roar, pinning us onto the driver's seat. There is no need to coddle this car, World Challenge champion Bill Auberlin showed us—right before he prudently exited the passenger door as we started our hot laps. He's right. As the engine reaches redline, while still slammed against the seatback, we reach a finger out and tap the steering-wheel toggle to select the next gear, of which there are seven to choose from. Shifting is as immediate and spectacular as a watermelon's response to Gallagher's swinging sledgehammer. Gears engage with astounding immediacy and a substantial jolt—just like you'd want in a real racecar where the only thing that counts is time.


Turning into Willow's fast, sweeping left-hand Turn One, the BMW's seat side bolsters tighten up to hold driver and passenger securely in place. Invisible, but also at work, is the four-wheel independent suspension, which increases its roll stiffness and damping when the M button is engaged, and BMW's Vehicle Stability Control system, which governs engine output and applies brakes individually if the driver gets the car out of shape. Fortunately, we didn't.

Interior

Continuing around the circuit, the big 4,012-lb. sedan impresses with its awe-inspiring power-to-weight ratio (7.9 lbs/hp, identical to a C6 Corvette and better than Aston Martin's DB9), laser steering accuracy, astounding braking forces and the straight-line stability of a Southern Pacific locomotive. So what's not to like? Well, nothing, if you have the means to meet the $81,200 sticker price and don't mind buying plenty of premium unleaded to feed its 12-mpg-in-the-city fuel habit, aren't bothered by regularly replacing those sticky 19-inch performance tires, and can handle riding the inevitable depreciation landslide. The M5 rewards the passionate and qualified driver like no other production sedan we've tried.


In case you're late to the M Power party, the new M5 is roughly based on BMW's midrange 525i sedan. Whereas the 525i uses a relatively modest 215-hp inline six, the M5 has a monstrous 5.0-liter 40-valve DOHC V10 under its sculptured hood. Breathing through two separate intake systems—one for each bank of cylinders—this engine is also found on the 2006 M6 coupe.