vwfourlife
Member
I can still remember reading the CAR Magazine shoot out between the e55 AMG and the then e39 V8 M5.
If you read it, you will know that the M5 was well and truly 'thumped' by the charged AMG.
It was a sad read, as I was a serious M fan and the fact that a Merc topped the test was seriously disappointing.
So, you can imagine the smile on my face, when the V10 M5 arrived on the scene and in a similar CAR test, obliterated
the AMG. It actually obliterated most everything on the roads back then. It was probably during that read, when I said to myself
"one- day I will own a V10". This was a pretty bold statement given that I was born with the proverbial wooden spoon rather than the more useful silver type.
As time progressed and my car ownership extended from humble Citi Golf origins to more exciting machines, I always hankered
for an M car and infact a V10 to be precise.
I was suitably chuffed when I drove out of the dealership some two years ago now in my 'brand spanking' new Z4 M Coupe.
Before the Z4 I was one of many that just couldn't/ wouldn't accept that M cars were 'all that'.
Lets just say I was a quick convert.
Time, as it always does, rolled on and I needed to get a more practical car as I was now married- yada yada yada.
This resulted in my short lived C63 ownership experience- 31 days to be exact. A nice car, na, a great car but one I never could
gel with. It so happened that I had driven numerous V10's prior to getting into the 63 and now as I had the 63 in my garage, I realised I had made a mistake.
So as I walked into the dealership that Thursday to collect my M6- my excitement was palpable. Seeing her sitting there in the middle
of the showroom- gleaming from every angle, with that 'oh so' aggressive stance and the massive 19's bulging out the arches.
Was I actually doing this? Was I the same person, that used to stare out the bus windows at the plethora of passing cars?
The sales man and I went over the car and he tried to explain all the settings and different aspects of the car. Lets just say I think
I did more of the explaining than him- when we were done, he said- 'you sure you haven't owned one of these before?'
As I rolled out the dealership and sank back into the snug seats, gripped the thick rimmed M steering- its was then that it actually dawned on me-
I had a V10...................
It is a car of two halves- a real Jekyll and Hyde persona. I used to drive her sedately to church on a Sunday morning with sans any traffic on the roads and she was as docile and comfortable as any luxury car I had ever experienced. On the way back, with a single depression of the M button she transformed into an absolute beast- P500 mode, SMG in S6, EDC on its stiffest setting and she was now a real super car.
The howl of the V10 at full chat is incredible.
My most memorable times-
- doing a true speed of 307kph as verified by the VBOX and GPS (it was 3 am, the roads were dead and I could see ahead for what looked like 2kms)
- pulling the Lambo on the freeway and the sound of 2 V10's flat out.
I never managed to strap the Mickie Thompsons on but she still amazed me at the track.
Bone stock at ODI, street tires, 95 pump fuel and a then still novice SMG pilot- and she still did -
12.71 @ 185kph on the 400m and ran to a very impressive 244kph on the 1km.
She was very impressive on the track but for me the best times were had on slightly winding roads with the TC set to Mdynamic.
Where most other cars are dying off at 6500rpm she is just coming alive and bangs into the limiter @ 8450rpm.
The C63 really impressed- she managed +/-260 bhp @ FRC and then went on to make 331bhp after the remap, K&N filters and NF.
The V10- she did 363bhp bone stock-insane.
I have had the privilege of owning some really nice cars and each have a soft spot with me but I doubt there will ever be anything that will rival my V10, Eve ( I name all my cars, the Z4 was Ivanka and the 63 was Giselle)
So it was with a heavy heart and more than a small lump in my throat that I drove into the dealership to leave my 'pride and joy' behind.
Pro's-
- she was a V10, duh.........
- the driving experience is incredible and the car becomes an extension of you
- she drew admiring glances whether at the filling station or any shopping centre
- I don't think I ever parked her without turning back for a second glance
Con's-
- she gulped fuel like a thirsty Viking- I never saw more than 380km on a tank and the worst was less than 170km
- SMG sucks A$$- it rolls and is sluggish and lethargic at normal to slow speeds
- I'm sure I mentioned the +/- R120k I am losing
Verdict-
- V10 for the win
If you read it, you will know that the M5 was well and truly 'thumped' by the charged AMG.
It was a sad read, as I was a serious M fan and the fact that a Merc topped the test was seriously disappointing.
So, you can imagine the smile on my face, when the V10 M5 arrived on the scene and in a similar CAR test, obliterated
the AMG. It actually obliterated most everything on the roads back then. It was probably during that read, when I said to myself
"one- day I will own a V10". This was a pretty bold statement given that I was born with the proverbial wooden spoon rather than the more useful silver type.
As time progressed and my car ownership extended from humble Citi Golf origins to more exciting machines, I always hankered
for an M car and infact a V10 to be precise.
I was suitably chuffed when I drove out of the dealership some two years ago now in my 'brand spanking' new Z4 M Coupe.
Before the Z4 I was one of many that just couldn't/ wouldn't accept that M cars were 'all that'.
Lets just say I was a quick convert.
Time, as it always does, rolled on and I needed to get a more practical car as I was now married- yada yada yada.
This resulted in my short lived C63 ownership experience- 31 days to be exact. A nice car, na, a great car but one I never could
gel with. It so happened that I had driven numerous V10's prior to getting into the 63 and now as I had the 63 in my garage, I realised I had made a mistake.
So as I walked into the dealership that Thursday to collect my M6- my excitement was palpable. Seeing her sitting there in the middle
of the showroom- gleaming from every angle, with that 'oh so' aggressive stance and the massive 19's bulging out the arches.
Was I actually doing this? Was I the same person, that used to stare out the bus windows at the plethora of passing cars?
The sales man and I went over the car and he tried to explain all the settings and different aspects of the car. Lets just say I think
I did more of the explaining than him- when we were done, he said- 'you sure you haven't owned one of these before?'
As I rolled out the dealership and sank back into the snug seats, gripped the thick rimmed M steering- its was then that it actually dawned on me-
I had a V10...................
It is a car of two halves- a real Jekyll and Hyde persona. I used to drive her sedately to church on a Sunday morning with sans any traffic on the roads and she was as docile and comfortable as any luxury car I had ever experienced. On the way back, with a single depression of the M button she transformed into an absolute beast- P500 mode, SMG in S6, EDC on its stiffest setting and she was now a real super car.
The howl of the V10 at full chat is incredible.
My most memorable times-
- doing a true speed of 307kph as verified by the VBOX and GPS (it was 3 am, the roads were dead and I could see ahead for what looked like 2kms)
- pulling the Lambo on the freeway and the sound of 2 V10's flat out.
I never managed to strap the Mickie Thompsons on but she still amazed me at the track.
Bone stock at ODI, street tires, 95 pump fuel and a then still novice SMG pilot- and she still did -
12.71 @ 185kph on the 400m and ran to a very impressive 244kph on the 1km.
She was very impressive on the track but for me the best times were had on slightly winding roads with the TC set to Mdynamic.
Where most other cars are dying off at 6500rpm she is just coming alive and bangs into the limiter @ 8450rpm.
The C63 really impressed- she managed +/-260 bhp @ FRC and then went on to make 331bhp after the remap, K&N filters and NF.
The V10- she did 363bhp bone stock-insane.
I have had the privilege of owning some really nice cars and each have a soft spot with me but I doubt there will ever be anything that will rival my V10, Eve ( I name all my cars, the Z4 was Ivanka and the 63 was Giselle)
So it was with a heavy heart and more than a small lump in my throat that I drove into the dealership to leave my 'pride and joy' behind.
Pro's-
- she was a V10, duh.........
- the driving experience is incredible and the car becomes an extension of you
- she drew admiring glances whether at the filling station or any shopping centre
- I don't think I ever parked her without turning back for a second glance
Con's-
- she gulped fuel like a thirsty Viking- I never saw more than 380km on a tank and the worst was less than 170km
- SMG sucks A$$- it rolls and is sluggish and lethargic at normal to slow speeds
- I'm sure I mentioned the +/- R120k I am losing
Verdict-
- V10 for the win
