"Awesome" is frequently the word used to describe this car, but not "awesome" in the way a teenager uses the word but "awesome" in the way someone who can actually afford what amounts to a German-engineered, (barely) street-legal race car.

The M5's V-10 engine produces 500 horsepower and goes from zero to 60 in a hair-raising 4.7 seconds, according to independent test drivers. The M5 is built on the 5-series platform, but some of the controversial changes to that line of cars have missed the M5.

"(T)he M5 still stands out as one of the least controversial BMWs designed under Chris Bangle. It's a chunky piece, with a wide, low stance that spells presence with a capital P," wrote one automotive journalist. "The nineteen-inch wheels wear Michelin Pilot Sport footwear, 255/40 up front and 285/35 at the rear."