2006 BMW M5 Road Test

And

The M5 is a lot of car, but, at a starting price of $115,500, it costs a lot of money. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

as long as we're up in the heavyweight territory, Bentley's new Continental Flying Spur is a pretty amazing sport sedan, as well but I suppose it's more of a sport-limo and at twice the price, in a different league. I'm a giant fan of Maserati's well-mannered Quattroporte too, the car getting the nod from a styling standpoint alone. And as long as we're talking styling, what about Merc's sensational CLS AMG 55? Porsche has a four-door on the way, the Panamera, which will no doubt rival the best in the business, and at the higher end once again, Aston Martin's upcoming Rapide should do some damage to Bentley's sales. But at the end of the day, if it were my money going down on the ultimate sport sedan, I think it would have to be Mitsubishi's EVO IX MR or Subaru's WRX STi, at less than half the price of the Bimmer. These two are outrageously talented performers, delivering a "tossability" the big-BMW can't. I'd probably even opt for Chrysler's 300C SRT8 first, or the Dodge Charger variant. Rude, crude and underdeveloped by BMW's standards no doubt, but at least as much fun to drive this side of a racetrack. Now, if BMW dropped a manual transmission into the M5, or even a much quicker-shifting, smoother operating SMG gearbox, this scenario might change completely. It's the car's weakness, unfortunately.

So, at the end of my ever-so-wet daylong drive, capped at both ends

For many, it comes down to the blue and white propeller badge... (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

with two equally wet but nevertheless stimulating days shuttling around town, I was both blown away with the M5's performance and, then again, somewhat dismayed. To me, it's not the ideal sport sedan, but I have to believe some will find it a perfect fit. Therefore, I'd rather you didn't take my word for it completely, and find out for yourself by taking one for a ride. Something as peculiar (and I don't mean peculiar in a negative way) as the M5 needs to be experienced first-hand to be fully appreciated, and when you've done so you can either agree with me or tell me that I'm a fool - it certainly wouldn't be the first time with regards to the latter. But before you go nattering off about how nuts I am, make sure you've done what I have and spent equal time in the drivers' seats of its rivals. Each has particular elements that make it worthy of your attention, even the lower priced models from Subaru, Mitsubishi (if you can buy this U.S.-only model), Chrysler Group and Cadillac. One thing that these competitors won't give you, however, is that fabulous blue and white roundel on the hood and rear trunk lid, and the even more highly respected M5 badge; and this, my friends, is an unquantifiable value.

Specifications:

• Price Range (MSRP): $115,500 - $128,200
• Body Type: 4-door sedan
• Layout: front engine, RWD
• Base Engine: 507-hp, 383 lb-ft of torque, 5.0-L, 40-valve, DOHC V10
• Transmission: 7-spd SMG (sequential manual gearbox)
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
• Curb Weight (estimated): 1,830 kg (4,034 lbs)
• Acceleration (0 - 100 km/h): 4.7 seconds
• Top Speed (electronically limited): 250 km/h (155 mph)
• Top Speed (projected non-limited): 330 km/h (205 mph)
• Seating Capacity: 5
• Cargo Volume (trunk): 396 L (14.0 cu ft)
• Fuel Economy (city/hwy): N/A
• Warranty (mo/km): 48/80,000 comprehensive
• Direct Competitors: Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Cadillac STS-V, Jaguar S-Type R, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
• Web Site: www.bmw.ca