From 2000 to 2003, the facelifted BMW M5 E39 keeps everything that made the early phase famous: a discreet, very fast large saloon that still reads as a deeply mechanical machine. Against a same-era Mercedes C-Class AMG, it leans more on the nobility of a naturally aspirated V8, the balance of the chassis and the discipline of the manual gearbox than on pure brutality. The facelift does not alter the DNA, but sharpens the presentation and reinforces the model's already cult status.
The engine remains the `S62B50`, a naturally aspirated `4.9 V8` with `400 hp`, exclusively tied to a `6-speed` manual gearbox. In this phase, the M5 still feels like an engineer's car: `double VANOS`, lubrication, cooling, mass-air meters, ignition and front-end rigidity all need to be read together. A good facelifted E39 can still feel surprisingly modern on the road, but only if the level of mechanical refresh truly matches the age and mileage.