BMW M5 taken for a spin at Yas Marina

1.954834-3630863031 — “It was a strange feeling crawling on to the track near the marina grandstand of the awesome Yas Marina with nary a soul around.” Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/ANM

It's surprising how the slightest change in setting can make a huge difference in the way you perceive people or things. Superstars don't look or talk the same way in real life as they do on screen. It's the same with cars. You fall in love with a car after driving it along pre-planned routes in Europe and get the shock of your life when it acts completely different on our roads here. It's happened to us several times before.

When I called the BMW M5 the best car in the world after driving it around the Ascari racetrack in Spain a few months back, Amit had apparently made a mental note to make sure that I drive the car first when it comes to the UAE. Because he thought my opinion might change when I drove it on a road or a track that wasn't chosen by the carmaker as it was during my trip. So when the good guys at BMW gave him the M5, not only did he hand the key over to me, but he also arranged for the south end of Yas Marina to be mine, albeit for a fixed amount of time. Sweet.

In Spain, I was so full of anticipation and excitement that I couldn't care less about the styling changes that were made to the M5. Now, looking at it again up close, I realised that there was another reason why I overlooked these changes. It's because they are as subtle as they can get, and they're all more functional than cosmetic. The three yawning air intakes below the grille, the flared wheel arches, rear diffuser and the small Gurney flap boot spoiler are all there for practical reasons rather than decorative. As I mentioned in the previous review, BMW has left fads like carbon fibre and Alcantara out of the M5's cabin, opting for aluminium and wood instead.

Eager to make the most of the few laps I am getting with the M5, I settled down into the plush leather M sports seats and pressed the start button. Sadly, it sounds a tad tame and muffled compared with the vicious snarl of the previous M5's naturally aspirated V10. But that's pretty much the only aspect where it disappoints. With two twin scroll turbochargers thrown in to make up for the missing couple of cylinders, the 4.4-litre V8, which is a variant of the S63 petrol units doing service in the M SUVs, puts out 560bhp and a monstrous 680Nm of torque is on tap from as early as 1,500 revs.

It was a strange feeling crawling on to the track near the marina grandstand of the awesome Yas Marina with nary a soul around. After a brief pause to take in the moment, I floored the loud pedal. The M5 tore away from 0-100kph inwhat seemed less than the claimed4.4 seconds and with enormous amounts of torque placed at my disposal, hitting speeds close to 200kph never looked this easy. The seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual gearbox does a great job channelling this entire grunt to the rear wheels with instantaneous yet smooth shifts.

The first opportunity to test the old-school hydraulic steering — unlike the electronic ones in the regular 5ers — presented itself pretty soon, on Turn 11 near the south grandstand, which is immediately followed by a fast right-left and another left. The flawlessly weighted steering transmitted the minutest of info from the front wheels to my sweaty palms and the M5 went exactly where I pointed its nose, with incredible precision. Meanwhile the adaptive dampers and sticky Pirelli rubbers made sure traction was spectacularly impressive as well. This also means that the tail doesn't wag all too readily unless you really push the limits.

It was while going under the bridge near the Yas Hotel that I realised the V8's growl isn't that bad after all. The M5's rumble had managed to catch the attention ofa few guests having lunch at the outdoor restaurant by the sharp right near the Marina. By the time I came round the second time, they had lined up by the railings with their cameras. Whizzing past the super-expensive yachts, it struck me even more that this is a car that can make you look good on a track day while not being out of place in a luxury setting.

So, has the change in scenery changed my opinion of the BMW M5? Do I still think it's the best car in the world? When it's still all the great cars I can think of remarkably squeezed into one, the answer is; I do.

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