BMW DIALS UP PERFORMANCE
The 2018 BMW M550i has everything someone could want in a mid-sized luxury car — classic styling, a fivestar interior worthy of royalty and a 456-horsepower engine capable of rocketing the sedan to 60 mph in under four seconds.
My tester’s exterior, painted blue metallic, was elegantly understated, which served to hint at the M550i’s performance capability. The chrome trim has been replaced with gray metallic trim that surrounds the iconic kidney-shaped grille, air intakes and mirrors, and the narrow adaptive LED headlights flow into the front fenders. The Beemer’s corners are rounded, the nose sits at an angle and subtle character lines sweep across the hood and body. The tailpipes that are responsible for the M550i’s distinctive roar are finished in black chrome and a hardly noticeable rear spoiler is attached to the trunk that automatically opens and closes.
Tightly packed under the M550i’s large hood is a twin turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission that can be operated by using steering wheel mounted paddles or the shift knob on the center console. Stomp the gas pedal in Sport drive mode and the combination thrusts the driver and passengers firmly into their seats. In addition to the performance enhancement to the engine, BMW’s “M” modifications sharpen the
sedan’s power steering, delivering increase feedback with precise handling on twisty roads. An all-wheeldrive system that splits power between all four wheels with a rear-wheel bias further enhances the M550i’s ride quality and provides confidence on wet roads.
There are also comfort and economy drive modes. The comfort mode tones down the engine, relaxes the steering a bit and eases up on the suspension, while the economy mode helped to improve the Beemer’s 19 mpg fuel economy. All three modes have standard and individual settings that allow the driver to further dial in their performance preferences.
The M550i’s light brown leather upholstery with dark contrasting stitching had the look and feel of a space that I really just wanted to hang out in. Blue ambient lighting, wood paneling and an outstanding Bowers & Wilkins sound system furthered this notion. The 20-way power adjustable front seats blended the right amount of comfort with firmness to keep the focus on driving. The rear seats fold down in a 40/20/40 configuration that allowed us to fit our skis inside the sedan on a weekend trip to Vermont.
The bottom line on our M550i tester was $88,985, which included additional features and packages totaling $16,000. The list of add-ons is highlighted by a cold weather package that included heated seats all around and a heated steering wheel. An executive package provided soft-close automatic doors. Other additional features worth noting are parking assistance with surround 3-D view and a night vision camera with pedestrian detection.