I've never been in the M5 but I have been in a few M3's. My buddy had a 1997 M3 which handled like it was on rails. My girlfriend's boss has a Z3/M powered and a 2003 M3 conv. Its quick and handles great. He's planning on selling the Z3/M powered for the either the new M5 or Z4. But as far as speed goes, his M3 is pretty da*n quick. It had no problem lighting the rear tires up.