swajames

BMW themselves describe the suspension on the US model LCI 550 as "M Sport suspension" in their press materials and in their internal briefings to dealerships (I can provide links if you want to see the documents). The 08 550 Sport has a different suspension to one you have and I had on my pre LCI 550.

The only meaningful difference between ROW M-Sport and the US appears to be that the US gets ARS as standard. I suspect the general consensus would be that this is a good thing. In many other markets ARS/Dynamic Drive would be an option. Whatever BMW do they can't please everyone but I suspect the 08 sport pack, ARS included, for the 550 would please most of us and is a step up from the pre LCI sport suspension on the 550 (which I also had on my 550)

From BMW's product guide for dealerships:

550i Sport Package

In addition to Active Roll Stabilization, sport Leather steering wheel, shadowline trim and multi-contour seats, the 550i new optional Sport Package includes:

? M Sport Suspension
? Differentiated Exhaust pipes with a sportier sounding exhaust
? 19? Double Spoke Alloy wheels and non-run flat tires (Note: wheels contain M badging)

pennetta

1970 Yamaha YE-100 twin cylinder street motorcycle
1965 Pontiac Tempest
1975 Honda CL 350 motorcycle
1974 Yamaha RD-350 motorcycle
1977 Yamaha RD-400 motorcycle
1977 Toyota Corolla E-5
1981 Honda CB-900 F Motorcycle
1983 Honda Civic-S
1988 Honda CRX-Si
1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo
1985 Mercedes 190E 5-spd
1988 Mercedes 260E
1986 Kawasaki ZX 1000 R Ninja motorcycle
1997 BMW 528i
1999 Jeep Cherokee
2001 Acura Integra GS-R (8000 Redline)
2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2002 BMW 525i
2004 BMW 545i SMG
2006 Jeep Commander
2008 BMW 535i SA
2007 Harley-Davidson Street Bob motorcycle

Mt last car was the 545i which I replaced with the 535i. The 535i has a better interior, better ride, smoother engine and so far has been more reliable. I have not experienced anything with the 535 that I like less except I do miss the SMG.

ExGMan

"Stonkingly?"

stavros

1989- 1980 model Holden VC Commodore SL, 3.3 litre, 3 speed auto- My 1st and most unreliable car I had ever owned.

1989- 1984 modelRenault Fuego GTX, 2.0 litre, 5-speed manual- Fun to drive even though FWD. All the girls loved it.

1996- 1993 model Opel/Holden Calibra 16v, 2.0 litre, 5 speed manual- Excellent high speed stability, FWD meant understeer at the limits.

1999- 1985 model Renault 25 GTX, 2.2 litre, 3-speed auto- Talked to you when fuel level was low, or door adjar.

2000- 1987 model E28 BMW M535i, 3.5 litre, 5-speed Getrag manual- The car that got me addicted to BMWs. Best ever Driver's car I had ever owned
at this point.

2001- 1950 Jaguar MK V- Restoration Project- Did not proceed

2002- 1986 model W124 Mercedes 300E, 3.0 litre, 4-speed auto- Looking over the bonnet at that 3-pointed star gives a delusion of grandeur. Otherwise nice to drive.

2003- 1988 model E34 BMW 535i 4 speed auto- Engine felt and was bullet proof, very thirsty for today's standard.

2003- 1988 model E34 BMW 535i 4 speed auto- As above.

2005- 1998 model E39 BMW 528i 5 speed steptronic- It was love at first drive, beautiful interior.

2007- 2006 model E90 BMW 325i 6 speed manual- excellent handing machine but prefer the size and style of the 5-series.

2007- 2004 model E60 BMW 545i M-Sport Body Kit 6 speed steptronic- First ever V8 I have ever owned and a blast to drive. Turns heads everywhere.

2007- 2002 model E39 BMW 530i M-Sport 5 speed steptronic- There's nothing like driving an M-Sport. 3.0 litre six has power.

keith84_uk

2004- 04/2004 Passed my driving test!

2004- 1999 Mitsubishi Colt 1.6 mirage My first car....good to drive but cant go more than 100mph

2004- 2003 BMW 530i 3.0 One of the best car i've ever driven and fall in love with it! (Will keep it until..really dunno!)

2005- 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Twin Spark Very good to drive damn good looking!! But its a front wheel drive so loads of understeering!!

2006- 2002 Toyota MR-2 Roadster (MR-S) 1.8 VVti My first roadster!! and best car ever...really like the go kart feeling and its real drivers' car!

2006- 2002 Toyota Celica 1.8 VVti Good car again with more seats and rooms (still missing my MR2)

2007- 1999 BMW E46 318i 1.9 As a bimmer, nothing to complain!!One of the best ever made and just lack of power on my one

swajames

Prior cars

1972 Morris Marina - rear wheel came off whilst driving at 40mph... Fond memories of me driving on 3 wheels, sparks flying from the back end as my wheel heads into oncoming traffic...

1988 Ford Escort - first "nice" car I ever owned. 1.4 L engine!

1995 Mazda 626 - first "sporty" car I ever owned.

1998 Mercedes C Class - first car I ever bought from new.

2001 Infiniti I30 - Great car for the money.

2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe - great car, fond memories other than than the dealer...

2005 BMW 545i - first BMW, first E60.

2007 BMW 550i - incredible car, but sadly it was also incredibly unreliable...

Current cars:

2007 Porsche 911 Carerra S - truly phenomenal. A wonderful car.

2004 Honda Pilot - great SUV, great powertrain. Means the 997 isn't a compromise.

camilosal

?70 Honda CB350, it got very cold in November. Had it before I could get my drivingl license
'72 Fiat 128, 49HP, an eternity to 60, 80MPH downhill, 20MPG?
?77 Renault 12, very bright yellow
?79 Renault 12, much better
Kawasaki 250 Enduro, got married and the wife got the R12
?82 Fiat 147, faster than the Renaults, but still rusted like crazy
?84 Renault 9 with a a 1400cc engine, very slow, but it handled very well. Blew out the engine
?88 Renault 9, not much better that the previous one
?90 Mazda 626, very reliable, otherwise not very memorable
?90 Honda ST1100, great engine, heavy handling
?92 BMW325, great driving and fast, but very unreliable. Have not been able to by anything but BMW after this, and I must say that most of it is because of the dealer. Great service.
?94 BMW 540, My first and last automatic transmission. Did not care much for it.
?97 BMW 540 sport, fantastic car
?99 BMW R1100 R, great all around bike
?99 BMW 540 sport, the increase in torque made a big difference. Loved that car.
?01 BMW R1150 RT, took great trips up the Smoky mountains
?02 BMW 330 sport, remembered all the fun I had with the my first 325 and it would be fun again. Did not really like it. Not very versatile.
?06 BMW R1200 RT, very nice bike, do not ride it as much because of my last car?.
?06 BMW 550, sport 6 speed. Best car of all

iversonm

1980 Mercury Carpri, with a 2.3L 4 that theoretically had 88hp. This was coupled to a 4 speed manual that delivered a tiny fraction of those horses to the rear wheels. I had to use the ice scraper as a choke on cold mornings, as the stock model was intermittent at best. Still, it was mine.

1987 Ford Escort GT. Replaced the Capri after I made an ill-timed left hand turn. It was probably one of the most rewarding little cars to drive around town, with nice 5-speed manual, and was perfect for a college student. I did learn that it handled rather poorly with a half barrel in the trunk. This is one of the few cars I miss.

1990 Chevy Beretta. Also a fund to drive car with a 188hp 4 cylinder and a 5 speed. The engine was rather coarse, and the interior was a bit odd, but it was a flawless car for 5 years. I sold it to a friend, and they drove it for another 7 nearly flawless years, with the exception of a small incident with a snowbank.

1995 Dodge Stratus. This was the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned. It was a decent car to commute in, but I went through 3 transmissions in 45,000 miles. I also erred by getting my first automatic transmission.

1999 Chevy Blazer. My first company car. Beggars can't be choosers. While it was trouble free and competent in every ordinary task, it certainly was uninspiring on the road. I longed for something that was fun to drive and had 3 pedals on the floor. However, with a young family, it needed four seats and doors. After much research, I ended up with:

2002 BMW 325i. The only option I got on the car was the sport package. It was probably the most fun car I've ever driven. The engine was strong enough to be fun, but demanded that you chose your gears carefully. The short-stroke motor loved to bounce off the redline. The suspension was superb, and the stock Pilot HX's were plenty sticky.

2005 BMW 330i. If the 325 was good, the 330 must be great. I got the Performance package. I've enjoyed the extra gear on the transmission, the extra power and torque relative to the 325, as well as all of the electronic toys and gadgets. The only downside to this car is the alcanatra steering wheel, which has not held up very well. However, in reality, the 325 was far better value for the dollar. The 330 costs nearly 1.5x the cost of the 325, but only offers a little more power and a bunch of toys.

2008 BMW 550i. I'm looking forward to a change of pace, away from the thundering tight suspension of the 3er, and having more room for the family. Having an overpowered sedan will be an interesting diversion from the last 6 years. My first 325 miles in Germany lead me to believe that I'll be pleased, and it's still a manual.

The future: I'll probably go small an nimble again, with something like a 1er convertible or whatever fills the shoes of the M Coupe in three years, but nothing is firm yet.

amigo525

many mazda lovers ! i dont feel that guilty now!

DynaSpy

I did love my MX6 It was pretty reliable.... until the fuel system got clogged and they wanted $700 to fix it