BMW 550 i X Drive Twin Turbocharged V-8 (Oakland Park, FL)

BMW 550 i X Drive Twin Turbocharged V-8

If there s a midsize sports sedan standing above the rest one could argue that it is BMW s 5-series. So we thought it critical that we spend a year with one. That there was a new 5-series last year would also give us a chance to see how all of the changes BMW made would hold up over the long haul. If nothing else we figured it would make a fine replacement for our long- term Jaguar XF Supercharged.Why did we wait almost a year to get our hands on the new car Because rather than snap up one of the first cars off the boat we waited several months so we could take delivery of one of the first all-wheel-drive models to come to the United States the main market for the AWD version.We started with a 550i xDrive sedan with a base price of 62 875. It comes with oodles of standard equipment including adaptive headlamps a moonroof automatic climate control navigation system and rain-sensing wipers.To that we added a bunch of options we simply could not live without such as the Dynamic Handling package (including adaptive drive dynamic suspension control active roll stabilization) Premium 2 package including rearview camera power rear sunshade heated front seats iPod and USB adapter satellite radio and premium audio the Sport package with 19-inch W-spoke alloy wheels leather steering wheel and multicontour seats rear-seat entertainment a cold-weather package including a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats side- and top-view cameras and a split fold-down rear seat. All told the price came to 74 700.What did we get for the money A 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 powers the car producing a stout 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The BMW will hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile takes 12.8 seconds at 111 mph so no one on staff is complaining about it being slow. The car rides on a new aluminum-intensive suspension with double wishbones in front (introduced on the fifth-generation 7-series) while the rear continues with multilinks with revised geometry. Our car s Dynamic Handling package uses three-stage electronic shocks with a switchable program offering comfort normal sport and sport-plus modes and also altering the throttle mapping and shift speed.Our first order of business was to put winter tires on our tester so we swapped the Goodyears that came on the car for a set of Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3s in the stock 245 40R-19 size and had them installed on our stock rims. We ve run these tires on long-term cars before our Jaguar XKR convertible and Audi S6 and in both cases they were great. Ride quality is good the tires are quiet and they turned both of those cars into snowmobiles. (We clearly remember driving the Jag convertible home in a blizzard and trucking through the left lane easily passing Hummer H2s and Jeep Grand Cherokees.)The Dunlops are classified as performance winter tires so they should keep BMW s handling prowess up.It s all good so far Even with the stock run-flat tires on which some of us around here generally hate the ride is calmer than that of the old car. The reworked suspension is supple in comfort mode soaking up Detroit s nasty expansion joints and potholes without the old 5-series harsher ride. This thing is unflappable in lousy weather one staffer wrote. It heats up fast and goes through anything it simply rocks in the snow. I had no trouble this weekend. Even with the single-digit temps it warmed up quickly a blessing. Best 5-series I ve driven yet another chimed in. Yes the exterior is more conservative than before but I love the interior and it drives like champ rock-solid and comfortable. Hmmm. Rock solid. Drives like a champ. Will it remain that way for 12 grueling months We re about to find out.Specs & Data2011 BMW 550i xDrive SedanPRICING & OPTIONSBase price (includes 875 delivery) 62 875As-tested price 74 700Options Dynamic Handling package with adaptive drive dynamic damper control and active roll stabilization ( 2 700) Premium 2 package with rearview camera power rear sunshade rear sunshades heated front seats iPod and USB adapter satellite radio with one-year subscription premium hi-fi system ( 2 400) Sport package with 19-inch alloy W-spoke wheels sport leather steering wheel multicontour seats shadowline exterior trim ( 2 200) rear-seat entertainment with two eight-inch color screens ( 2 200) cold-weather package with heated steering wheel heated rear seats retractable headlight washers ( 1 050) side- and top-view cameras ( 800) split fold-down rear seats ( 475)DIMENSIONSWheelbase (in) 116.9Track (in) 63.0 front 64.1 rearLength width height (in) 193.1 73.2 57.6Curb weight GVWR (lb) 4 519 5 600ENGINEFront-longitudinal 4.4-liter 268-cid DOHC twin-turbocharged V8Power 400 hp (at) 5 500-6 400 rpmTorque 450 lb-ft (at) 1 750-4 500 rpmCompression ratio 10.0 1Fuel requirement 91 octaneDRIVETRAINAll-wheel driveTransmission Eight-speed automaticFinal drive ratio 3.077 1SUSPENSIONFront Double wishbone coil springs electronically controlled variable damping shock absorbers hydraulically actuated antiroll barRear Multilink coil springs electronically controlled variable damping shock absorbers hydraulically actuated antiroll barBRAKES WHEELS TIRESVented discs front and rear ABS aluminum 245 40R-19 Goodyear Eagle LS2FUEL ECONOMYEPA combined 18 mpgTRACK TEST DATASTANDING-START ACCELERATION0-60 mph 4.5 sec0-quarter-mile 12.8 sec (at) 111 mphBRAKING60-0 mph 127.3 ftHANDLING490-ft slalom 42.3 mphLateral acceleration (200-ft skidpad) 0.84 gINTERIOR NOISE (DBA)Idle 37Full throttle 68 Steady 60 mph 66This Mercedes 550 i X Drive AWD Sedan Is Germany s Finest Sports Sedan Designed To Travel At High Speeds Without Any Problems Extra-Clean Condition Mobile One Motor Oil Was Used Real Powerful And Quiet Motor Navigation Glass Moon Roof Has All-The Toy s Clean Car Fax Report If You Drive This German Sports Sedan You Will Purchase It Guaranteed Call Keith Before It s Gone Looking Forward To Meeting You Sincerely Keith C.JT Auto Cars4399 N. Dixie Hwy.Oakland Park FL. 33334