Quote:
Originally Posted by NGT2
My wife is watching trash TV and I spent the last hour screwing around, reading the forum and building random BMW’s. There just isn’t one I’d trade my M550 for. If you just prefer an SUV then I get that, otherwise I can’t talk myself into any other option being worthy of a hypothetical fantasy trade.
There are other models that do certain things better but none that put it all together the same. The 7 is basically dead to me. The 3/4 are cool cars and the driving dynamics of a M340 would be fun as hell. But not worth the significant drop off in quality interior and seating. 8 is badass and brings the hammer as far as “presence” goes. But it’s enormous, especially the GC which would be the comparison here. Hell of a car for highway cruising… but so is the M550 or 540i and the 5 isn’t too big to enjoy on a smaller road.
M5 would be the obvious option but frankly I need the daily driving comfort, especially on these Memphis roads.
X5M would be pretty tempting. But for the premium price, you’re still in an SUV and not a car. If you don’t need the cargo space, just get the M5. And if I’m daily driving, I’m back to trading the handling I’ll rarely use for the M550 daily driving suspension I’ll use… well, daily.
And then the G60… let’s just forget the looks for this purpose. Aside from that, the only real significant changes are Highway Assistant and a coming I6 PHEV powertrain for the US. No more V8 option. There just isn’t anything there to entice a trade up to the newer version. I’ll admit, I’m glad I have the M550 because my ego would want the extra hp of the new 540 (375 hp) and the mental satisfaction of knowing it’s (supposedly) faster at a 4.4 0-60. But the truth is you can put a modest tune on a G30 540i and get that and then some. And without a tune, I doubt you can actually feel a difference. Oh, and the G30 is hands down a better looking car. Hands. Down.
When you drive around town or screw around online and you think “oh that would be sweet!” and then you’re immediate next thought is “but I couldn’t trade what I’ve got, just can’t let it go” then you know you’ve got the right ride for yourself. It’s a good feeling. I haven’t had this feeling in a long time in a vehicle. I have a wandering eye for cars and always will, I’ve embraced it. But push comes to shove, even hypothetically, I couldn’t let go of this car.
I’ve got a solo 500 mile round trip coming up with a mix of two lane and interstate. Looking forward to it. Will be the first in the M550. It’s a trip I do multiple times a year and it was great in the 540. I’m expecting the DHP to make up for the heavier front end on the two lane curves and hills.
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I agree, and another nice part about the G30/31 is that BMW has moved reliability to another level for the brand. Some complain that these cars have a bit of an appliance feel, but I actually welcome that to a degree for a daily driver.
The fact that Toyota is using the B58 and that the 8 cylinder seems vastly improved, really is the icing on the proverbial cake.