BMW M550i xdrive

Its time on the fleet is up. Here’s our verdict on the 523bhp 5-series

IT WAS A TANTALISING PROPOSITION, the M550i, promising the otherworldly performance of the hardcore M5 and the everyday usability of the regular 5-series. And, as advertised, it provided these attributes, wrapped in discreet yet slightly menacing packaging, in our car’s case black paint (a no cost colour) with the standard 20-inch alloys finished in a cool gunmetal.

The M550i shares a lot of hardware with the M5, including its twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel-drive system, but at £68,590 it costs over £30k less. Sure, it has less power – 523 versus 616bhp – but more importantly for a near two-ton car and its role, it enjoys the same humungous torque rating of 553lb ft from 1800rpm. Unexpectedly, it also has more simmering V8 character.

An unbridled romp through the options list on our car wiped out two thirds of the cost advantage, but in the same way you don’t have to splash out to have a handsome M550i, you don’t need to spend £20k to make it feel luxurious or well equipped. However, among the options were a couple that I loved. First was the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound system (£2500), which gave incredible sound quality, and the second the ‘Laserlights’ (£1000), BMW’S adaptive headlamp system that works full beam around oncoming traffic and cars you catch up with so that you don’t dazzle them.

What took longer to get to grips with was the dynamics of the M550i. Another of the options ticked was the Adaptive M Suspension Professional (£3695), which adds roll control. Early on, I found that I couldn’t place the car with absolute confidence, partly because there wasn’t much feel through the steering. Also, the suspension’s reaction to certain sharp bumps and small potholes was so abrupt and stinging I sometimes expected the handsome alloy on that corner to be dented. It never was and in the end I put this down to the Pirellis being run-flats and so lacking that bit of absorption.

I concluded that the ‘Adaptive’ setting for the suspension gave the best compromise, which sounds obvious, I guess, what with Comfort being a bit free and Sport a bit too unyielding. I must have got used to the steering too, because a few months in I had a very satisfying run across a variety of Leicestershire back roads visiting the Great British Car Journey museum in Derbyshire. I was happy that I could place the car and that it would deal with whatever the road threw at it, so I could stretch the V8, dig into its mighty reserves and unleash the M550’s phenomenal performance instead of just paddling in the shallows of the V8’s torque.

‘Unexpectedly, the M550i had more simmering V8 character than the M5’

Initially, it seemed odd that the M550 had an eco mode, complete with an electronic mentor to encourage you to drive with greater anticipation, yet I ended up taking this challenge when I wasn’t in a hurry. In Eco Pro it’d coast or free-wheel when you took your foot off the throttle, and sometimes the car would encourage you to do so more than a quarter of a mile from a roundabout you sometimes couldn’t yet see. I frequently saw over 30mpg and honed my chauffeuring skills too.

A drive of the pukka M5 Competition showed everything that was missing from the M550i from a driver’s perspective (apart from engine noise). It had properly connected steering and an instant agility and engagement that the M550 lacked. Yes, its ride was considerably tougher and more detailed, but it was honest and the payoff was a greater sense of what the car was doing, how hard you were working it. That meant you could engage rear-driveonly mode (an option denied the M550) with some confidence.

The M550 didn’t encourage you to take it by the scruff. It seemed to prefer making brisk rather than banzai progress, but I enjoyed all of the miles I covered in it, though not always for the obvious reasons. The exceptional sound quality of the Bowers & Wilkins system was a constant joy, long-distance comfort and refinement was superb and I probably enjoyed the challenge of finessing efficiency in Eco Pro mode a bit too much. And when there was the opportunity to unleash all the performance, it was a shockingly quick car. So, yes, it delivered near-m5 levels of performance with excellent everyday usability, it was just a shame that these attributes weren’t as expertly blended together as they might have been. The M550i was tantalising close to being the most satisfying 5-series.

(@evojb)

Date acquired January 2021 Duration of test 6 months Total test mileage 7880 Costs £0 Overall mpg 24.8 Purchase price £89,445 Value today £74,950