[northtorque]

Hi all,
I thought I would share my experience comparing the road manners of the base F90 to the Comp as I was able to drive them back to back over the last two days. This is going to be my long term daily and I am 90% settled on the base as my choice given the MRSP delta; however i didn’t want to cynically write-off the Comp as mere marketing exercise and end up regretting it. I also worried that my 50+ year old arse would find the Comp too jarring a ride.

Drove around the greater Toronto area, roads here usually above average, but I sought-out some side/back roads with spring frost heave and the usual suspects of raised manhole covers and small-medium surface failure to get realistic experience. Compared and toggled between comfort and sport-plus. No psycho driving nor tail hanging out - just short bursts into triple digits and quick side-side transitions in straights / corners to unsettle and shift the mass around.

Overall, as eluded to by others, a car this large should not move like this- you know the mass is there but it remains quite flat and throws the traction around without breaking composure. On both, the steering seems neutrally heavy and gets heavier as you go to sport plus - more noticeable on turns than straights - suggesting some algorithm hard at work trying to keep the ass from passing the nose when you tip the throttle in hard. Is that isolation a Blessing or Curse? I suspect the former but I never put it in 2WD to find out. The turn-in on the Comp was slightly better but not as much as would have expected given the advertised camber and linkage changes. Return to centre seemed smooth. Having said that, I’m no racing diva and no-doubt at high speeds and high g cornering the suspension set-up would shine more in the Comp. I wish we had an autobahn....

Honestly, it surprised me now similar they both are. The hood rocks a bit more on the Comp on start-up and aggressive throttle jabs (likely the stiffer mounts they mention) but all-in-all when in the comfort setting I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. NVH (noise vibration harshness) is minimal in both cars; both had the sport exhaust so the audible resonance should be the same - it would be nice to turn off the piped-in sound so as to not mask any subtle differences. There was a faint drone at highway speed when cruising (in 8th) and I did not expect that - it still remained when exhaust flaps were closed. I do not recall that in the prior base with standard exhaust I tested previously. In fact that faint drone alone might be enough to turn me off the sport exhaust in a dedicated long distance daily driver. Might just be my ears or my intolerance of certain frequencies which is a personal thing. If anyone else has noticed this and they have deactivated the “fake sound” (by disabling the unit in the trunk); please chime in and let me know if the synthesized sound is the culprit.

My main reason to test the Base vs Comp was to assess straight line behaviour since it will be tasked as a long term daily - I again was pleasantly suprised at the lack of hunting on straights. I had assumed the comp would require more effort but it tracked just like the base model within my test envelope of real road conditions. The road irregularities were absorbed admirably by both and I could convince myself that the Comp transmitted just a bit more of the road surface to the cabin; but again I was suprised by how similar they were and not how different. I was expecting the Comp to be a lot rougher and it was not. For anyone on the fence, I recall my old E39 M5 as being rougher. My wife and I have a Mini 3 door JCW and F-150 as our current daily’s - the Comp still would be much more agreeable in the cabin on rough pavement (yes I know the truck would be better on the really bad stuff but I wasn’t about to throw either M into a deep pothole for the sake of science or giggles!). To emphasize how similar they are, I would rate the comfort difference between the Comp and base as LESS than the difference between, say, run-flat vs non run-flat tires if that helps as an analogy.

Bottom line - for me at least, I cannot justify the MRSP delta given the roads I drive on and the speeds we are are constrained to most of the time. Both cars are way more alike than different in this environment. However, if your going to track or if high speed control / transitions are in your future then it makes more sense. On the plus side, to anyone worrying about the Comp being “too rough” a ride I would strongly encourage you to test one - I did not find it rough at all. Now I just have to go buy the damn thing (base) - so I can keep this damn smile that has been on my face for the last 24 hours.

[Docflyer]

I also drove the base model and the comp back to back. I did this three times. I live in Oklahoma City. Not the smoothest roads in the world. I also have a 50+ arse. I also chose the base model but for completely different reason. I did find the ride of the comp much harsher for me. I commute 42 miles round trip to work and for me the ride and not the price was the reason I chose the base. I put the bicolor comp wheels on my car because I like them better. Other than the badge most people would not be able to tell the difference aesthetically. The beauty of BMW offering the 2 M models is they are different and can appeal to what you want in a very fast sedan. One is a cruiser GT and the other is a racer.

[TheBikeGuy]

Great review.......I was able to drive a Comp a few weeks ago
They took me on a somewhat rough road
The BMW Genius set the M1 button in comfort and the M2 in sport plus
In the comfort mode it wasn't a rough ride as some describe
Sport plus it did bounce when I hit a dip in the road
I live near a track and plan on doing a few track days so this review has me off the fence and getting a Comp

[DingolfingLove]

@ OP - great review many thanks - I found the M5 great, but want something a little firmer/sharper when the conditions allow - have ordered a CP & v relieved that the comfort setting is v similar & will help placate the family !

[JOHNBMWM5]

I had the F90 M5 last year, test drove back to back this year and bought the Comp, better car all round for me and i'm 70 years old (I do not have a big arse though).
At discounted prices here in the Month of March the fully loaded comp was £78K all in for me, so a no brainer.
These discounts are no longer available here.

[DingolfingLove]

Fine work on that discount (as well as hats off to you on your longevity!), the dealer tried as hard as possible & "got it down" to £86k

[3sgte]

BMW took £5k discount back this month, but reduced the APR by 1%. However, you need to barter.

Depending on the franchise, they can put more money in if you really wanted too. I got the carbon Pro pack, worth £6k thrown in for nothing. All in all, am paying £85k for a £105k, with the Carbon Pro kit thrown in. What they couldn't do, however, was knock £6k off for the kit.

Pick up the M5C in MBB tomorrow

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by DingolfingLove

Fine work on that discount (as well as hats off to you on your longevity!), the dealer tried as hard as possible & "got it down" to £86k

Yea I had to look long and hard and push. in the Cooper Norwich gave in at the price just for sale to boost numbers, which I new would get me a deal somewhere.
Great car this.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by 3sgte

BMW took £5k discount back this month, but reduced the APR by 1%. However, you need to barter.

Depending on the franchise, they can put more money in if you really wanted too. I got the carbon Pro pack, worth £6k thrown in for nothing. All in all, am paying £85k for a £105k, with the Carbon Pro kit thrown in. What they couldn't do, however, was knock £6k off for the kit.

Pick up the M5C in MBB tomorrow

Nice work here is a picture to keep you going.

[norbtx]

The base model is still one hell of a car!

[3sgte]

Originally Posted by JOHNBMWM5

Nice work here is a picture to keep you going.

Looking tasty. I have the Silverstone interior too!

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by 3sgte

Looking tasty. I have the Silverstone interior too!

It's a good combination 😉

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by northtorque

Hi all,
I thought I would share my experience comparing the road manners of the base F90 to the Comp as I was able to drive them back to back over the last two days. This is going to be my long term daily and I am 90% settled on the base as my choice given the MRSP delta; however i didn’t want to cynically write-off the Comp as mere marketing exercise and end up regretting it. I also worried that my 50+ year old arse would find the Comp too jarring a ride.

Drove around the greater Toronto area, roads here usually above average, but I sought-out some side/back roads with spring frost heave and the usual suspects of raised manhole covers and small-medium surface failure to get realistic experience. Compared and toggled between comfort and sport-plus. No psycho driving nor tail hanging out - just short bursts into triple digits and quick side-side transitions in straights / corners to unsettle and shift the mass around.

Overall, as eluded to by others, a car this large should not move like this- you know the mass is there but it remains quite flat and throws the traction around without breaking composure. On both, the steering seems neutrally heavy and gets heavier as you go to sport plus - more noticeable on turns than straights - suggesting some algorithm hard at work trying to keep the ass from passing the nose when you tip the throttle in hard. Is that isolation a Blessing or Curse? I suspect the former but I never put it in 2WD to find out. The turn-in on the Comp was slightly better but not as much as would have expected given the advertised camber and linkage changes. Return to centre seemed smooth. Having said that, I’m no racing diva and no-doubt at high speeds and high g cornering the suspension set-up would shine more in the Comp. I wish we had an autobahn....

Honestly, it surprised me now similar they both are. The hood rocks a bit more on the Comp on start-up and aggressive throttle jabs (likely the stiffer mounts they mention) but all-in-all when in the comfort setting I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. NVH (noise vibration harshness) is minimal in both cars; both had the sport exhaust so the audible resonance should be the same - it would be nice to turn off the piped-in sound so as to not mask any subtle differences. There was a faint drone at highway speed when cruising (in 8th) and I did not expect that - it still remained when exhaust flaps were closed. I do not recall that in the prior base with standard exhaust I tested previously. In fact that faint drone alone might be enough to turn me off the sport exhaust in a dedicated long distance daily driver. Might just be my ears or my intolerance of certain frequencies which is a personal thing. If anyone else has noticed this and they have deactivated the “fake sound” (by disabling the unit in the trunk); please chime in and let me know if the synthesized sound is the culprit.

My main reason to test the Base vs Comp was to assess straight line behaviour since it will be tasked as a long term daily - I again was pleasantly suprised at the lack of hunting on straights. I had assumed the comp would require more effort but it tracked just like the base model within my test envelope of real road conditions. The road irregularities were absorbed admirably by both and I could convince myself that the Comp transmitted just a bit more of the road surface to the cabin; but again I was suprised by how similar they were and not how different. I was expecting the Comp to be a lot rougher and it was not. For anyone on the fence, I recall my old E39 M5 as being rougher. My wife and I have a Mini 3 door JCW and F-150 as our current daily’s - the Comp still would be much more agreeable in the cabin on rough pavement (yes I know the truck would be better on the really bad stuff but I wasn’t about to throw either M into a deep pothole for the sake of science or giggles!). To emphasize how similar they are, I would rate the comfort difference between the Comp and base as LESS than the difference between, say, run-flat vs non run-flat tires if that helps as an analogy.

Bottom line - for me at least, I cannot justify the MRSP delta given the roads I drive on and the speeds we are are constrained to most of the time. Both cars are way more alike than different in this environment. However, if your going to track or if high speed control / transitions are in your future then it makes more sense. On the plus side, to anyone worrying about the Comp being “too rough” a ride I would strongly encourage you to test one - I did not find it rough at all. Now I just have to go buy the damn thing (base) - so I can keep this damn smile that has been on my face for the last 24 hours.

Nice review. Thank you for taking the time to explore and write it up.

Nice to see someone finally agreeing with me on the suspension setup when in Comfort--I've driven a non-Comp now and am hard-pushed tell.

Since adding the H&R lowering springs, well, now I most certainly know it's a differenmt setup from base or stock Comp.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by 3sgte

Looking tasty. I have the Silverstone interior too!

Me too! That was a non-negotiable for me--I'm a bit bored with black on black.

I recently had mine ceramic-coated. Now any denim color transference rubs off with a damp rag and no force whatsoever.

[marcvtec]

Originally Posted by limeypride

Me too! That was a non-negotiable for me--I'm a bit bored with black on black.

I recently had mine ceramic-coated. Now any denim color transference rubs off with a damp rag and no force whatsoever.

Same here had Cquartz the whole interior and scotch guard the mats, simple wipe and done.

To the op thanks for the review, and as for the drone in 8th gear I also hear it, and will try to disable the asd, as it gives me a headache. Sport exhaust on my car, but with the good insulation I suspect I will not hear it after i turn of the fake sounds stuff.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Same here had Cquartz the whole interior and scotch guard the mats, simple wipe and done.

To the op thanks for the review, and as for the drone in 8th gear I also hear it, and will try to disable the asd, as it gives me a headache.

Hmmm, Scotchgard for the mats is a good idea. I like it.

[northtorque]

Originally Posted by limeypride

Nice review. Thank you for taking the time to explore and write it up.

Nice to see someone finally agreeing with me on the suspension setup when in Comfort--I've driven a non-Comp now and am hard-pushed tell.

Since adding the H&R lowering springs, well, now I most certainly know it's a differenmt setup from base or stock Comp.

Your welcome Limey.
It was nice that i could finally give back to the forum a little insight learned. I really have learned so much from you all over the last year; it has helped me narrow down what really matters in this build which admittedly is pushing the limits of my finances and patience!!! That said, I hope to report signing on the dotted line by the end of next week.

[northtorque]

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Same here had Cquartz the whole interior and scotch guard the mats, simple wipe and done.

To the op thanks for the review, and as for the drone in 8th gear I also hear it, and will try to disable the asd, as it gives me a headache. Sport exhaust on my car, but with the good insulation I suspect I will not hear it after i turn of the fake sounds stuff.

Thanks Marcvtec,
I agree, with-in 10 minutes I realized that the drone would give me a headache on any long duration run - it needs a fix. Looking forward to your report on diabling the asd and how it sounds.

[Pimpsy]

I have to also thumbs up the BMW all weather mats. Not quite as elegant as the original mats but well made and extremely functional.

[Pimpsy]

Originally Posted by northtorque

Thanks Marcvtec,
I agree, with-in 10 minutes I realized that the drone would give me a headache on any long duration run - it needs a fix. Looking forward to your report on diabling the asd and how it sounds.

I have not noticed 8th gear drone but doesn't efficiency mode also turn off the ASD?

I'm going to listen for it tomorrow.

[northtorque]

Originally Posted by DingolfingLove

@ OP - great review many thanks - I found the M5 great, but want something a little firmer/sharper when the conditions allow - have ordered a CP & v relieved that the comfort setting is v similar & will help placate the family !

Your welcome

[northtorque]

Originally Posted by Pimpsy

I have not noticed 8th gear drone but doesn't efficiency mode also turn off the ASD?

I'm going to listen for it tomorrow.

That would be great!