Is there such a thing as too fast?

I found myself asking this sacrilegious question after driving the brand new, and quite beefy, BMW M5 that you see on the cover of this issue. The original M5 from the mid-80’s produces 280 horses and remains to this day an exceptionally rewarding car to drive. The horsepower wars, over the years, have meant that the latest M5 – five generations later – is packing a full 600 horses. But is that too many – is there even such a thing as too much?

There was a time when the Japanese manufacturers felt that the horsepower wars were spiralling out of control. So they formed a gentleman’s agreement to restrict horsepower to a somewhat arbitrary – yet quite appropriate – figure of 276bhp. But, over the years, as cars continued to get more powerful – to the extent that several manufacturers actually began underreporting power figures – this agreement quietly fell by the wayside. Since then, it’s as if the lid to Pandora’s horsepower box has been thrown open and manufacturers have been consumed by a game of bhp-one-upmanship. Either that, or they truly are trying to fulfil our seemingly insatiable thirst for power.

It’s inevitable that the latest model will be faster and more powerful than the last, but where does it all end? During the media drive of the new M5 in Portugal, BMW had all the previous generations of the M5 graciously lined-up for us to sample – presumably to see just how much the new model has moved the game on. And it has – like how!

Quite simply, it’s stupendously fast and capable. And, don’t get me wrong, it put a huge smile on my face. I was so awestruck by its sheer breadth of ability that I could barely contain my amazement. But then I got into the previous generation machines, and, on anything but a racetrack, they were more fun to drive.

The E28 – the original – was soft and not very fast by comparison, but it was involving and you could really push it on the tight coastal roads without having to approach twice the speed limit. The generation after that had a beautifully long throttle pedal that allowed you to perfectly modulate power without having to resort to electronic interference. The subsequent generation, the E39, had a V8 and 400 horses under the bonnet, but it still allowed you to go take liberties with the loud pedal and slide the rear of the car around at will on deserted public roads.

The current gen, however, is so planted that even its prodigious power output doesn’t unsettle the car. And while that’s very good on an objective level, it also renders the driver – and his or her skill – largely irrelevant. The car can do incredible things, with or without you. Sure, it’ll take you along for the ride, but you’re not an integral part of the machine. The microchip, and this thirst for more power, appears to have rendered the driver redundant. It’s thrilling yes, but not ethereal.   

So, the god honest truth is – and I don’t think this is nostalgia talking – if given the option of jumping into the driver’s seat of a brand new M5 or one from many years ago, I would respectfully tip my hat to the former but choose to go for a spin in the latter.