BMW M5 Competition

The M5 invented the idea of a saloon that could keep pace with two-seat exotics, and the Competition is the most complete version of that idea. The 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 sends 625 horsepower through M xDrive, the all-wheel drive system that lets a heavy four-door launch without drama. It also folds back to a pure rear-wheel drive setting for drivers who want the back axle unlocked. Adaptive M suspension and an active M differential tie the whole thing together.

The character is the trick. Most of the time the M5 behaves like the luxury saloon it looks like, riding quietly on the long highways and pulling itself down hard from speed on carbon ceramic brakes. Then you ask for everything and it answers instantly. Going quickly never demands any theatre from the driver, which is exactly why it suits a resident in Business Bay or DIFC who wants one car to cover everything without thinking about it.

In Dubai the Marina Bay Blue paint catches the light along the Palm Jumeirah crescent, and the open run toward Al Qudra at dawn is where the V8 earns its keep. The cabin stays cool and composed through summer traffic, the head-up display keeps your eyes on the road, and the Harman Kardon system handles the soundtrack between bursts of acceleration. It is fast in a way that never feels like hard work.

What makes renting it sensible is the maths. Five full seats and a 530 litre boot mean it does the practical jobs, while the pace is there whenever you want it. We deliver the car to your door, fuelled and detailed, with insurance and delivery built into the figure you were quoted. You drive, and we collect it when you are finished.