[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Rocket455

Carbon Black has always looked a bit "deep blue" to me in the sun, which is why I've always preferred Black Sapphire.

Yes totally agree. I was referring to Black Sapphire because that's the color he mentioned.

[Mattl0806]

Ok. So drove the m50i x5. On wet roads today so I had to be a little more reserved but yea….

It's quite the machine!!!. The motor, instant power, and the exhaust just make you feel like you are driving something different, something more special. The thing freaking moves haha. Beyond the cold start it really isn't that loud either, which is a good thing in my book, just the right amount of tone.
That being said, the x5 didn't feel thatttt much faster than the 540. I guess that is expected given it's size, riding height, and it's about halfway btw the the 540 and 550 in straight line acceleration.

All in all, I think I could live with the 540, it is a great car afterall, but it wouldn't make me happy to drive it every day in the same way. It would be more the feeling of this is a really nice car but there are a lot of nice cars out there. It would not provide that special factor or stand out in the way that the v8 power and sound does.

[Mattl0806]

To add one more thing, these v8 cars are so fast that in the 550 I don't think I would ever push the car hard enough for DHP to matter. I'm likely to leave that off and just stick to the interior creature comforts

[Chappers 71]

fwiw, I also think you should get the 550, if you're into cars you should own a v8 at least once & a v8 5 series is wonderful thing.
I bought a 1998 e39 540i back in 2002, 6 speed manual 4.4 V8...It was epic.

If you get the 540i, as good as that is you'll regret not buying the 550i every time you see one, especially if one pulls alongside you at a red light
I speak from experience, I had a e34 525is & after around 6 months I regretted not having bought the 535i every time I saw one

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

fwiw, I also think you should get the 550, if you're into cars you should own a v8 at least once & a v8 5 series is wonderful thing.
I bought a 1998 e39 540i back in 2002, 6 speed manual 4.4 V8...It was epic.

If you get the 540i, as good as that is you'll regret not buying the 550i every time you see one, especially if one pulls alongside you at a red light
I speak from experience, I had a e34 525is & after around 6 months I regretted not having bought the 535i every time I saw one

Yup. I am convinced! 550 without a doubt.

My neighbors won't be happy with that cold start at 530 am . Ehhh

[Rocket455]

OP: I was in the same boat, considering a '22 540i vs M550i just 2 months ago. The pricing was a bit strange (to me) because a loaded 540i was actually a bit more expensive than a mid/low-tier M550i...some of that may have been because the incentives were better on the 550. Anyway, I ended up with the M550i and have 2 months of seat time in it now. I had thought I'd be driving this thing like a maniac (like I did the M340i before this), but that monster V8 just exudes so much BDE (especially coupled with a res delete/exhaust and intake) that I've been driving like a decent human being. Walk softly and carry a big stick, I suppose?

[Greywall]

The neighbors gotta wake up some time.

Yeah, it's last chance to get that sweet V8 in a luxury 5 series package. After that, have to pony up for an M5 to get that V8. But that's a different beast. It's amazing in all the performance areas, but I opted for the M550i to get the smoother more comfortable ride and rest of the luxury goodies. (well the price was also a huge factor)

[2022M550i]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

To add one more thing, these v8 cars are so fast that in the 550 I don't think I would ever push the car hard enough for DHP to matter. I'm likely to leave that off and just stick to the interior creature comforts

I didn't get it. Didn't think it was worth it. The sales guy said theres no way he would lay out the cash for it and he drives these things every day.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by 2022M550i

I didn't get it. Didn't think it was worth it. The sales guy said theres no way he would lay out the cash for it and he drives these things every day.

Should I just get this thing pretty stock then?

The only must haves are parking assistant and the rear sunshades in my book.

I'm the fence with all of these… I NEED this car, I don't need all the below and quite frankly I'm worried adding the seat stuff is going to make the seat firmer. I liked the Dakota seat in the 540.

Maybe that's the safest bet or just upgrade to napp and ventilation?

Take it or leave it?
Nappa
Massage
ventilation
Steering wheel
Rear seat heat
Leather dashboard

[DNYC1919]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Should I just get this thing pretty stock then?

The only must haves are parking assistant and the rear sunshades in my book.

I'm the fence with all of these… I NEED this car, I don't need all the below and quite frankly I'm worried adding the seat stuff is going to make the seat firmer. I liked the Dakota seat in the 540.

Maybe that's the safest bet or just upgrade to napp and ventilation?

Take it or leave it?
Nappa
Massage
ventilation
Steering wheel
Rear seat heat
Leather dashboard

I have a 21 540 with nappa and the ventilated seats. (Non massage). Very comfy and don't feel any bulky spots.

I would for sure get :

Drive assist -use all the time
Park assist - very important with 360 cameras and the auto reverse has helped me get out of some weird one way driveways / roads.
Nappa leather - a must when spending higher level $ on a car.
Heated steering - if your in cold climates yes.
Spare-I'm 50/50 on that as takes up a lot of room but gives piece of mind even when having run flats.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

fwiw, I also think you should get the 550, if you're into cars you should own a v8 at least once & a v8 5 series is wonderful thing.
I bought a 1998 e39 540i back in 2002, 6 speed manual 4.4 V8...It was epic.

If you get the 540i, as good as that is you'll regret not buying the 550i every time you see one, especially if one pulls alongside you at a red light
I speak from experience, I had a e34 525is & after around 6 months I regretted not having bought the 535i every time I saw one

I know E39 gets all the glory and it is awesome but the E34 might be favorite. Just love the way it looks.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Should I just get this thing pretty stock then?

The only must haves are parking assistant and the rear sunshades in my book.

I'm the fence with all of these… I NEED this car, I don't need all the below and quite frankly I'm worried adding the seat stuff is going to make the seat firmer. I liked the Dakota seat in the 540.

Maybe that's the safest bet or just upgrade to napp and ventilation?

Take it or leave it?
Nappa
Massage
ventilation
Steering wheel
Rear seat heat
Leather dashboard

Okay, I have Dakota in my 540. Have merino in the X7. I don't think the merino is that much more comfortable, but it has a smooth leather look and feel. Dakota is textured and a "coated leather". I don't think you can go wrong but others have stronger feelings. In the 550 you get the more comfortable headrest either way. It pisses me off they don't have Canberra Beige Dakota in the 550's now, but different story for a different day.

My personal opinion:

Nappa - toss up
Massage - overrated in my X7, I wouldn't pay
ventilation - all reviews say overrated, I'd skip
Steering wheel - Yes, it's like $200 and worth it
Rear seat heat - Eh. Screw 'em. Pass.
Leather dashboard - I think yes.

Personally, I do think the Driver Assist Pro and Parking Assist Pro are worth the money. That's where I'd spend my option money first. But there are differing opinions there.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by NGT2

There are threads on different colors. Also easily googled.

Skyscraper is lighter and almost silver as opposed to gray: Maybe I little boring but probably easy to maintain.

Black is black. It's got metallic flakes, so not jet black. But still going to show dirt and swirls more than others.

DGM is what I have. I love it. Very dark gray with almost a purple-ish hue to it. Changes shades in different light. Really need to see in person if you can. The configurator isn't not accurate at all for that color. At night, it's almost black.

These are all pictures of my DGM 540 in different conditions.

Wow, didn't care to post mine? Screw you!

Jk

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by NGT2

Okay, I have Dakota in my 540. Have merino in the X7. I don't think the merino is that much more comfortable, but it has a smooth leather look and feel. Dakota is textured and a "coated leather". I don't think you can go wrong but others have stronger feelings. In the 550 you get the more comfortable headrest either way. It pisses me off they don't have Canberra Beige Dakota in the 550's now, but different story for a different day.

My personal opinion:

Nappa - toss up
Massage - overrated in my X7, I wouldn't pay
ventilation - all reviews say overrated, I'd skip
Steering wheel - Yes, it's like $200 and worth it
Rear seat heat - Eh. Screw 'em. Pass.
Leather dashboard - I think yes.

Personally, I do think the Driver Assist Pro and Parking Assist Pro are worth the money. That's where I'd spend my option money first. But there are differing opinions there.

Thanks for cutting thru so easily!

Every post I read says how awesome DHP is.

Don't think I can pass it up.

I think I'm putting everything on it.

I just question the massage seats. Scared they will cause firmness, lumps and bumps in the seats. Maybe the one I'll leave off.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Thanks for cutting thru so easily!

Every post I read says how awesome DHP is.

Don't think I can pass it up.

I think I'm putting everything on it.

I just question the massage seats. Scared they will cause firmness, lumps and bumps in the seats. Maybe the one I'll leave off.

See if they have any models at all you can compare apples to apples minus the massage. Even if the model you drive is an SUV and has different seats, you can compare to see if there are any differences. I can't help you there. Didn't pay attention on test drives. For what it's worth, the massage seats in the '21 X7 are different than the multi contour seats in my '18 540, but I don't think they're any firmer.

In my opinion, for whatever reason, car seats have gotten firmer over the last 20 years and not softer. The seats in my 2003 Yukon were lazy boy recliners bolted to a truck. The 2016 Tahoe I traded for the 540 couldn't hold a candle to that '03 in terms of comfort.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

Should I just get this thing pretty stock then?

The only must haves are parking assistant and the rear sunshades in my book.

I'm the fence with all of these… I NEED this car, I don't need all the below and quite frankly I'm worried adding the seat stuff is going to make the seat firmer. I liked the Dakota seat in the 540.

Maybe that's the safest bet or just upgrade to napp and ventilation?

Take it or leave it?
Nappa
Massage
ventilation
Steering wheel
Rear seat heat
Leather dashboard

My 2 cents:
I wouldn’t buy a car without Parking assistant and adaptive cruise. Sunshades are nice. It’s silly that they aren’t standard.

Nappa- I’d definitely recommend going for. I went from nappa to Dakota back to Nappa. Dakota is tougher and stress free but nappa is noticeably nicer and feels truly luxurious. I don’t notice a difference between merino and nappa.

Massage & ventilation - as others have said bmw has not done a good job with either of these. You wouldn’t be missing much by passing. I don’t know how the seats feel without them so maybe I’m missing out.

Steering wheel heat - It was a must for me in the northeast and is a nice to have in California. Being able to warm up your hands without needing to put gloves on makes life easier. I didn’t have it 2 cars ago and regretted it.

Rear seat heat- I’ve gotten compliments from adult passengers. But obviously doesn’t affect you as the driver.

As a side note, I’ve noticed 5er’s with the cold weather options to have notably higher resale value. They seem sought after.

Leather dashboard- personally could not care less about it. If it doesn’t affect my comfort, driving experience or convenience, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s the only option possible in my g30’s year that I don’t have so take that as you will.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

To add one more thing, these v8 cars are so fast that in the 550 I don't think I would ever push the car hard enough for DHP to matter. I'm likely to leave that off and just stick to the interior creature comforts

DHP doesn't need high speeds. I'm not a race driver, but I drive spiritedly enough that I like the way the car feels like its on rails even at moderate speeds. There's also rear-wheel steering which makes a difference in the drive and maneuverability.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Rocket455

I had thought I'd be driving this thing like a maniac (like I did the M340i before this), but that monster V8 just exudes so much BDE (especially coupled with a res delete/exhaust and intake) that I've been driving like a decent human being. Walk softly and carry a big stick, I suppose?

It's funny you say that because I thought the same, but I drive so much better with the M550i than I did with my 3 series, that I surprised myself! Perhaps that explains the lower insurance premium as compared to my 3...

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by adhrp

DHP doesn't need high speeds. I'm not a race driver, but I drive spiritedly enough that I like the way the car feels like its on rails even at moderate speeds. There's also rear-wheel steering which makes a difference in the drive and maneuverability.

Yea DHP. That was an uninformed comment from me and I have since changed to include it.

I think a 85k car should have massage and ventilation, so with that said, I'll put them both on there. They will be cool to have and I have a bad back so I hope they add some value and not detract from comfort. But absolutely no one is reporting that they don't like their seats. So I think I'm pretty safe there. Will put cold weather on there for same reasoning, it should have it haha.

Drivers assistant- I never use cruise control ever. I just don't even think of it to be honest. And if it added any more beeps or warnings it would only just annoy me

[2022M550i]

Originally Posted by DNYC1919

I have a 21 540 with nappa and the ventilated seats. (Non massage). Very comfy and don't feel any bulky spots.

I would for sure get :

Drive assist -use all the time
Park assist - very important with 360 cameras and the auto reverse has helped me get out of some weird one way driveways / roads.
Nappa leather - a must when spending higher level $ on a car.
Heated steering - if your in cold climates yes.
Spare-I'm 50/50 on that as takes up a lot of room but gives piece of mind even when having run flats.

Totally agree. I also thought rear assist was a gimmick, but I use it every day just to get out of my garage so I don't clip my mirrors. I've also used it to get out of awful driveways at night where I cant see anything. Nappa to me is a must. So soft and comfortable. I have massage seats. Because of my back, I get a lot of glute and leg pain on long drives. This totally helps me. I though the HUD wouldn't be worth it but I use that every day too.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by 2022M550i

Totally agree. I also thought rear assist was a gimmick, but I use it every day just to get out of my garage so I don't clip my mirrors. I've also used it to get out of awful driveways at night where I cant see anything. Nappa to me is a must. So soft and comfortable. I have massage seats. Because of my back, I get a lot of glute and leg pain on long drives. This totally helps me. I though the HUD wouldn't be worth it but I use that every day too.

Glad to hear the massage seats actually help you. I've got 2 lower lumber herniated discs and get awfully uncomfortable / pain in my x3 after just a few minutes in the car.

[Mattl0806]

Thanks for highlighting the HUD. Turns out if you want that and the rear shades, you can instead select the executive package and you essentially get the ceramic controls for free.

This is the new build spec.

I can't thank everyone enough for your input.

Skyscraper grey
Shadowline
Black nappa (kids)
Executive package
Parking assistance package
Front and rear heated seats
Massage seats
Ventilation seats
Heating steering wheel
Dynamic handling package

Msrp 90695 - 7.500 miles monthly - 1185 (assumes brokers 4.25% discount) - 1200 after including fee.

~50 bucks lower without DHP if anyone was interested.