I recently got a call from the local BMW dealer to come drive the new 550i. The new 5-er looks stunning in person, it's one of the best looking BMW's in my opinion. The lines are very agressive and the rectangular exhaust tips on the 550i look amazing. The 7-series is just overkill in my opinion and I personally don't see the point of it.
The interior is quite a step above from the E60 and E90. The car that I drove had all of the available options, 3-D nav, 20 way adjustable seats, birds-eye view camera, upgraded sound system, self parking, heads-up display, active anti-roll bars, etc, etc. The MSRP for the fully loaded car was $71K, pricey but well worth it IMO.
The 4.4-liter V8 twin turbo motor makes 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The transmission in this car was a 7-speed ZF and although it was quick reacting there's still no substitute for a proper manual and there will never be.
Overall, the exterior and interior design are the most impressive attributes of the new 5-series. The driving feel was typical BMW with excellent stability at high speed and powerful brakes. I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the Ultimate Drive event to drive the 535i and the M-B E350 back to back, i'll post my full driving impressions then. In the mean time, enjoy the pics.
