THE BMW 550i

Here comes the world’s number one company ‘THE BMW’. In the recent times AUDI passed MERCEDES in the overall rating of a car and a company but it cannot beat BMW, it is at number one till now. Ok lets talk about some cool stuff in BMW these days. BMW recently launched a new campaign titled ‘BMW is Joy’. This tag line is explained as "Part of a big-media strategy the company is doing to raise its profile worldwide with a more emotional, optimistic voice". So its now indotucing a brand new BMW 550i GT, the best automotive ‘The Ultimate Driving machine’.

 Thankfully, the inside is a completely different story. Unlike the divisive exterior, BMW has done a really great job and we all should hats off to it. We really enjoyed what we saw and sat on immensely. The seats are plush and comfy, the huge, two-pane sunroof is, well, huge and the telephone integration rivals Ford's SYNC system . The 550 I is more 7 series than more 5 series.

The new Gran Turismo's wheelbase is identical (121-inches) to the short wheelbase 750i, which helps make the 550i GT one of the few vehicles with more room in the back seat than the front. The back of the rear seats can be stuffed with DVD screens with wireless nheadphones. It has nice HVAC controls and spacious center compartment.

 

Sadly, 
The air conditioning is pretty underwhelming and the only transmission choice is an automatic. No manual, no dual-clutch or SMG – there's not a paddle shifter to be found. There's just BMW's useless new gear selector, a button-festooned phallus that does little but take up space and infuriate you in parking lots. Sure, you can pull it to the side and pretend to row your own by pushing and pulling.

The hopped up twin-turbo, direct-injection, double VANOS 4.4-liter V8 with its 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of all-day torque is a peach. Leading you to think such an engine coupled to BMW's new eight-speed automatic transmission would make for a very quick car. Under certain conditions, it is exactly that. Lots of buff books have clocked it at taking just 5.3 seconds to hit 60 mph. But for the most part, the 550i GT tends to feel heavy, ponderous and out of tune.

These are issues present in essentially all new BMWs spec'd with nav, and increasingly, most new luxury cars, but BMWs have always been about driving first and coddling later, and the 5GT reminds us that Bavaria's priority list is beginning to flip-flop.


In trying to be all things to all people (or, at an as-tested price of $76,775 on road , all wealthy people) the 550i GT isn't really anything. You can't in good faith have a utilitarian, high-riding, hyper-gizmo'd hatchback also be a credible, driver-focused GT.

Base price	$65,000 (est)
Vehicle layout	Front-engine, RWD/AWD, 4-5-pass, 4-door, hatchback
Engine	4.4L/400-hp/450-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
Transmission	8-speed automatic
Curb weight	4950 lb (mfr)
Wheelbase	120.7 in
Length x width x height	196.8 x 74.8 x 61.4 in
0-60 mph	5.4 sec (mfr est)
EPA city/hwy fuel econ	15/21 mpg
CO2 emissions	1.13 lb/mile

Posted in: BMW