absent

Launch Control while nice to have, is a bit impractical in daily driving/racing to best spot on next light.
P400 is best to use on low traction roads (ice,snow) or in a stop-go and any other low speed situations.
S6 mode is only moderately faster then S5 but requires DSC to be off and that could be dangerous outside of track or other controlled enviroment if you "lose it".
I prefer to use S5 all the time ,since in that mode I can drive the smoothest,without upsetting the passengers,and still having the full potential of the car at my disposal.
Let's not forget though,if I'm not ready(in right gear),not only would I have my *** whipped by AMG but also by any other semiperformance car.
Very satisfying,very fun,very well put together with first class materials(on par with my S600)car,but one that requires constant concentration and "work" to be driven properly.
If some of my driving was not at 4-5 am on I-94 on a regular basis,I would probably trade back to Benz.
I will enjoy it for now.....

SoulBladeZA

One of my father's friends also has an M5 with 6500km on the clock now. When I was in the car with him recently, we did a LC start at just under 5000rpm. You can adjust the revs for the LC with the cruise control lever. I assume we were near max revs. The car hooked up instantly and gave me a mild case of whiplash

I have to agree, an M5 from idle won't be the fastest thing out of the blocks (obviously), there is always the manual version coming soon which won't be as fast in higher speeds, but should be faster in the 0-1000m sprint with a good driver. This theory is based on the fact that this was the case for the M3 in South Africa. The E55 is still the easier car to drive fast in a straight line, hence the fact that some people don't give the M5 a second look, regardless of the M5's appearance. I will say one thing for the M5 though - every time I sit down behind the steering wheel I get a semi It's just awesome to drive and while it requires your full attention the whole time to enjoy it, it never becomes tiresome. It's a *****cat in traffic too. Driving it from Pretoria to Johannesburg at 5pm in D3 setting on P400 and Comfort suspension is very relaxing. 85% as good as in an E55, and we all know how well the E55 excels in this regard.

One more thing regarding the LC, there are no sub-menus and stuff to go through before you launch at a set of lights. Simply program the M-button to S6, DSC off, Sport suspension and P500 Sport. Stop at lights. Check the fast car next to you. Wave or throw an obscene sign :v Press the M-button. Press the gearlever forward and hold it there. Depress the gas pedal fully. Wait for green and release the lever. It's alot quicker and simpler to launch than a manual gearbox, and not alot more trouble than an auto. In the auto you still have to load up the torque converter and get it just right at launch, plus you also have to press one button to deactivate the ESP/DSC.

I'm not here trolling for BMW, merely correcting a few facts. I also love the low-down power of the E55, which I can appreciate too because my current daily driver is a diesel. It's being replaced by a 130i in a month, but I nearly got the newly launched C320 diesel instead after going for a test-drive and reading rave reviews about the effortless power delivery. That's until I was told you can only get it in automatic. Now some might say the auto was better for traffic yada yada, but I don't mind driving a manual in traffic. I got it for the 20% of the time I'm NOT in traffic.

Sorry for the long post, I guess I have too much time on my hands.

Ted Baldwin

.....I don't kow which car is better between the W211 e55 and the new M5. If you were trying to make the point that the launch control in the M5 is easy to use, you did ot succeed. Just read the above paragraph again. For the E55, you simply push on the gas. No, you dont have to brake torue except if you are at the drag strip. your tires will will spin like crazy ad you might fish tail and get into a accidet if you brake torue on public roads. All you do is just press the gas pedal. Simple.

ted

enzom

No apology necessary. Good post.

Believe me, I wish the E55 was a bit more "involving". But my fantasy commute through the winding roads of the Palisades is just a fantasy. For my boring, nearly arrow straight, 6 mile trips, there is no involvement to be had. Alot of quick squirts around slower traffick at 2,500 rpm, where the monster torque of the E55 makes it too easy.

SoulBladeZA

True, but the SMG is no more troublesome to launch than a manual. Apart from a once-off setting (which takes 20 seconds), it's not much trouble to use LC at all. Surely you aren't going to claim that a manual gearbox is too much hassle? That's the whole appeal of it

SoulBladeZA

Thanks

I agree an M5 would be pointless and I'd also opt for the E55 given your circumstances

MBH

WOW, I thought that new M5 would be much faster than those real world times.

enzom

I also thought that they would be quicker. But we only have a couple of examples. Let's wait for some more data. As long as guys like Derek keep hitting the strip, it won't be long before a clearer picture develops.

RennTechV12

I didn't.

MBH

RennTech,

You just made a good point. Acceleration is all about Torque. Thanks for reminding me and bringing that up. I guess we AMG folks have nothing to worry about when it comes to torque :p

MBH

enzom,

You did a 12.07 with a stock E55?? What kind of rear tires did you use? I'm guessing Englishtown since I use to live 25min. from that track and raced there every weekend back in the day.

enzom

Yup. Bone stock on the stock Conti's. At Englishtown. I backed it up with a 12.09 and a few 12.1X's and many 12.2's, all at 116 and 117 mph. She is strong.

My most impressive runs were at Atco. It was 84 degrees and I was hot-lapping in the 12.1's at 117 plus mph. Atco has great air.

I just want to get that 11.9X timeslip in a bone stock E55. That'll make my day.

Erik

I have said it in another post, the only time the M5 has a weekness is the first couple of tenths where it feels like the LC is feeling out the traction before it applises full power, that delay "problem" is not present on the E55 and that moment could alowe the E55 to pull a small lead.
Another thing is, how will the SMG LC would react to a sticky racetrack, it is as we know based on cluch slipping, would the system be capable of using the extra traction.

But none of the test that has been made in Europe of the M vs the AMG has shown the M behind in any time to speed ( from 0-25 mph) and up. Therfor it looks strange to me that the E should be much faster in the 1/4.

1 thing is for sure, neither drivers can "fall a sleep" at the wheels and expect to win against the other.

mclarenm8d

Count me in as well. I'm actually surprised someone could get the new M5 to run a 12 on street tires. Well done to the driver who could!

Doesn't this argument seem a lot like the old Audi RS6 versus E55 argument? Where are all those "high-tech" Audi RS6's anyway? Why do any of you guys with E55's concern yourself with this?

The "torque sensation" sells in the US.

E55_POWER

Former owner of an Audi RS6 with Chip and Exhaust and trust me, most if not all RS6 owners know that the E55 will easily beat the RS6 in a straigh line shot. RS6 just has no chance against an E55, heck even my modded RS6 would get toasted by a stock E55.
Also owned an E55 with Renntech Stage 1 and a stock E55 will beat my M5 off the line for sure. Simple as that.

DerekFSU

My M5 does not pause with LC. Because the 1/4 mile time does not start until you brake the light beams, your LC could pause for minutes and still run a 12 second quarter. It matters in head-to-head run but makes no difference in the time.

Ted Baldwin

............I was in attendance and watched the M5 race the E55. I was expecting high drama. I was kinda shocked really at the M5's 1/4 mile time. I didn't post the M5's 1/4 mile time since Derek the car's owner did not wanyt it posted at that time. My friend owns the old M5 and after I saw the race, I tiold him to keep his car. I think the old M5 is beautiful and with a few mods will be faster than than the new M5.

Ted

Ted

Mardeth

I wonder what kind of times the true manual M5 will produce...