+1 I am still on the search of the holy grail for a desk chair.

 

I'd take the seats out of the Porsche and swap them with the BMW, and then the Porsche would be a complete car. I like the stark interior, love to hate the i-drive, would not be caught dead in a Merc, and seriously, we all love to cheer for the Ford/Jaguar/Tada but really, would you want one in your garage .... BMW has spent so long on the top of the h in this catagory, that eventualy, people just have to find nit picky things to complain about...

 

I agree that the ride on rough roads with the sport package is rough.

We always complain that comparison tests involving the E60 don't have the right options--either missing the V8, the sport package, or the manual. Well, this test had a 550i with SP and a manual tranny, and they didn't like it.

 

They say its the best sport sedan, just not the best luxury sports sedan. Most of us that bought this car wanted just what the 550i is, if not, we would all be buying Lexus. Maybe the testers are getting too old for "sport"

 

Motor Trend is good when I run out of toilet paper.

 

It was an interesting read. Honestly though - who cares what place it took? Its like arguing about what color is more attractive - as with most things in life, everyone has opinions, but opinions are only really relevant to the person holding them. If I think silver cars are boring, but does that make it true? No - just in my mind. (and I'm just joshing about the color... )

Anyhow, I read the article the other night too after the magazine arrived. They still hate i-drive, which amuses the hell out of me, becuase I really like it. The reviewers never have the BMWs long enough to learn it - once its learned, its really a very intuitive thing. The same magazine had a review of the new M3 convert. a few pages later, and while praising its dual clutch tranny, it again ripped i-drive. My point is that its their opinion, not mine.

The best part of the article, in my opinion, were the performance numbers. I saw the 550i had a 4.8 second time in the 0-60, which made me proud. I've always thought it faster than the 5.2 I see posted so many other places.

We all know BMW's are for spirited drivers who demand true peformance, and we know the other cars are truly nice too. Who cares how the knuckle heads at the mags "rank them". Most people would give their eye teeth for a chance to own our cars!

Just my two cents.

 

I test drove one a few times back to back with a 535, and didn't remember anything weird about 'em, and then after we bought the 535, and drove it after we got it home, I (for some reason) really zero'd in on how comfortable the front seat was in the 535. Funny, 'cuz I don't remember the 550's seats being any different than the 535 when I test-drove it.
If the two are the same, it's the most comfortable seat I've ever sat in, period. I'd have to strongly disagree with the tester's opinion.
I'm in the bike (MC) industry, and bike rags (mag's) are notorious for being off-base in their reviews. In this case at least, I'd have to think the car rag's are no different.

 

lawguy, I agree. If I had a shiny nickel for everytime they a mag ragged on I-Drive... well..

If it is so bad, then why does Merc and Audi have their own versions now? If the double hood on the dash was stuck out like such a sore thumb, then why is everyone copying? Same thing for the Bangle Flame Surface design, the step trunk lid of the 6 Series and 7 series, etc. These old guys secretly still like the days of past, the nostalgia of driving "American Muscle" with bench seats and a wood steering wheel the size of a hula-hoop.

 

Yeah, I get tired of seeing all the press on the new Dodge Charger & the Pontiac G8. Honestly, they arent even close to the quality of our BMWs. Yeah, they might be faster than they were 5 years ago, but they still feel like a cheap ride, IMHO. But that's just my opinion.

On a related note, I drove my pal's E63 AMG again last week. Its a f-ing missle in a straight line, but truly lacks the handling that I enjoy in my 550i, again, in my opinion.

It just depends on what makes one happy. I do wish the interior of the BMW had a few more refinements like the other cars - the Lexus and MB interiors seem a little fancier. But, I would rather have the handling prowess at the end of the day.

 

You ask and you shall receive...
http://www.humanscale.com/products/freedom_index.cfm

I LOVE THIS CHAIR! Get the gel padding and the headrest is a must.

Of course I also love the Comfort Seats in the 5-series - probably one of the most comfortable seats I've ever been in and MT seems to be one of the only rags that disagrees (C&D said they were the best seats as well).

I can only assume that the MT crowd looks for something different than the C&D crowd. How the 550 could be considered rough riding (especially now that it comes with regular tires in sport) I just don't understand. Anyway, the Lexus crowd uses C&D for toilet paper and I guess the BMW crowd uses M&T for toilet paper. Love it.