2007 BMW M5 Gets Manual Transmission
It’s not often that adding a manual transmission to a car is considered an improvement, but with the 500-hp V-10 BMW M5, some say it’s a necessity. When it came on the scene last year, the M5 featured a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, which most people found plenty adequate — especially with the M5’s special launch mode. That got you to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
It’s not likely the no-cost option of a six-speed manual will get you to 60 mph any faster, but car fanatics are a picky lot who expect performance cars to have stick shifts. Otherwise, the 2007 M5 sees very little change from 2006, with an added tire pressure monitoring system and real-time traffic monitoring. Prices haven’t been announced yet, but we don’t expect much of a change from the 2006 starting figure of $81,200. Keep reading for more photos.
Update: Pricing for the 2007 M5 starts at $82,500. Destination charges are $695. While the six-speed manual is a no cost option, the gas guzzler tax for the manual is $700 more than the automatic.
