Bah, it makes the clear road by overtaking everything in its path

 

 

I'm glad I've got a nice clean licence at the moment

 

in 40,000 miles i only gained 3 points.

You need to beat my landspeed record (in germany) of over 180 on the clock.

 

Straight through the limiter in 5th you say?


I'll give it a go on the way home tonight and see if I can make the national news

 

Actually, to pass the limiter, all I think you have to do is turn the DSC off. I think about 150 you have to change up to 6th anyway.

Lend me your car for the evening and I'll tell you for certain

the 5th gear thing is E39 M5's allegedly.

 

Had a play and RTFM.

There's 5 settings with an extra one that pops up when you switch off DSC so 6 in total.

There was too much traffic and I was too tired on the way home last night to test it out properly.

Found some more FREDs though, it's got rain sensitive wipers, launch control (gay) and some hill start thing.

I also discovered that Sport mode + full auto in the softest setting = kangeroo.

 

Auto wipers, self dipping rear view mirror, and the Hill Start Assist are excellent IMO

Mine has a "Sport" button. All it does in make the throttle a lot more sensative, but it is good when "pressing on".

 

The sport button ..... not to be used when the car is cold

 

Time for a mini-update:

I've done nearly 2k miles now, mainly mundane motorway trips and the daily commute to work but there have been a few opportunities to open it up and have a play.

I really like the SMG and am glad I went for it.

I've settled down to a few modes now, generally the softest setting in automatic round town and the fastest setting in sequential.

When the opportunity arises and I've got enough time to press all the right buttons I'll switch of DSC and use the extra 'pure sporty' setting

It really is harsh in the lower gears so I'm still lifting off the throttle for them but once in the higher gears it's foot to the floor all the way.

It's quite a frustrating car on the road as it doesn't really come life until you're pushing it quite hard, too hard for the public highway IMO.

Even with the CSL parts and the mega quick steering, I truly believe it's an area where Subaru have BMW licked. I didn't have to be going anywhere near as quick in my Legacy to get the same sensations.

If this M car is supposed to be as good as it gets, I just don't think people understand what a driver's car is really about. It maybe just a personal thing, I do accept it's subjective.

The engine is still fantastic and makes a great noise to start and end the day with even if it is a little grumpy in the morning - you're not wrong about using Sport mode when it's cold John

Overall, really happy with it. I'm really enjoying the mixture of performance and cosseting and it's already justified the first few big bills (13k till an oil service so hopefully there won't be any in the near future).

Off for a drive now