Weird Flex But OK
Every time I take my car in for maintenance I can’t help but have a look around the showroom. BMW dealerships have been pretty good about stocking up on a fair array of M cars which I think is brilliant. Not all brands take the same approach to sales, (Jaguar). Anyway, the BMW dealership I use has their own “M showroom” and every time I’ve been down there its rather impressive. There aren’t just M cars either. M760i’s, i8’s, and special order cars all occupy that space along with the “regular” M cars. The car that always sticks out most to me though is the new M5, not particularly for its looks, although it is a handsome thing.
Really the whole car as a package appeals to me. I like the proportions, the power, the features, I love the gauge cluster that absolutely nails the blend of digital and analog. All great things, but by far the standout feature of this car is the front seats. The rears are plenty comfortable, but the fronts are incredible. Truly one of the best seats Ive ever plopped myself into. Maybe my age is starting to show, but seat comfort has really become a top priority.
I realize some of the larger M cars share similar basic architecture when it comes to the seats, but there was something about the comfort, support, styling, and bolstering of the M5 that really impresses. Somehow BMW managed to out comfort their own top dog M760i. These are two sedans, one aimed at speed and handling, while the other, well, still speed (M760i is no slouch) but the 7 series is supposed to be the most comfortable and cradle you to your destination and yet, every time I sit in the two cars back to back, my bottom always prefers the M5.
Not only are these seats cozy and supportive to the touch, they are gorgeous to behold! They remind me a bit of Lexus’ F seats from the GSF/RCF (also stellar) in that they are very sporty but lean just a bit more toward the luxury side of the scale. Knowing BMW can now produce this quality of both comfort and style in one great package, I had high hopes for the X3M/X4M seats which are also visually stunning and similarly styled to the M5. Those, however, are tough as nails and don’t offer anywhere near the comfort I was expecting, yet another win for the M5. Digression aside, seriously go try them out, your butt will thank you.
I really like the article – I crave for more little details in car reviews !
And I wanted to add:
In my experience those BMW seats are very good because they have that “articulated” back rest, with the upper part that can incline/recline independently of the main (lower) part… I often notice a lot of people don’t use this and it makes me wonder if they’re not aware, or they just don’t like to have that upper part inclined like I do ?
The other benefit is the neck support – great for long trips.
Also note: those fancy seats may come as standard in the USA, but most elsewhere those are an optional upgrade.
The base seats are still nice, fully powered, with adjustable lateral and neck support, and with the same merino leather… but no articulated back rest (and no illuminated logo). I drove such an M5 on a long road trip and… well I guess the rest of the car (600 PS!) more than makes up for the slightly lesser seats.
So yeah, great seats, great machine that F90 M5, and nice article.