BMW’s Jekyll and Hyde super-saloon

BMW created the "supersaloon genre" back in 1984 when it put the engine from its M1 supercar into its "humble" 5-series, says Chris Knapman in The Daily Telegraph. The result, the M5, was "not only the fastest production four-door in the world, but also one that handled better than most sports cars". This is the latest incarnation of the M5, and it is a worthy addition to the marque, blending, just like its predecessors, "absurd performance and cutting edge technology with the ability to transport five in luxury".

The car is a fine executive cruiser with a smooth ride, plush leather interior and automatic transmission, but "prod the throttle and in an instant the M5 is less cruiser, more bruiser". Some might say that, at £73,040, it's "a touch on the pricey side, but for a saloon car that's as fast as a Ferrari, not to mention one that's this well built, I think it actually represents rather fine value".

The new M5 is the best all-round, high-performance BMW ever built, agrees Owen Mildenhall in AutoExpress. The old engine has been replaced with a 552bhp, twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 which produces 10% more power than the old model, 30% more torque and is 30% more efficient this gives the car "a whole new Jekyll and Hyde personality". Flat-out on a race track, it is "brutal" and "seriously fast". But the ride, refinement and comfort levels, the sizeable interior and boot, and subtle styling, means it is "civilised in normal situations". In short, this is "one of the best M cars ever made".

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