12-10-2018, 11:03 AM | #26 |
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03-26-2019, 06:37 PM | #27 |
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Just traded in my 2018 M550 for an 2018 M5. A few thoughts for those of you considering both. (A little history: I drove a 2006 M5 as a daily driver for 10 years, loved it, and traded for the M550 in May 2017).
Both great cars, but VERY different feels/tunes. The M550 is a fast, comfortable touring car, while the M5 has much more of a track tune. That being said, with the right settings, the M5 does a pretty good impression of the M550, while the M550 never feels like an M5. While I understand the desire to let the M badge trickle down, I wish BMW had used a different naming convention - I see the M550 as more of a separate fork/focus than as a baby M5 and think the M5/M550 naming is a little deceiving. Here's what prompted my change from the M550. 1) Ride quality was terrible with run-flats + pot holes (go with the 19" wheels!). 2) Throttle response was poor at low engine RPM. 3) The steering was a little loose, even at sport settings, especially when the wheel was centered. 4) The M550 engine really is fantastic if you can keep it engaged, but the suspension/chassis is soft relative to the engine. The car does not want to be tossed around or endure hard acceleration from a standstill. The M5 solved the above issues. It wants to go off the line, doesn't mind being tossed around, and feels smaller than the M550. (I was surprised how noticeably "smaller" the M5 felt when I sat in the driver's seat, even with the engine off.) Also, I love the smaller seats and driving position of the M5. Hope this helps! Really, I don't mean to be too negative on the M550, I think it's a great car, better than >98% of what's on the road. If you're doing a lot of steady highway driving, and don't care about tossing the car around, by all means go with the M550. Just trying to point out differences for those of you that care. |
03-27-2019, 09:17 PM | #29 | |
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Quote:
I originally ordered a M550i, and then got the chance to drive a M5 and switched to that. I lease my cars, and the difference in price between a $91k M550 and a $124k M5 Comp was about $650/month. For that price difference, I went to the M5.
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