Anyone here owned or driven an E60 M5? M3 coupe or M5 with kids?

[urbo73]

1. Forget the coupe if getting the M3. If going M3, get the M3 sedan for now until your kid can get in/out easily 3-4 years down the road, at which point you can start looking at coupes. I know people will say you can fit an infant/baby chair in the coupe, and you can, but it's a MAJOR PITA. Been there, done that, forget it.

2. Driving wise, the M3 sedan is better than the M5. Better transmissions (M3's 6MT and DCT are better than M5's 6MT and SMG), better handling, etc. M5 feels like a large heavy boat, the M3 like a mini-tank (still too heavy for me, but no other options).

3. Comfort and space. This is a personal thing. Only you and your wife will know. For me, my wife, and 16month old son, the M3 sedan has plenty of space. Others love huge trunks, larger backseats, etc. YMMV. Depends on how much useless baby stuff you've been suckered into buying and think you'll have to carry

[Speedtrap]

Even the M3 coupe has lots of space for kids at the back....

[kenwelch]

Originally Posted by urbo73

1. Forget the coupe if getting the M3. If going M3, get the M3 sedan for now until your kid can get in/out easily 3-4 years down the road, .......

3. Comfort and space. This is a personal thing. Only you and your wife will know. For me, my wife, and 16month old son, the M3 sedan has plenty of space. Others love huge trunks, larger backseats, etc. YMMV. Depends on how much useless baby stuff you've been suckered into buying and think you'll have to carry

I have a coupe and feel a high quality (safe) rear facing baby seat will not be fun load on a daily basis. I also agree that all the "baby stuff" will not likely fit in the E92 trunk. Borrow a baby stroller like the one your wife would like and stop by the dealer for a trial fit (or won't). My mom uses a walker which stripped down just allows the trunk lid to close.

My 7 year old granddaughter fits and can do the entry/exit with little problem. I have not even tried to get the 3 year old grandson's seat installed we just take the 5 series sportwagon (525it).

[Mischievous M]

Originally Posted by FStop7

M5 Pros:

More room front and rear
Ventilated seats, HUD, other cool options not available for the M3
More powerful than the M3, insane top end pull

M5 Cons:

Poorer handling vs. M3
Poor gas mileage and a small tank
SMG isn't very good and the 6 speed is mismatched and feels 'wrong'
Insane depreciation

M3 sedan pros:

Costs less (varies)
Handles better
Has better iDrive (if you get a 2009)
DCT much better than SMG, 6MT much better matched to the car
Slightly better gas mileage (but in either case it's not exactly good)

M3 cons:

Smaller interior, less cargo space
Not as powerful
Stiffer ride even in comfort mode
Lacks some of the neat features like HUD, etc

Hi mate,

I've never owned an E60 M5 BUT I own the current 2008 E92 M3 Coupe and have had the privilege of driving both. I would say that the M3 is a fantastic car for weekends and if you're not taking the family out regularly.

Its a tough call to really man up the M3 vs M5 due their different characteristics. The M3 is like taking a real STUNNING date to a wild party whilst the M5 is like taking a refined but also GORGEOUS date/wife to a wine and dine event. pardon the poor contrasting analogies Both are great cars however it depends on how be selfish you wanna be . For me I'm single so I got the M3, whilst my brother is married with two kids so he got the M5. Hope this kinda helps.

IMHO the M3 is a driver's car that you can easily whisk down to the local tracks if you wanted to frequently.

[Ken37.73]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

i have the M3 coupe, and my brother has the E60 M5. if i am expecting a kid i would not even look at the coupe. getting the kid in and out with the seat and all will make you cry!

E60 is very nimble, fast, responsive, it's a beast. and it feels like 10x more of a car than the M3. in other words i feel my m3 is pretty ghetto now.

one thing tho, the M5 has much more body roll that i can notice. still pretty damn nimble, handles great and all, but not as precise as the M3.

if i were u, my options would be the E90 M3 (sedan) and the E60 M5. coupe is definitely a no no with a kid

WTF Mantis ? I thought you were the M3's champion ??

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by kenwelch

I have a coupe and feel a high quality (safe) rear facing baby seat will not be fun load on a daily basis. I also agree that all the "baby stuff" will not likely fit in the E92 trunk. Borrow a baby stroller like the one your wife would like and stop by the dealer for a trial fit (or won't). My mom uses a walker which stripped down just allows the trunk lid to close.

Its not that bad getting the baby seat in. My daughter was huge, 20 lbs at 6 months old and I could still get the seat in pretty easily.

How much more room does the sedan have? The primary advantage that the sedan has is more headroom in the back...not a factor with a small kid. There is plenty of space for kid stuff.

A coupe is fine with 1 kid. Even okay with 2.

[urbo73]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Its not that bad getting the baby seat in. My daughter was huge, 20 lbs at 6 months old and I could still get the seat in pretty easily.

How much more room does the sedan have? The primary advantage that the sedan has is more headroom in the back...not a factor with a small kid. There is plenty of space for kid stuff.

A coupe is fine with 1 kid. Even okay with 2.

It can be done, but it's a PITA. Sedan has room for one more person too. But it's not about room man, it's about getting in and out. 4 doors wins, period.

[gemini330zhp]

I have never rode in or drove a M5 I bet its an amazing car. I own a e90 M3 sedan and previously a E36 m3 coupe and a e46 m3 coupe. To tell you the truth in the E90 M3 I feel like I am still in a coupe it is very well connected to the road. You do not feel like you are in a big car or even a 4door sedan. I keep on forgetting I have 4 doors if your looking for a vehicle that handles and connected to the road and not feel like a big car an e90 M3 it will fit your needs. I would test drive both before making your choice.

[inmotion]

How could you say no to a 4door saloon packing 500hp. Here's mine. If I had to choose between my E92 and my E60, it would have to be the E60 due to its added size. All comes down to what you need it for.

[BRDHNTR]

I hope the e60 M5 is nice, because I am trying to talk my buddy into one instead of an E55. I don't know why he wants a big 4-door, but if I was going to get one the e60 is what I would get.

[inmotion]

Originally Posted by BRDHNTR

I hope the e60 M5 is nice, because I am trying to talk my buddy into one instead of an E55. I don't know why he wants a big 4-door, but if I was going to get one the e60 is what I would get.

He should be able to get a pretty fair deal on just about anything now. The E55's excellent torque curve can be had at much lower rpms. Perhaps a better comparison would be the E63 to a '08 E60 M5. The 63 engine is far superior to its supercharged little brother.

[ideliver]

Originally Posted by shchow

I have driven both extensively. The M3 is the better driving car, hands down. But there is something about a V-10 screaming at 8000rpms that cannot be described.
I have 3 kids so I also needed the space.
You cannot go wrong with either choice.
With the M5, you get a 2 day Driving Experience in Spartanburg as part of the package; which was very nice. Get to abuse all the M cars there.
I personally like the SMG, but I hear great things about the DCT as well.
M3 if you plan on tracking the car at all.
M5 because it's a 7 speed V10 with 500hp.

Hope that helps.

wow...i thought for a minute I was reading my own post...

for pics..http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...ml#post1486547

the only negative thing that I can say about the M5 is that the RANGE sux...18 gal tank with 10 to 13 mpg with mixed driving...they really needed to find 5 more gallons in that tank...otherwise..the car is perfect...and I too love the SMG...S6 is SICK

[mdrobc13]

I have an e92 M3 coupe and my kids are fairly older now 7 and 9 y/o so they have no problems getting in the car when I pick them up from school and even when we've all hopped in and gone out there's not much of a hastle with me, wifey and kids. However when they were younger I did have a 3 series sedan and the wife had an ML320 so 4 doors does make things easier.

However I'd not let that stop me from gettin a coupe either. Go out there and test and search car seats. I am sure there's plenty of info on the forums and someone has found at least ONE amazing car seat that you can use in a coupe. And remember those times for carriers and that they're infants fly by...kids grow like weeds now adays. So get what you want especially if you have another car to take with you when you're hauling stuff or lots of people.

As for the M5 vs M3 debate...depends on your tastes and wants. The M5 is an awesome car but drinks too much gas, oil, and tires in my opinion or for my tastes. I'd rather spend $$ on on other things! But that's a personal choice there! Good luck!

[BRDHNTR]

I didn't even think about range. I am driving an A4 2.0T service loaner for an S8 that is in the shop (M3 is parked for the winter) and this thing has a 550 mile range vs. 350 or so w/ the S8 or M3. It's amazing, it's like it doesn't burn fuel and I drive the piss out of it.

[shchow]

Originally Posted by ideliver

the only negative thing that I can say about the M5 is that the RANGE sux...18 gal tank with 10 to 13 mpg with mixed driving...they really needed to find 5 more gallons

Absolutely agree here. I get about 11.5 mpg and have to fill at around 180 mile range. Driving only highway, I might get 280-300 mile range.

And yes, S6, P500sport, DSC off is mind blowing

PS...As you can see, I'm a big fan of black as well. I love the all black look...

[apexi]

I pondered the same thoughts too for the future...M3 sedan, coupe, M5, C63, etc...here was the perfect solution:

[jml]

Rear seat pic.

Driver seat is in my personal setting (i'm 5'9")