JeffNNJ

Okay so it's that wonderful time again. Time to order my new 550i. My 06 lease is up in April and I am going to order another with the Sport package, of course. I love the Platinum Gray color but my current ride is Silver Gray, my M3 was Titanium Silver and my 328i was Arctic Silver. That would make my 4th gray family BMW and I would like a change. I really would love something in the dark red or burgundy family but alas, it's not offered. That really leaves me with Carbon Black which I know will be heart breaking to own because of the cleanliness/swirl mark factor but I really have very little choice.

Now the interior is really confusing. My 550 and M3 were both black. I hate the gray headliner so I have decided to bite the bullet and go for anthricite but what about the seats?? I am still undecided whether to go for Nasca leather but it's the color and trim that perplexes me. I love black but, like I said, I am getting sick of it. The light tan is out of the question because I am way too anal and I have kids and young nephews who would probably dirty it up way too often. I don't like the gray even though it would save me the money on the anthricite headliner because the gray would match the leather. That leaves me with natural brown or again with black which I am not entirely opposed to. But if I get brown, what trim do I go with?? I bitched and moaned because I wanted anthricite wood in my current car and didn't get it but I am not so sure whether it would look as good as the light brown wood. I know that if I go with black, I will choose bamboo just to carry the color story throughout the car. PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS BEFORE I GO INSANE!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Jeff

EBMCS03

Carbon black would be ok to take care of I think... its a metallic paint so its not as hard as you think... but will still be harder than the grays obviously... but its a nice color!

Interior... well since they dont have auburn anymore go with natural brown... since you lease the cars why not! try it out!

JeffNNJ

Yeah, I loved the auburn. You like natural over all black??

tume

Is alpine white out of question? I think it looks great on e60's with m-sport package. (pmmeke's alpine white e60). If you decide to go with black interior, I would suggest bamboo trim.. I have completely black interior with bamboo and I love it and have got many compliments about this combo.

EBMCS03

Its a toss up. If the original poster wants some contrast then go with Natural Brown... if not then go with All Black including the trim... How about the glossy black piano trim?

vortexx

Jeff,

I just went through the same dilemma. I ordered carbon black with natural brown, light poplar wood, and the anthracite headliner. Since you are doing a two year lease, the residualized cost of the anthracite is only roughly $150 or so - imo worth it! The nice thing about the natural brown, is that the carpet, lower dash, and center console is black, so it is much less suseptable to dirt, and, in my opinion, a sharper look. Both the dark poplar and light poplar look good with the natural brown, but the light poplar is as close a match as two natural materials can be. The contrasting natural brown and black door panels look great too. This whole combo goes great with the carbon black exterior, and a bonus is it will be unique, you wont see many of them. If you prefer the look of the bamboo, it works also. I saw the natural brown with bamboo at a dealer, and it looked ok. My only issue with it was it didnt tie the seat color to the rest of the car, instead it added an additional design element that wasnt coordinated.

ObD

Carbon black, Black Leather, Athracite Headliner, Anthracite Bamboo. KISS.

calpalmer

This was a disappointment to me as well, as I considered my 550i order. The color selection is pretty limited. I like the Space Gray I ordered, but it seems like every other 500i around is either silver or space gray. Of course I'd love BLACK but know better up here in the rainy/grimy northwest. I don't have that kind of time to keep it looking good. A Vancouver gent posted a pick of an M5 he just picked up, Indy Red, now there's a killer color! Too bad the 550i doesn't have some exciting offerings as well.

Good luck with your selections.

Cal

JeffNNJ

Thank you for your reply. Do you find the carbon black to be as big a PIA to keep looking good as regular black??

iversonm

IMO, it certainly isn't TiAg, but it appears easier than my previous jet black car. While it shows the dirt quickly, it doesn't seem to need 6 hours of detailing just to look decent.

As for the interior, I'm pleased with natural brown and bamboo. The bamboo seems to have tan highlights that go well with the leather color. The seats don't show the small footprints that my children create. In that sense, it is easier than black.

You can't go wrong with a black interior either. However, I needed a change after two black interiors.