BMW Cars & Motorycles
	• 2007 BMW 550i • BMW 760 LI • The History of BMW, The Ultimate Driving Machine • 2007 BMW M6- Formula 1 Inspired • BMW Motorcycles • 2007 BMW 335i Coupe

The 2007 BMW 550i (no, it’s not a 5-liter engine, it doesn’t have 5 valves per cylinder, or a top speed of 55 miler per hour – we don’t know why it’s called the 550i) sits smack in the middle of BMW’s lineup, larger and richer than the 3-series, and hinting at what you’d find with its 6- and 7-series big brothers. What we have here is a car swathed in a tortured and – from some angles – downright ugly body, and so stuffed with technological geegaws, doodads and whatnots, that you may well miss the superb driver’s car underneath.

 

Behind the face of the 550i – a face that vaguely resembles a samurai battle mask – resides a 4.8-liter V-8 that, with help from VANOS variable valve timing and Valvetronic lift control technologies, spins up a solid 360 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. All that moxie is delivered through either BMW’s highly respected manual six (isn’t it nice to know that someone still cares about manuals?) or the very fine 6-speed Steptronic autobox. Both gear change systems transmit the V8 power in a lovely and glassy-smooth surge to the rear wheels, monitored by a dynamic stability control system to keep things respectable. Stay on the tap, and 60 mph arrives in about 5.5 drama-free seconds.

 

But such wallop has a price: for the privilege of owning this much delightful motor, the government gives you a $1000 gas-guzzler fat lip. Most people who buy the 550i don’t care, but there are other high-zoot mid-luxury sedans that don’t pay this penalty. With all that tech under the hood, we think BMW can do better than 17 mpg.

 

With the Sport package comes an active roll stabilization system that keeps the car much flatter in curves, so that the suspension has a more stable platform from which to work. When traveling in a more or less straight line, the system disengages to deliver a smoother ride. With the rear wheels handling power delivery, the fronts are able to provide that trademark BMW steering feel. It’s a sensation of absolute confidence in your track – you know very quickly that the 550i will answer your commands with an almost flippant ease. Again, the balance that BMW achieves between ultimate control and a supple ride is found on few, if any, other cars. This is a sublime driving car. We suspect some dabbling in the black arts is involved, but we’ve never been sure.

 

Unfortunately, there is more to driving for most people that carving apexes and doing the Juan Manuel Fangio thing on your way to the office. You have to live with your car, and BMW tends to struggle here, at least in their loftier offerings. Recently it seems as if the Bavarians are attempting a keep-up-with-Lexus, no-holds-barred assault on the technology front. There are so many tech options available on the 550i that you can easily reach $70,000 outfitting your car, when you started at around $55,000. There’s the expected nav system, head-up display, Bluetooth syncing, night vision, back-up radar, active cruise control, dynamic headlights, BMW Assist, HD radio, surround sound monster audio, and a slew of secondary technologies.

Now, we love tech.

 

Really.

 

We like pushing buttons and seeing little lights glow and all that sci-fi stuff. But most of these dainties are accessed through BMW’s dreaded iDrive system, it’s just not fun. We won’t go into the legion number of shortcomings of iDrive here, other than to say this: most other cars of this class offer most of these technologies, and they don’t make you wade through multiple command layers to decode some German programmer’s idea of logic. We don’t know what the purpose of iDrive is, but convenience ain’t part of it.

 

Our advice? If you want the best driving mid-luxury sedan because you love to drive, get a 550i and forego a lot of the high-tech gadgetry. You’ll be content to savor this car’s brilliant dynamics and addictive powertrain. If, on the other hand, you want a dressy car with all the toys because you like toys, look elsewhere. Others are doing it better. The BMW 550i is meant for driving.

 

…to experience dynamic engineering as art form. In this class, not much comes close.

 

…if you want intuitive techno-gizmology. You’ll get more for less somewhere else.