Test drive BMW 550i
The BMW M5 will receive the most powerful V8 in the lineup, all-wheel drive and surpass its predecessor in everything. The irony is that the current top-five version with the 550i M Performance designation is already more powerful and faster than the previous emka.
A sticker with a speed limit of 240 km / h is glued on the central tunnel of the sedan, and on the unlimited autobahn we drive only a little faster than 100 km / h - due to weather conditions and numerous repairs on the highways in the vicinity of Munich, a very gentle driving mode has been set. The road camera shutter blinks treacherously - not noticing the display with a limit of 80 km / h, I instantly get a fine of 70 euros.
"Five" with the M Performance prefix in the range appeared for the first time, but there were already other similar cars in the line. The BMW M courtroom not only produces the fastest versions of Bavarian cars, but also individual packages for simpler vehicles from trim and aerodynamic parts to engine and chassis components. And more recently, M Performance is a separate line of "charged" cars, which in the hierarchy of models occupy a place below the real "emoks" and bear a combined designation on the trunk lid. So on our car, instead of the categorical “M5”, it appears M550i.
Externally, the sedan looks almost the same as other civilian versions, except for a small spoiler on the edge of the trunk and four sturdy exhaust pipes. The interior is finished to the highest level, but these are also quite familiar elements, supplemented by a three-spoke M-steering wheel, sports seats with a dozen adjustments and a digital instrument panel. Unlike the real "em", the BMW M550i does not look provocative and does not behave like that.
Still, getting a receipt while driving at walking speed in a car with a capacity of a little less than 500 hp is triple insulting. Was it even worth going from sunny April Moscow to rainy Bavaria, which was covered with bad weather? Juicy snowflakes fall on the glass of the car and instantly melt, and the navigator invites you to exit the highway - where there are fewer cars, the paths will become more intricate, and the foothills of the Austrian Alps will look more and more picturesque from behind the clouds.
On local roads, the coverage is still perfect, and the "five" are lucky royally - delicately, comfortably and not at all rocking. Even so, the 550i chassis has been re-tuned: the ground clearance has become one centimeter less, the springs and adaptive dampers are slightly stiffer, and the suspension control algorithms are more sporty. In addition, the 8-cylinder engine made the front end heavier. I don’t know how the sedan will drive on a really bumpy road, but the car does not notice minor irregularities at all, as well as asphalt ripples.
Maybe it's the winter 18-inch wheels that the Bavarians installed due to bad weather and because of which they had to limit the top speed a little, but the memories of the chassis settings of the base car, which drove just as neatly, are still fresh in my memory. The most powerful rides just as well.
In the Comfort chassis mode, the powerful "five" airliner goes in a straight line and the steering perfectly happens, without frightening the driver with sharp responses either to the "gas" or to the steering wheel turns. But it is necessary to spur the sedan properly, and he gladly responds to the offer to accelerate. The 550's temperament is restrained, but perky. Acceleration comes out juicy, but not tense, and if the driver continues to insist, then the car happily imprints him into the back of a dense seat.
The hefty 8-liter V4,4 is twin-turbocharged and bumps to 462 hp. and 650 newton meters. This is the direct heir to the G2008, first introduced back in 6 on the X550 crossover. The sound is soft, velvety, and that's in standard modes. And already in a sporty one, but with the gas pedal pressed properly, the MXNUMXi gurgles and gurgles heartily, not forgetting to cough up juicy exhaust when switching to low ones. Song! And even it can sound surprisingly calm if the driver suddenly decides to go again like everyone else.
The launch control system gives an accurate idea of what an M Performance car is. You can start with maximum acceleration without any special tricks: the gearbox selector in "sport", the left foot on the brake, the right foot on the gas. If, after the start flag symbol appears on the tidy, you release the brake, the sedan will sit on the rear wheels and shoot forward - not hard, but very firmly, catapulting the car in a straight line.
The line with the impact that real "emki" or AMG versions of Mercedes-Benz cars are sent flying is very delicately observed - passengers still do not want to go out or turn out, but the acceleration force does not allow them to take their heads off the headrest.
This experiment is truly impressive even on slippery roads, since with the all-wheel drive M550i almost does not allow the wheels to spin. It exchanges the first "hundred" in exactly 4 seconds, which puts an even more powerful M5 sedan of the previous generation on the blades. Experiments with launch control can be carried out no more than once every five minutes, but you often don't want to launch this attraction. The dynamics of the M550i can be enjoyed in any other mode - the stretch of the road and the firmness of the vestibular apparatus would be enough.
The Sport mode seems ideal for such rides, in which the sedan becomes collected, tighter and sharper, but does not cease to be comfortable. It sounds surprising, but this balance is achieved without air suspension and roll suppression - both options, but not required at all. The jerky Sport +, in which the accelerator gets too nervous and the gearbox is rough, is completely redundant on normal roads.
And the steering seems to be ideal - moderately heavy, it allows you to read the car in any driving modes. That is why gliding on it is easier than ever, since the stabilization system and the rear-wheel drive nature of the transmission allow you to drift neatly. It seems that when cornering, the car itself understands at which angle it needs to wave its tail, where to throw the thrust and how to draw the trajectory exactly.
The only question that leaves such a versatile and balanced car is why a real M5 is needed now at all, if better, it seems, can no longer be done. Correct rear-wheel drive and rapid-fire "robot"? But the new M5 will also have an all-wheel drive transmission, albeit with the ability to completely disable the front axle, and the gearbox will be the same hydromechanical "eight-speed".
Most likely, the "emka" will become even more evil and uncompromising, ready for full-fledged track days and truly unlimited autobahns. But you can completely limit yourself to the "five hundred and fiftieth", which elegantly and with dignity bypasses most competitors in terms of comfort.
| Body type | Sedan |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4962/1868/1467 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2975 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1885 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, V8, turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 4395 |
| Power, hp from. at rpm | 462 at 5500-6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 650 at 1800-4750 |
| Transmission, drive | 8АКП, full |
| Maximum speed km / h | 250 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, s | 4,0 |
| Fuel consumption (horizontal / route / mixture), l | 12,7/6,8/8,9 |
| Cargo space, l | 530 |
| Price from, USD | 65 900 |
This is what it was necessary to take to the Autobahn, squeezed by restrictions. After the powerful BMW M550i, the hybrid sedan labeled 530e iPerformance seems to be pretty calm, although it is by no means the slowest variant of the “five”. 6,2 s to "hundreds" and 235 km / h top speed roughly correspond to the characteristics of the petrol BMW 530i.
It has the same two-liter "four", but in the 184-horsepower version, and the eight-speed "automatic" has a built-in 113-horsepower electric motor - a scheme familiar, for example, from the BMW 740e. In total, the unit produces the same 252 hp as the BMW 530i, but the hybrid's torque is higher (420 Nm), and the weight is 230 kg more. The weight distribution is in order, since the traction battery is in front of the rear axle. Only the boot capacity suffered - 410 instead of the base 530 liters.
If it were not for the blue accents in the trim of the radiator grille nostrils and brand emblems, identifying the hybrid would be difficult. The main clue is on the left front fender, where the charging socket hatch is fitted. A 9,2 kWh battery charges from a home network in 4,5 hours, from a branded wall charger - twice as fast.
But there is also a more interesting option - wireless inductive charging, which does not require special installation and can be mounted in five minutes even in the street parking of a restaurant. It is enough to hit the charging platform with the front end of the car and accurately position the device, following the prompts of the media system. A full refueling will take no more than three hours.
The dynamics of the hybrid is really not impressive, but only in comparison - after the M550i with its velvet baritone "eight" and all-consuming twin-turbo traction, the BMW 530e feels just as confident to drive. Acceleration is strong, and the transitions from petrol to electric traction and vice versa on the go are almost imperceptible. It is possible to determine which of the engines is working only by a slight change in the vibration background, and even then, if you listen more closely. But the vibrations of the engine are not enough for this background anyway - the four-cylinder engine sounds modest.
But in a purely electric mode, the sedan does not become a bummer. Specifications promise 50 km on electric, and under ideal conditions, this result is quite achievable. In any case, in autobahn mode at speeds noticeably over 100 km / h on the battery, the car covered a little more than 30 kilometers. And this is the case when the hybrid does not imply restrained dynamics or other compromises - such a car can be called a real "five" BMW.
