BMW 550i F10 Manual Review by Automobiles De Luxe

Automobiles De Luxe takes the BMW F10 550i with manual transmission to the test. After their experience behind the wheel, they are glad to share with us the driving experience in every time they turned into corners and accelerate on the road. Here’s an excerpt of their review:

POWER into a corner and the first thing you’ll notice is just how eager the 2011 BMW 550i tears into it – like a possessed terrier that upon sighting the wily squirrel – sets off, up, over, through, and round brush, wood, and rock until the target is acquired.

A large part of this 4,343 pound 5-series sedan’s ferocity can be linked to the Heaven-sent, torque rich, 400 hp Twin-Turbo V8 – the same magnificent motor found in the 750Li. Equal credit is due, however, to the physics defying technological armada that’s employed to do your bidding.

The 550i’s Integral Active Steering, for instance, is an innovative feature that’s evolved from just a slightly numb steer-by-wire system in the previous 5-Series (E60), to a super-intuitive, ultra responsive position command system that, among other things, adjusts the rear wheels to rotate up to 2.5 degrees opposite the fronts to increase turn-in under 37 mph. Above that tempo, the rears move in-sync with fronts.

There’s also an active anti-roll bar that keeps the big Bimmer remarkably flat through the bends.

All this leaves you, the would-be maestro behind the wheel, to marvel at the smooth symphony of movement.

That said, it really doesn’t matter which of four suspension/engine settings you select via dash-mounted rotary knob; “Sport Plus”, “Sport”, “Normal”, or “Comfort”, the essential timing is such that the 550i really never misses a beat. Never gets caught off guard. Always seems eager, assured, and planted.

And in the event one or all of the four wheels takes flight from the road’s surly bonds, the 550i lands safely each time, every time.

Of course it would.

The prime question in BMW’s evolution over the last decade hasn’t been whether Munich’s boffins could engineer new models to outperform their esteemed predecessors, but whether by executing the quest to build the ultimate driving experience, the driving machine itself would become over-sanitized. A German, RWD Lexus, if you will.

The key barometer in this evolutionary balance has been the 5-Series – BMW’s midsize sedan that’s supposed to step lively like a 3-series whilst being uncompromising like a 7-series in miniature. Trouble for some is that the new 5er’s proportions have swelled to the point that the car now looks more like 7er than ever before.

With flared wheel arches, a long, high, pedestrian-crash-spec bonnet, and tall roofline that creates the common wedge once c-pillars descend into a high trunklid, the 5-series not only stands aggressively, it’s dimensions (57.6″h x 73.2″w x 193.1″l) now rival those of an (E38) 740i (56.1″h x 73.1″w x 196.2″l). In point of fact, the 550i’s wheelbase at 116.9″ is almost two inches longer than the old SWB 7′s.

In the wider marketplace, the 5-series’ traditionally served as the less practical, fun-to-drive alternative to that sober, unfailingly logical choice for executives and cab drivers – the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.This, for all intents and purposes seems to remain the case. It’s fairly attractive, too. The new 5′s toned-down the flame surfacing of the Bangle era which is a blessing, though, the overall shape leaves something to be desired.

BMW’s 5-Series seems to be just a little impractical on purpose. Consider the sumptuously appointed leather meets wood cabin. The a, b, and c pillars envelope the occupants tightly, obscuring outward visibility, and taking up the dimensional slack from the broad exterior.

BMW designers combined that tight architecture with a high shoulder line. And, as it BMW custom, the dash twists in favor of the driver rather than being set back and away.

Source: Automobiles De Luxe