2001 BMW M5 Yuma AZ

Case-hardened by a career-long barrage of lavish press trips and free loaner test cars, the typical automotive journalist tends to be a pretty hard person to impress. Yet BMW's M5 (introduced as a 2000 model) has reduced the automotive press to a bunch of blubbering idiots. Almost universally acknowledged as the best production sports sedan ever offered to the public, the M5 has even been proclaimed to be the "Perfect Car" by some scribes. So much for the jaded automotive press—they're flat in love with the M5.

But can any car be as capable, versatile and just plain good as the M5 buzz suggests? The simple answer: yes. The M5 performs like an all-out sports car, but delivers the comfort of a fine luxury sedan. At about $70,000, the M5 is not cheap, but it's safe to say there's nothing at any price that's a better all-around car.

Built by BMW's elite M subsidiary, the M5 is the most capable car in the Bavarian maker's storied product line. The M5 starts out as a garden-variety 5 Series sedan, so it has all the core virtues inherent in the breed. There's comfortable room for five in a leather-lined interior that's characterized by fine attention to detail and quiet solidity. Safety engineering is comprehensive too, with BMW's Head Protection System front and rear complementing smart dual-threshold front airbags. Standard ABS, traction control, dynamic stability control and a limited-slip differential help to keep you out of trouble in the first place.

Author: Jeff Karr

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