IT might seem crazy to think a car-maker could seriously endow one if its road-going sedans with as much sheer power and dynamic ability as the BMW M5. This is a car with towering abilities you’ll rarely get to experience on the road, where the astronomical 373kW of V10 power and massively competent braking and suspension make it virtually racetrack-ready despite its luxe presentation and subtle exterior. But if you like the idea of knowing there’s barely anything else on the road that is as brilliantly capable and commodious as this, then where else would you want to go? The BMW M5 defines how close to the extremes it is possible to get with a tractable, luxurious road car.

BMW E39 M5 sedan
Released: March 1999
Ended: October 2003
Family Tree: 5 SeriesLaunched in Europe in 1998, the previous-generation E39 M5 reached Australian shores in March 1999. Initially priced at $198,500 and available only in six-speed manual guise, M5's price changed to $194,240 and then $195,800 before it was discontinued in October 2003. Its 4.9-litre DOHC V8 produced a prodigious 295kW and 500Nm of torque.
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