phlabrasca

Trading in cars for a marginal horsepower gain is a complete waste of money, with all the wasted money over the years, you can buy yourself a REAL V10 with ***** like a Viper or a classier V10 like an R8.

I'm not sure about the M5, but the 7 series is an absolute turd after warranty, Ferrari-like maintenance for a turd BMW.

The only trade-in I'd be able to warrant for my IS-F right now would be a GT-R, and even that I am skeptical of because of the GT-R tranny problems I've read about.

RED95sc

iTrader: (1)

the IS-F is an easier car to deal with, its easier to get in and work all the controls. but the M5 is just another animal in terms of power, even though its down on torque, somehow the german engineers make you forget that it is. ive had the opportunity to drive both cars, and the M5 is just the quicker, better handling car. but he IS-F is a bit more comfortable. i do hate how you dont get all 500hp from the factory with the M5, you have to go in for bmw to unleash it although in your case since your buying it used, that doesnt apply to you. i would stick with the IS-F since you already have it, its no slouch, but if i were you and could afford either one, i would go with the M5

Autobacs

iTrader: (1)

It's one thing to drive a car.

It's another thing to own one.

SERGIO ISF

Hello caymandrive,
did u ran with the M5 guy with your ISF with the headers already installed?
Sergio ISF

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

Yeah sure did otherwise he would have certainly pulled away from me.

s4play

iTrader: (2)

The e60 m5 is all old technogloy from it's thirty V10 to it's SMG tranny. The new generation M5 is faster, much more fuel efficient and has a better motor. BMW finally realized in this age of efficiency having a V10 that sucks fuel like an exotic is not going to work. As another poster has mentioned, you get about 10 mpg and that sucks big time.

The IS-F is in no way a comparison car to the BMW M5 but Lexus has no other performance sedan in this size. The IS-F as at least current technology for now.

My guess is if your budget is $50k, then go for the IS-F or otherwise if you can swing the price tag, wait for the new M5.

Doesn't matter what year m5 (06-09) they are all going to drop like a rock in terms of value so make sure you REALLY like the car if you want to buy one.

RastaRacer

iTrader: (5)

I would stick with the ISF, Ive had a M3 before and i would never go back to BMW.

SERGIO ISF

niceeee !

weaponX

I don't think you can really make a direct comparison between the two since they differ significantly in size, price point and maintenance costs.

The M5 can fit 5 full-sized adults..comfortably, has an enormous trunk, has more features, is a bit more luxurious and costs a good chunk more new.

Apart from the buttery soft IS-F leather, the M5's interior is nicer looking too (as you'd expect in this price range)....with tasteful brushed aluminum accents and super-cool alcantra headliner.

You can also configure how fast the car shifts, how quickly the throttle responds, how much power it generates, to what extent the electronic aids interfere and of course the damper control. In effect, there’s 279 possible combinations that you can set your car to and that’s not even mentioning the 3 settings on the active seat bolstering. The only problem with the M5’s incredible adjustability is that you have to do it through iDrive, which personally I never had a problem operating, but after working the much simpler, user-friendly Lexus interface I can see how iDrive can drive people crazy. In addition the Lexus also has a more modern set of audio interface, meaning it’s more iPod friendly and can play MP3’s through a USB key, plus my F has a hard drive based nav while the M5 is still DVD.

When it comes to handling, you can safely assume that in stock form whatever criticisms the IS-F gets in comparison to the M3 also holds when comparing it to the M5.

But IMO, if want to sacrifice some space and just want a fast, reliable sedan that gets relatively decent mileage and offers terrific value then the IS-F is a good choice.

The SMG-equipped M5 first came out in 2005 and in performance car terms….the transmission is a dinosaur. Even at its fastest shift setting it’s still slower than the F tranny and operating it in full auto mode can be quite brutal (as in brutally slow in its shifts). I put 50+ K on my M5 and drove SMG 99% of the time in manual mode...even in traffic.

So, does the slow tranny take away from the driving experience?

No, not unless you’re coming from a car that has a dual clutch that shifts super-fast. Otherwise, you’d think it’s just fine.

The award-winning V10 is still to this day quite fierce and will never be mistaken for the silly tractor engine on the Viper. However, the high-revving concept does lack some tractability, especially for a large sedan and that’s pretty obvious when you step into the IS-F with its big V8 and instant torque. The F also has more of an audible personality (at least in lower revs) as the M5 V10 doesn’t really make itself heard until past 7000 rpm. Only then will you hear the spectacular V10 shriek, otherwise it sounds like a diesel at idle.

At this point if you still want an M5 then you’re probably the type of person that doesn’t care much about getting decent mileage on your car, because it’s not a rumor that the M5 guzzles gas like an Abrams tank. I hover between 19.8L-20.3L/100km on the M5 and 15.7L-16.7L/100 km on the F, with 60/40 split highway/city. It's the equivalent of filling up once a week as opposed to once every four days.

In the end you can't really go wrong with both cars as they are great in their own ways.

niko14

Great overview WeaponX!

Well i sold my 09 F and picked up a CPO 2009 M5. I needed the space that was the #1 reason only.

What i miss:
1) The F transmission (even though it would drive me crazy sometimes)
2) Soft leather seats
3) Gas mileage
4) User Interface/ Touch Screen

What i like in the M5
1) Space
2) Being able to use the Navi while driving
3) the 279+ settings of Idrive. Love it!
4) Engine this thing is a BEAST.

Also, surprisingly the low end torque feel is better on the M5 than the F. Feels like more than 384 ft lbs of torque ??

rominl

iTrader: (4)

great move niko!!!! aside from the tranny and the gas mileage, i have to say i really like the m5 as a car overall

the tq, i think it has to do with the gearing maybe. i don't know what you mean by low end, but driving my m3, i never feel lack of tq.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

There was an M5 in my group at the track this weekend. The driver was good, but the brakes were not. I passed her every time I went out because she just couldn't take advantage of all the power and keep the brakes working.

I've also never been impressed by the 500+ lbs the BMW V-10 weighs.

But to each his own. I can certainly understand needing more back seat. The 2IS is not generous at all. Even a Scion tC has more rear leg room...

t0e

iTrader: (1)

To call SMG a POS, is just pure ignorance. (You drove in Auto Mode)

I can tell your ideas are biased.

80ms shift times not fast enough for you?

I have driven in a GTR & Ferrari 599 / and when I have SMG at 6, it almost feels the same, minus the HP difference and Gforce pull. But you still get that "Jerk your head back" motion when shifting. L O V E ... It...

Cant really feel that with DCT, even though I know DCT shifts at about 10ms or so. Yes it's faster, but not by much.

How fast does your eye blink?

-Btw. Dont take it personal. Seems like everyone does these days
----------------------------------------

Orginal Poste Question.

I don't know why I am even commenting, bored I guess.

Get the m5 if you have lots of $ to spend on gas and don't care for low end Torque.

Get the IS-F if you want to save $ on Gas and want something different that can also be just as fast, with more bottom end and not as much high end.

Also, the gearing is completely different between both cars,
and RPM 6500 vs what 8000?

Don't forget to turn off "M" mode, so you can save some gas on the 5

LeslieRC

Even though I was pleasantly surprised, and impressed, that IS-F drivers didn't trash the notion of going to the dark side for an M5, thank you for the most objective post I've read here. I own the M5 in its other guise, the M6; and the truth is that the IS-F and M5 are entirely different beasts, the former (IS-F) being the more civilized of the two, but not by much. To the person here who suggested that an M5 driver was surprised that he couldn't pull away from their IS-F my thinking is that the M5 driver really didn't want to. In P500 performance program, the M5 is pure evil at 500hp. Do that in a straight line and not much catches it. Also, bear in mind that the M5's performance settings can usher 300hp, 400hp, or 500hp, with corresponding steering and suspension settings. To the other poster who suggested that BMW M cars have gotten more fuel efficient, I haven't yet seen that happen for the M5 and M6; however, for me the trade-off of hearing the exhaust notes from the V-10 is still worth it.

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

The M5 driver actually was trying. On the dyno where I go, the M5's put down around 425whp (stock), which is only around 30+ more than what I have currently been able to put down. Considering the weight difference of a couple hundred pounds, we were indeed evenly matched.