0:00
BMW's Super Saloon recipe has come a long way since the original E28 M5
0:08
In this series we'll be visiting four very different circuits in the UK
0:13
all of them Evo favourites and home to our track day and evening events
0:18
Should be fun, so let's get cracking. So here we are at Alton Park, which I think is probably my outright favourite circuit in
0:42
the UK. Why? Because it's quite a lot like the Nürburgring in places. There's lots of
0:49
undulation out the back over there, some really tricky curbs to deal with, and the surface
0:54
itself is really quite bumpy. So this M5 competition is going to need to be in the perfect setting
1:00
to deal with this place. So let's give it a go. In this first film, because there will be others
1:07
to come, we're in amongst some pretty enthusiastic track day traffic at Alton. And the idea is to
1:15
take a deep dive into the M5's M menu and adjust the car's dynamics electronically to dial it into
1:22
the nuances of this particular circuit. There are two red M buttons on the steering wheel itself which means you can set the car up to behave quite differently at the simple press of each button Within the M menus you can alter the throttle map the gearbox map
1:41
the electronic damper response, the steering response and the way the diffs behave
1:46
You can even switch the DSC off completely which then allows you to put the four-wheel drive system
1:53
in a more aggressive sport mode or even to disconnect the front axle entirely
1:59
and put the M5 competition fully into rear-wheel drive. So you'd normally reach for the button that switches everything off
2:09
in a 625 horsepower M5 competition. And yes, you'd go sideways everywhere
2:16
and yes, you'd have a lot of fun in the process, but you wouldn't be very quick and you would be really quite dangerous
2:22
But I'm not going to do that today. The idea is to use all the M5 competitions, various electronic toys, its e-diff, diffs
2:36
four-wheel drive in standard, remember? And just to see if I can really dial this thing into Alton Park
2:46
Because it's a proper challenge, this track. It's a belter of a circuit
2:51
As I said, it's my favourite in the UK. without question this section up here is just wicked it really is so the settings i'm in
3:01
i got the engine in sport plus maximum attack i got the gearbox in Sport Plus Well S3 actually which again is the fastest and the most aggressive shift patterns I
3:15
actually got the chassis in Sport because this place is so bumpy and it is just still
3:23
a little bit damp. Well, it's very damp in places. And these curves, which you do need
3:28
to be aggressive over, to be quick around Alton Park. You don't want a car that's really, really stiff
3:35
and a lovely smooth circuit like some of the others that we'll go to
3:40
Yeah, you want to dial everything up to as stiff as possible and have absolutely maximum body control whilst doing so
3:48
But here, today, I've just got it slightly softer chassis-wise. I've got the steering in full beans, everything else is in full beans, but I do have the DSC
4:01
switched on because it's a brilliant system, but it allows you to get away with all sorts of stuff
4:11
So, it just means you don't have to be an absolute mega hand to really, really maximise
4:20
the M5 competition. You really do learn to appreciate how clever the electronics are
4:29
in this car how sophisticated it feels as a result and how it allows all sorts of drivers with all sorts of ability So just jump in and once you acclimatised to the fact that it goes like stink
4:47
I mean, it's seriously fast, the M5 competition. And when you look at this car in the paddock
4:54
it doesn't look like the quickest car here, but it is. It's also just really good fun
5:03
And it wouldn't be as much fun without the electronics. There you go. Lesson learned
5:09
So what did we actually learn by taking the M5 competition to a busy track day at Alton Park
5:17
Well, lots of things as it turned out. One, that the adjustable drive modes really do allow you to dial this car in to different tracks
5:26
Even ones as tricky as this. Two, that you don't need to be a superhero to get the most out of the M5 competition
5:34
once you've worked out which settings work best for you and for the car
5:40
And three, that the M car really has come an awful long way
5:45
since its invention over 40 years ago. So join us next time at our next circuit
5:52
And until then, cheers for watching and stay safe
