I'll post my extended review here:
Having the opportunity, not only to photograph this masterful piece of German engineering from every angle, but also seeing and feeling the machine first hand, really drives home its split personality. The definition of "sleeper" does not even come close to describing the polar opposites this car displays. Nor does it accurately portray the sense of elegance and sophistication when in "sane" mode.
In normal use, the car ticks off many boxes of practicality. Such as; filling up the boot with groceries, fitting 5 full-sized adults, or even taking your grandmother out for scones on Mother's Day morning.
But the moment that you hit that "M" button, this car enters an altered state; a 520Nm, 507HP, snarling wilder beast wailing through your worst nightmare, a captive pod that accelerates at the speed of thought. If you live too long in any moment, you will suddenly realise, only too late, that the physics of your situation are dangerous, and reality suddenly becomes crashing and apparent. It's hard not to get hooked on such sensations.
The power delivery from the M5 is not at one end of the rpm range, it doesn't have dips, in fact, it is that which represents the true meaning of linear. If you were to graph the power output of this car it would be a 60° angle right to 7500rpm! Something that you can truly feel as it accelerates effortlessly past the 200km/h mark. It is truly relentless in its power delivery, enough to keep you on your toes as you skip through the gears and watch that you don't set yourself into a loss of traction hitting 4th gear.
This particular example also ups the insanity level with a further altered state, that is brought to stage through the press of a remote button that opens the bi-modal exhaust system; a Miesterschaft GTC Stainless Steel Cat Back exhaust system that bypasses the "standard" 4 mufflers in favor of two straight pipes. Holding the remote in hand is akin to holding a grenade with the pin removed. Press the button, wait for the solenoid to fully open the valve, and you have unleashed a decibel level you could compare to the infamous Krakatoa volcanic eruption of 1883. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) is put on verbal notice. This is clearly visible in the local traffic patterns when you open the throttle. Every car in front, and especially behind, panics, engages their breaks or moves into another lane. I have never seen any car demand, or be granted, such dominance on the road.
I have labeled this car; "The Time Machine"
