Richard in NC

In a recent thread I mentioned wanting to look at a Space Gray/Creme Beige 550i this weekend. Well, the deed is done
and its sitting in my garage.

I was really impressed with Crown BMW of Greensboro, NC. I didn't get the trade in on my 650i that I wanted (its value is
dropping like a rock) but they worked with me until offering a lease deal I could be happy with. They also took their time and
prepped the car 100%. Before I left the dealership, the BMW assist, the SAT radio, my iPod, the bluetooth connection to my
Moto RAZR, and even the new iDrive programmable buttons were all set up. Nothing is left for me to do other than learn a
few differences over the 650i and enjoy the car.

I liked the 650i but really missed the room and comfort of my 2002 M5. Any earlier test drive of the LCI 550i with the new
sport auto showed that would likely be my next car. The new tranny is a great substitue for a 6 speed manual and will be
greatly appreciated in Charlotte traffic. It took a few months to find a car with the equipment I wanted and pull the trigger.
In the mean time, I've enjoyed reading all the great reviews of the LCI models on e60.net.

I pondered ordering a car but the dealers wouldn't work out a deal in advance. The car I found is exactly the way I would
have ordered it save for creme beige instead of an all black interior and the additon of the lane departure warning. I like the
creme beige (it goes nicely with the space gray) and I'll just have to be careful to keep it clean and new looking.

Now on to my first impressions. The new sport auto is great. It is a smooth shifting auto but when both sport modes are
enabled, it is very quick and responsive changing gears. I also like the way it allows a paddle downshift and reverts back to
full auto in a moment or lets you stay in the selected gear in DS mode. One quirk is in sport mode (not DS), it drops to 5th.
You can select 6th gear for cruising with the paddles but it goes back to 5th in a few seconds. I'll let you know my full
impressions of the sport auto once the car is fully broken in on a trip to the mountains in a few weeks.

In comparing the LCI Logic 7 to the '06 650i Logic 7, something is different. I'd call it a "warmer tone" as opposed to a lack of
quality. It is possible lows and highs are a bit less sharp but with proper EQ and surround settings it still sounds quite good.

The lane departure warning is cool. So far it has not been annoying. I guess that's because I always signal a lane change.
You loose a programmable button on the wheel but with the new mode button on the dash, I no longer need that programmed.

I really like the enhancements to the iDrive, especially the easier scrolling of the new controller and the quick access buttons
to the center vent temp in the climate control. I change that frequently in the spring and fall and hating weeding through all
the idrive menus to adjust it.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the multicontour seats. I really like their comfort yet still providing plenty of lateral support.

Ride and comfort wise, the 550i sport package is faaaar nice than the 650i. I hated the Bridgestone RFTs with a passion and
would have had them off the 650i months ago had I not been considering trading. Believe it or not, 3 out of 4 salesmen at
Crown insisted the 550i sport package still had RFTs. There is NO evidence of that on the tire, in the brochures, and we ALL
know that all of the BMW LCI change info states the 550i sport no longer has RFTs. It seems the 550i handles just as well as
the 650i but it does seem to have slightly more lean and a heavier feeling front. I haven't pushed the car hard enough to
know its at the limit traits. I think it handles every bit as good as the E39 M5 did.

All in all, I'm looking forward to enjoying the 550i. Sorry for the long post.

katheikia

She is beautiful...Have fun!!!

HotLap

Richard...nice ride!! Glad you got the car you wanted and the deal you wanted!! Soooo much nicer to have a plesant experience purchasing a new car than getting started off with a negative buying experience. To be honest, I was not certain I would like that color combo...but in your pics it looks pretty nice! IMO - it makes it look "higher end" (thniking Jag, etc.) than the black which would have been more sporty...hope that makes sense

Enjoy and be sure and post more of your driving impressions after you pu tsome miles on her!

ObD

Try some black floor mats for more contrast.

westcoast550

I think the color combo works well , congratulations ! Interesting suggestion about the black floor mats, that will likely be the toughest part of the interior to keep clean .

Cheers

swajames

Congratulations, that's a beauty!

slickrick

Great post and congrats on the new ride. Have fun and don't forget the break in period.

sapphire 535i

Yea thats some really nice interior.. You should get those all weather mats though.. You dont want them pretty floor mats to get dirty
Have fun with that badboy

EBMCS03

What an excellent move! The 550 just sounds more and more like the perfect car as more people report about it.

Richard in NC

The black mats are a great idea. I had all weather mats for the 650i (only because there were no mats in the car when I bought it and the dealer game me what he had in stock prior to ordering normal creme beige ones). They might fit the 550i well enough in a pinch but I'd rather have black carpet ones during the mild winters we usually get.

Other first mods will be a radar detector, window tint, and possibly an M5 rear spoiler and a clear bra for the front.