The E60 BMW M5: Decades of MPower

For some people, automobiles simply represent a considerable expense that living in the suburbs requires. German car enthusiasts looking for used BMW M5s in New York might see vehicles differently.

The BMW 5 Series has done 5.5 million in worldwide sales since it came out 37 years ago, according to Inside Line (IL). With the release of the 2011 5 Series only seven months away, some industry experts are getting excited to see what sort of features BMW has bolted onto the sedan for the upcoming summer. But the real aficionados will have to wait about a year longer than their tamer friends to test drive their dream car.

The fifth generation BMW M5, a high-performance version of the 5 Series made by the company’s racing division, is expected to arrive in mid-2011, according to the publication. It’ll feature a twin-clutch eight-speed manual gearbox and a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 that’s expected to produce about 550 horsepower – considerably more than the 2011 402-HP 550i.

For car fans that don’t feel like waiting a year and a half to drive an M5 or who are on too tight a budget to buy a brand-new BMW, there’s always the model’s generously-powered fourth generation. Individuals generally fall victim to the car bug at an early age, meaning loud exhaust systems and paintjobs are all that matter at first. However, their taste sometimes becomes more refined as they mature, and the desire for class and performance begins to grow.

It’s almost as if the fourth generation M5, referred to by BMW as the E60, were built for this sort of driver. The first E60s hit the road in 2006, according to Car and Driver. These M5s featured all the elegance of an adult’s luxury sedan, combined with the mischievousness of a lead-footed teenager’s fantasy.

“The magic of BMW’s M cars has always been their massive performance accompanied by incredible civility,” wrote IL’s D. John Booth and Scott Oldham in November of 2005. “Mat the M5’s gas pedal and all hell breaks loose as 400 horsepower are transferred to the tarmac by the computer-controlled manual clutch Sequential Manual Gearbox.”

But the M5 still offered all the advantages of a mid-size luxury sedan too. “It’s as well suited for a wife’s run to the supermarket as it is for a BMW-club track day,” said Car and Driver.

The letter M that’s found on the trunk lid of this high-performance BMW sedan stands for Motorsport, meaning the manufacturer didn’t simply place a massive engine under the hood of a regular 5 Series. Other important upgrades were also made, including the E60’s available Formula One-inspired transmission control, which was part of BMW’s Drivelogic shift program. BMW says its M cars shift gears in milliseconds and without having to slow down, thus explaining how a 4,000-pound sedan can accelerate to 60 MPH in 4.5 seconds.

The BMW M5 has been around for several decades and each generation includes features its predecessor didn’t. Whether they choose to wait for the 2011 model or purchase a used BMW E60 in New York, it seems M5 fans know how to mix class and performance correctly.