Over the last decade or so, cars have gotten pretty fast for multiple reasons. From dual-injected engines to faster transmissions, stickier tires, and fancy electronics for launching off the line, there’s no denying that a new BMW M440i coupe has the upper hand over an E61 BMW M5.
Not content with numbers on a piece of paper, Mat Watson of Carwow has pitted the Bavarian siblings against each other over the quarter-mile. On the first run, the M5 Touring launches horribly off the line due to the SMG box.
SMG is BMW for sequential manual gearbox, although the synchromesh-equipped gears make it an automated manual rather than a true sequential. The German automaker quotes shifts as fast as 65 milliseconds for the SMG-III transmission, but as you can tell from this clip, the ZF Friedrichshafen 8HP torque-converter auto is better in every single respect.
Even with a head start, the E61 can’t keep up with the G22. The race ends in 12.2 seconds for the M440i and 13.6 seconds for the M5 Touring after factoring in the head start. From 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour), the difference is much smaller even though the older car loses precious feet with every upshift. Against all odds, the performance wagon manages to win the second roll race thanks to a second-gear start and slightly more revs.
The emergency braking test from 70 miles per hour (113 kilometers per hour) doesn’t even count because the anti-lock braking system of the E61 doesn’t work. Be that as it may, there’s no denying that free-breathing V10 sounds a lot better than the force-fed six of the all-paw-drive M440i coupe.
Over in the United Kingdom, where Carwow is based, the next best thing after the M4 will set you back £54,670 or $75,610 at current exchange rates. The F90 M5 Competition, by comparison, starts at £102,385 or $141,545, while the E61 used to cost around £60,000 ($82,950).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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