Well, my take... Ive had both (archive)

Depends what you're looking for. The e34 is much higher maintenence (just wanted to get that out of the way)... They both feel very heavy, but the m5 you feel a lot more confident tossing that thing around because it is very predictable, more so than the e39. I think the e34 m5 has better road holding ability than the e39 540...

The m5 is also a much louder, harsher car than the 540i six speed... The car seems to have longer gears than the 540i, but the 540i has a sixth gear which is very nice on the highway... No such thing on the m5... You're going to ride around 4k rpm when you're cruising on the highway.... Interestingly enough, it doesnt seem all that high compared to the 7200 redline.

The 540i on the other hand seems to be very silky in comparison. It has very smooth power delivery and even though its somewhat hard to drive because of the clutch, its still a piece of cake compared to the m5. The m5 tends to want to bog down a lot, partly because of the six throttle bodies and also because of the lightened flywheel... The 540 seems more refined... Very torquy and smooth, but doesnt really have the same kind of power delivery as the M5. The 540's power is in its low end, and it has a lower RPM limit; it feels like it starts to drop down after 5900 RPM, but the M5 pulls hard from 3800- 7000 RPM...
The 540 is smooth and powerful, but also a little buttery for tight turns. The 540 makes a better every day car, but the M5 is a lot more fun.

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