MlifeE60

You seem to understand where im trying to go with this..I actually was hoping you guys talk me into a m5 ..i just need some peer pressure lool

MlifeE60

the 550i just looks great, plus has a few more hp which i probably wont notice as much. The only thing holding me back from a m5 is the reliablity . the only reason ive been driving a bmw for the last 7 years is because of the durability. im a very hard driver. Mercedes benzs hate me everytime i floor a benz the damn CHECK Engine light pops up 9 out of 10 times.

i hear to many bad things about the 2006 M5. I dont want to buy a m5 that will be visiting the shop everymonth.
Im looking to get a m5 to drive everyday. I barely put 1000 miles a month. IS it true the SMG is a jerky ride?

I think i have to go drive a m5

sy1616

Do you want to get 12 mpg or 20?.....Nuff
said.....M5 is low on torque too. 550i all the way.

MlifeE60

You have a point.

I think the 550i just needs to breath better (intake+TB+Exhaust+chip) should wake it up and still get Good mpg..

black550_m5sport

LOL.. WELCOME Brother!

Thor Odinson

I have driven the 545i, the 550i, and the M5, and I have a strong opinion on each car. Here is my opinion... I didn't care for the 545i because it didn't have enough power for me to even have fun zipping around town in (this is me coming from a S500 Mercedes 302hp, 339ft-lbs). To me the 545i felt sluggish. For me the 550i had noticeably more power, or at least enough more power that I was satisfied by the 550i to be able to zip around town and have fun in it. I much preferred the 550i over the 545i, though I know on paper the performance numbers are slight.

Now the M5... To be short, I prefer the 550i over the M5. Yes the M5 is super cool and super fast but my opinion of wanting to own one changed drastically after having test driven one. No I didn't buy it. It is so fast that it screams you into warp speed like Star Wars (which is very cool), but it was also very herky-jerky when changing gears. It was very abrupt and a bit disturbing. Maybe there is some secret way to drive an M5 that I don't know about, to make it smoother, but from my experience, when you put the pedal down, the transmission shifts are very sharp and not fun. It was certainly the opposite experience for me coming from driving the Benz which is very smooth as it ramps up the speed.

My friend has an '06 M3 and I also drive that on occasion, but again it is very herky-jerky even when driving around town with modest acceleration. I tried consciously to see if I could gently accelerate without the transmission jerking the gear change and I couldn't do it. Maybe I don't know something, or maybe it's just M series cars, but I don't like it.

The other thing with the M5 is that the suspension is very aggressive. It is taught. It feels ready to race no doubt, but for just driving around town it would be a bit of a waste really. It's like a cat being always ready to pounce but never pouncing. It you plan to race, then different story, but if you don't race then the suspension is over-kill.

I at one time had an intellectual love affair with the M5 until I drove one and then my opinion changed.

So on to the 550i...I really like this car! Handling, braking, smooth ride, acceleration--it has it all. If you want more than 360hp then get it tuned. Simple as that. The 550i has a better suspension and transmission for a daily driver than the M5. And if you need more power you could get it tuned and push it closer to 400hp. Certainly going from a 545i with 325h to a tuned 550i around 400hp would be a nice upgrade for you.

ProMed

A 550 makes 400hp with a tune? Are you sure you aren't thinking of a 535 instead?

Thor Odinson

I'm not an expert on tunes. I found this reference that takes a 550i E60 to 378hp http://cbtuning.net/store/products.p...vdgol8kvc3asj7

I'm thinking/hoping maybe some other shop can push a 550i a little further? I have been thinking about going this route myself with a 2010 550i. I haven't really looked into yet. Do you know exactly how much power can be gotten out of a E60 550i? Thanks.

sy1616

Funny thing, I drove an 08 m5 and didn't think it was fast even with the fun button on. Torque is disappointing.......felt much slower than my e55......well it is but.........

turboawd

didnt we have a thread a while ago where it was determined the 550 is faster off the line because it has more torque? whereas the m5 needs to rev up to get going.