Detour
Defining a Sports Sedan
Detour
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
BRIAN
DOUGLAS
BMW's M5 Competition model offers great four-door
entertainment
BY BRIAN DOUGLAS
2022 BMW M5
transportation
I
T MAY SEEM TO SOME THAT A
midsize sedan that's competitive on a racetrack
is just a bit incongruous. Wouldn't a sportscar
or a two-door coupe be a better choice? In
BMW's case, the answer is an emphatic "not
necessarily." And that's from an automaker that
offers an entire catalog of 11 (at last count) "M"
branded performance vehicles, from the 3-Series to the
X6M sports activity vehicle.
Powerful Statement
In 1985, three years after BMW launched its first 5-Series
sedan, the Bavarian company thrilled performance
enthusiasts with the M5. In essence, the sedan behind
the badge was pretty much the hand-built, motorsports-
designed racecar with the big rear spoiler removed and
otherwise made street legal. While the 286HP and
6.2-second romp to 60 MPH seem modest by today's
standards, believe me, it was very competitive back then.
BMW continued to up the performance fun in each new
5-Series offering, moving to a 5-liter, 400HP V8 in 1998's
E39 edition, but it was the 2005 model year M5 (E60 in
BMW lexicon) with its 500HP V10 that consumed my
attention. It was so race-inspired that normal driving
without clunky gearshifts became a developed technique.
With some room to run, you just had to dial up the M
program, paddle shift at 8,000 RPM, and laugh out loud.
What a hoot! And today's M5 is even more powerful and
amusing, without making you and your occupants feel as
if Driver's Ed is required in normal traffic.
@ranchandcoast ranchandcoast.com
78 MARCH 2022 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE
