Twist the key and instead of the titanic wail you might expect given the engine’s configuration, the V10 settles to a slightly rattly 525d-style idle. With the Power button pressed to unleash the full 500bhp, and launch control engaged, you should, in theory, be on your way to the fastest possible sprint, but on a cold track it produced too much slip – the best 0-60mph time was a disappointing 5.1sec.
But building the torque against the brake yields much better numbers: 60mph in 4.6sec, 100mph in 9.8sec and 150mph in an astonishing 21sec. Supercar performance from an engine that, particularly when heard from outside, sounds more than a little like BMW’s F1 motor.
While the auto mode is usable, it’s rather too keen to change up on a slow-shift speed setting: the manual option is so much more satisfying.
It’s a shame that the brakes are not as arresting as the engine. Repeated stops revealed fade that might become noticeable with really heavy road use. However they do offer as much feel as you’d wish for.
We have often said that run-flat tyres and active steering spoil the fine road manners of the 5-series, so the fact that BMW’s Motorsport arm has no truck with such items is more than a little telling. Shorn of these features, the M5 provides an object lesson in high-end chassis and steering development. From the way it tackles tight B-roads to the way it rides your average British high street, the M5 impresses massively and proves deeply satisfying. And it’s not as if you must sacrifice a significant degree of body control to enjoy such cossetting progress.
Beyond the wonderful damping, you have the conventional, hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion steering to thank for that. It combines the response and accuracy of BMW’s active rack with the feedback of a fine conventional arrangement and endow the car with a keenness to turn that feels at odds with its size, if not the scope of its grip and performance.