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by Paulo Keller

Ultimate driving machine : the new 2011 BMW 550i

Article by Cody Thomas

Far more than one particular mile above sea level, situated inside heart of Sequoia National Park, may be the Common Sherman tree. This practically three-hundred foot tall Giant Sequoia is regarded as the largest tree inside the world, as based on total volume. A lot more amazing than its size is its age – scientists believe it truly is between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. Giant Sequoias have prospered through centuries, although numerous lesser trees have come and gone, due to the fact they posses incredibly unique qualities. Their foot-thick bark will allow them to resist fire, and their shallow roots take advantage of rain showers in the course of periods of drought. And, in an interesting twist of natural survival, their tall canopies effectively block the sun, preventing rivals from taking hold and surviving within the darkened shadows at their base.

The BMW 4 Collection is in a comparable position. The long-established benchmark mid-size hobby sedan finds itself in a very constant battle with opponents trying to push it aside in an effort to capture its territory. Rather than resting on its laurels, BMW re-engineers the four-door once just about every eight many years to conform to a changing and ever crowding segment.

Introduced earlier this year, the all-new 2011 BMW five String breaks new ground. Now sharing platforms using the 7 String, the sedan would seem to have changed its tune from sport to luxury. We spent a week with all the range-topping 550i, fitted with all the automaker’s twin-turbo 400-horsepower V8, to put our fingers on its new mission.

The BMW 5 String just isn’t practically as old as Basic Sherman, nonetheless it does have its personal impressive lineage. Developed as a replacement for the “New Six” sedans inside the early 1970s, the 6 Series was the fifth of BMW’s “new series” vehicles. The initially 6 Series sedans (recognized internally as type E12) were fitted with four- or six-cylinder gasoline engines sending ability on the rear wheels. The second-generation models (E28) followed the very same template, but that chassis is credited with introducing diesel powerplants and also the amazing M5 – the fastest production sedan about the planet when it was launched in 1984. The third-generation platform (E34) brought enthusiasts eight-cylinder strength, an engine configuration that found its way beneath the hood from the fourth-generation (E39) M5 type. The fifth-generation model (E60) has been all around since 2004. Final year, it was offered with a twin-turbo inline-6, V8 and V10 (M5) powerplants.

As you learn in our Initially Drive in January, the all-new sixth-generation 7 Sequence (F10) has moved substantially upscale. Now riding on a modified 7 Set platform (thus making it uncomplicated for BMW to produce each the 5 String and 7 Sequence at its plant in Dingolfing, Germany), the slightly smaller sedan almost equals its bigger sibling when it arrives to deluxe appointments and drive consolation. The two even share most in the similar powerplants and drivelines.

At the launch from the five Set, we spent countless hours behind the wheel with the “entry-level” 535i design equipped with BMW’s single-turbo “N55″ inline-6 and new eight-speed automatic. That vehicle was installed with all the optional paddle shifters (Activity Automated) and next-generation electric Integral Active Steering (IAS)!!! Now we now have our hands on the range-topping 400-horsepower 550i with the standard computerized transmission and normal electrical steering.

The base MSRP in the 2011 BMW 550i is ,700 (plus 5 destination)! Our check vehicle, wearing Titanium Silver Metallic paint through Cinnamon Brown leather, is fitted together with the Convenience Bundle (consolation access entry), Dynamic Dealing with Package deal, Premium Package 2 (rearview camera, rear sunshades, heated entrance seats, iPod and USB adapter, satellite radio and premium hi-fi audio), Activity Package deal (19-inch alloys, sports activity steering wheel and multi-contour seats) and split fold-down rear seats. The bold number on the bottom of our window sticker reads ,450.

Interestingly sufficient, our automobile just isn’t heavily optioned. Actually, we would have added the Activity Automatic with shift paddles (extra on that later), four-zone climate management and Smartphone integration. Although we do not condone such behavior, it is possible to further burden your 6 Sequence with night vision, side and top view cameras, a head-up display, radar cruise control and 20-inch factory alloy wheels. Using a heavy hand to the options record, a non-M model 2011 five String can top ,000. *Gulp.*

The cabin of our test vehicle arrived loaded with premium Dakota leather (standard on the 550i) and dark Burl Ash wood with contrasting aluminum trim. A silver exterior through brown upholstery is just not a color combination they teach at Art Center in Pasadena, but it looks sharp inside the new sheet metal. Primary instrumentation is logically distributed and easy-to-read underneath almost all conditions (kudos to BMW for giving us an oil temperature gauge). Satellite navigation, regular within the 550i, upgrades the center information display screen to a razor-sharp 10.2-inch 1280 x 480 pixel “transreflective” show, meaning light from the sun truly enhances the images around the screen (the display screen, and all other displays, are quickly study as a result of polarized sunglasses, too)! The passenger compartment is beautifully trimmed, both inviting and functional, however the major news is below the hood.

In contrast towards the three.0-liter single-turbo “N55″ inline-six observed below the hood of your 535i (rated at 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque), the 550i is fitted having a direct-injected 4.4-liter twin-turbo “N63″ V8 punching out 400 horsepower and also a stump-pulling 450 pound-feet of torque. Even though a six-speed manual transmission is obtainable (more kudos to BMW), our test car or truck arrived installed with all the automaker’s new buttery-smooth eight-speed computerized (ZF 8HP70).!.! The two turbochargers, nestled inside valley in between the cylinders, do a fine job of boosting atmospheric pressure proper off idle. Throttle lag is negligible, and power is strong and seamless. BMW says the 550i will hit 60 mph in 5 seconds flat on its way towards an artificial electronic wall at 150 mph. Until the next-gen M5 arrives, this could be the quickest 4 Series around the market.

We had one particular week while using 550i. As most vehicles appear rather competent in 20-minute bursts around town, when speeds certainly not exceed 50 mph and seats always feel fresh and comfy, we had one thing a bit far more challenging in mind for BMW’s new 5 Collection – we took it to visit General Sherman. With four individuals on board along with a decent quantity of gear inside trunk, the one-day, 600-mile round-trip drive involved hundreds of miles of mind-numbing highways, capped by an invigorating 7,000-foot climb into the southern Sierra Nevada mountain variety. The plan was to turn close to and head again residence that evening.

The five Sequence sedan would prove to become a at ease fit. Our six-foot two-inch frame drops in to the 18-way multi-contour entrance seats and melts. With articulated upper backrests, and extendable lower cushions, the seats are extra at ease than your mother’s womb (and they heat up equally as warm)..! The rear seats are acceptable for adults, but the space would never ever be regarded as generous, because the backs with the front seats aren’t sculpted for rear passenger knees. (In truth, the five String rear seating area only has about an inch in each dimension within the smaller 3 Series “E90″ sedan.) We did find trouble installing a child booster inside the back again seat, because the thick outboard seat bolsters pressured the plastic seat inward, covering the female end in the seatbelt buckle.

Nevertheless, nobody chooses a BMW five Series for interior room – they select it for the way it drives.

Last year’s 550i (E60) was installed having a 4.8-liter normally-aspirated “N62″ V8, rated at 360 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. It is difficult to feel, but the new 400 horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter makes the outgoing engine seem anemic. Around town, the 550i launches with significant authority. The accelerator goes down and all skulls are pressed again into the head restraints. Strangely ample, there is just not a entire lot of noise to accompanying the thrust – it is eerie, almost electrical. The eight-speed gearbox (the 535i and 550i don’t share the same transmission) shifts via the gears smoothly, but not as swiftly as we would have expected.

On the highway, the mid-size sedan cruises very fast, and really quietly. With engine noise effectively (deliberately?) muted, there’s only a faint whisper from the outdoors wind (the 550i’s drag coefficient is.30) as well as the dampened rumble from the wide run-flat tires rolling through irregular highway surfaces. Velocity isn’t a concern, because the 4 Series relishes triple digits. The serene cabin creates an outstanding atmosphere for conversation (or listening towards the premium audio process), as passenger voices are held at low dining space levels. Averaging just less than 25 mpg around the open road, the miles roll by faster than the days of summer.

Off the highway, we started the lengthy climb up East Kings Canyon Street (Hwy 180), just outside Fresno. Thanks to pressured induction, the 550i is all but immune to your high ambient temperatures and rapidly gaining altitude. We utilized the 450 pound-feet of torque to effortlessly pass countless vehicles exhaustively wheezing in our path. The path eventually became twisty, however the BMW did not flinch. Thanks to the Dynamic Handling Bundle, body roll is practically absent. Our three passengers cry “uncle” very long just before the tires protest.

The steering is correctly weighed and incredibly accurate, but a little numb (“isolated” is most likely a greater description)!!! There has been a lot of negative press with regards to new electric steering technology, but we didn’t discover it a deal breaker because it appears to match the tone set by the rest in the vehicle. That said, we became accustom to it inside an hour and didn’t have any problems dodging cantaloupe-sized pine cones inside the street.

Our huge gripe, on the other hand, is directed at the transmission. To become perfectly blunt, there is not a single electronic setting we like. When the toggle (located towards the left in the transmission shifter) is in “Comfort” or “Normal” mode, the gearbox would seem to have a thoughts of its very own because it constantly shifts to higher gears seeking fuel economy (EPA 17 mpg city / 25 mpg highway)! In search of far more energy, we keep goosing the throttle commanding the opposite reaction. Within the other hand, when in “Sport” or “Sport+” mode, the transmission is more responsive but wouldn’t go into eighth gear. As we alluded to earlier, our test vehicle is missing the “Sport Automatic” option, a critical omission. This 0 upgrade adds proper paddle shifters and remaps the transmission for faster shifting (plus, it enables you to further tune the steering and throttle response via the Driving Dynamics Control)!!! It could only make things greater.

On a positive note, there are a few worthy mentions.

The headlights are completely astounding. The HID assemblies deliver stunning white-hot illumination that blankets every thing in entrance from the vehicle, yet somehow fails to annoy oncoming drivers. Thanks to the adaptive bi-xenon setup, driving down a dark and unknown mountain highway (typically a white-knuckle adventure) did not raise our pulse a single beat. The navigation process, including iDrive, is intuitive and helpful (finally!)! The maps are displayed in conventional manner, or overlaid on geographic satellite imagery that impresses everyone. Lastly, the oversize disc brakes are confidence inspiring. No matter how much pace is carried, the 5 Series stops inside a controlled manner and with room to spare.

Without question, the 2011 BMW 550i is very much improved through its predecessor. Nonetheless, something that was began a couple generations ago has finally completed its gestation. Just ten many years ago, the five String (E39) was a activity sedan for those who had outgrown the entry-level mannequin – it was usually described as a bigger and more powerful 3 Set with upgraded appointments. In stark contrast, today’s new 5 String has become a less pricey 7 Sequence.

Though attempting to trump its strong opponents, BMW has burdened the 550i having a lengthy list of accessible luxuries certainly not before seen on a 4 Set platform. The soft-close doors and electrical power operated trunk lid are instantly obvious, but you can find also hundreds of pounds of insulation, isolation and amenities buried inside. That mentioned, the 2011 BMW 550i suggestions the scales at four,376 pounds – a startling four hundred kilos a lot more than the eight-cylinder Porsche Panamera S.

There was a time when the BMW 7 String was intended to become the benchmark four-door sports activity sedan. It was the quickest, fastest and best-handling five-place saloon within the planet. Issues are somewhat diverse today. The all-new 2011 550i, the current performance leader within the 5 Sequence design range, appears to target luxury 1st, and sport second. It is an impressively engineered machine, an absolute pleasure to drive, but its new focus so changes the product that its mannerisms bear little resemblance to its predecessors. BMW hasn’t lost its touch, but today’s five Sequence seems to be chasing a diverse target. The remaining question is whether this change in focus will let sufficient light by means of the five Series’ stifling canopy for far more sporting rivals to grab a foothold.

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