The E39 Is Great Car For These 2 Reasons

5 reasons why the BMW M5 (E39) is better than the Audi RS6 (C5)

1. It only comes with a manual gearbox

The good old manual vs. auto debate… Of course it isn’t really a debate, what is though is whether or not it’s ok to have an automatic if your car can come with a manual… (or at least should be - let me know in the comments what you think) This doesn’t make the Prius ok though. Wretched… “thing” - keeping it young teenager friendly.

With its manual - hhhhhhhgngnnnnn - transmission, the E39 M5 is already a different car to drive than the RS6. It’s more engaging and involving. And while it might be a slight pain when you’re stuck in traffic or pull away on an incline, it rewards you every single time you nail a downshift and praise the gods of rev-matching when you blip the throttle. This is a car that makes you wonder why MCM can’t mean “manual crush monday”, as opposed to “man crush monday”, a topic solely discussed by 16 year old basic bi…es while casually sipping on a pumpkin spice latte and hating on Becky’s top because “OMG, O M G. Did you see that top?! It’s like so ewwww, so gross! Like get away from me. OMG”

3. It has aged better

The E39 generation of BMW’s 5 series is widely regarded as the most successful; design wise, of it’s kind. The lines are simple, but desperately pretty, they give the car a real presence and a sophisticated look. None of the lines are actually that beautiful if you look at them on their own, but as an ensemble, even BMW themselves is struggling to do better.

The rear 3/4 view, like with many BMWs, is especially successful in stirring your loins as you walk up to it; butterflies in the stomach and all. I personally find that in a dark navy blue or a light silver (like in the picture above) the car looks even better. The RS6 looks more dated, although I’d argue the 2nd generation of crazy estates from Ingolstadt look even more obsolete. The M5 looks purposeful, you know that it’s a bit more sporty, but not so much that it looks vulgar, or brash - “brash“ and “vulgar” are the words I’d use to describe the E60 M5.

Complete list (CarThrottle.com)