2011 BMW 550xi: If there was a Nobel Prize for cars...

Just like people, some vehicles have evolved better than others. Torture me if you must, but I’ll never tell you which individuals still have Neanderthal-like characteristics. Fortunately, there are those who raise humanity to noble heights – from Las Vegas singers, entrepreneurial visionaries or Nobel Prize winners. The BMW 5 Series is the automobile equivalent of a Nobel laureate, and while it isn’t perfect (as you’ll see), it’s pretty close.

There are two models of the 5 Series: the traditional sedan and the strange GT hatchback. The wagon that was offered with the previous generation has not yet made its way to North America. Let’s hope it does! Today, we’ll be focusing on the sedan, which comes in several versions, from the 240-hp 528i, to the 550xi and the 300-hp 535i. The latter two are available with all-wheel drive.

A small cloud over a brilliant sea…

Subtle but with a welcome touch of novelty, the aesthetic changes made to the new 5 Series (which was unveiled last year) are most evident in the passenger compartment. The dashboard is still a long way from being as nice as what Audi and Volvo are offering, but personally, I prefer it to that of the overly plain Mercedes-Benz. Unfortunately, our BMW 550xi’s passenger compartment was black and the dark wood accents did nothing to brighten the situation. A little chrome or polished aluminum here or there would have been nice. The once-scorned iDrive control system is now easier to use. Is it that I’m gradually getting used to modern technology or is the system more intuitive? It’s surely a bit of both… Anyway, now you can control the air conditioning, heating, the excellent quality audio system, the GPS or the car’s various settings without exhausting your arsenal of four-letter words. In my mind, the good old push-button radios from the 1970s were a lot more user-friendly.

The passenger compartment is large and the front seats can be adjusted in a multitude of directions and are very comfortable. Back seat passengers were not forgotten, although the legroom can be a little tight if whoever’s in front isn’t cooperative. Both the trunk and trunk opening are vast, making transporting large items that much easier. Under the rug, there’s a storage bin instead of a spare tire, because the 550xi runs on “run flat” tires. Despite many improvements, this type of tire remains harder than conventional ones and more expensive to replace. But when you have a BMW, I imagine that expensive tires are just one expense among many, especially considering that parts for German cars are generally pretty pricy.

Warning: right foot = guaranteed fun

Under the hood, there’s a 4.4-litre V8 featuring 400 hp and 450 lbs-ft of torque (starting at 1,750 rpm), which is more than enough to move the 550xi’s 2,050 kg with pep – and with a nice roar to boot! It goes from 0-100 km/h in a paltry 5.9 seconds, and the 80-120 km/h pick-up takes just 4.0 seconds. During our week-long test drive, when the mercury rarely crept above -10oC, we recorded an average fuel consumption of 12.1 L/100 km. Considering the weight and power of the vehicle and our driving style, this is an excellent score. The eight-speed automatic transmission definitely came into play. Plus, at 100 km/h, the engine revs at only 1,650 rpm (1,950 at 120 km/hr).

On the console is a button for selecting Normal, Sport and Sport + modes. In regular conditions, the main difference is in the engine revolutions, which increase from 1,600 rpm to 2,400 rpm at 100 km/hr, thus awakening a couple of horses. The suspension is harder but I imagine that the difference is more striking on a race track, where you can deactivate all the electronic systems and have fun accelerating and fishtailing.

Long live the x!

As its name indicates, the 550xi features a very sophisticated all-wheel drive (that’s what the “x” in the name stands for) that I really appreciated during a snowstorm. With the help of its big Dunlop SP WinterSport 245/45R18 tires, the car demonstrated rock-solid handling. Navigating on sheets of ice and through piles of snow, I was able to hit surprising speeds without compromising my safety. However, I imagine that over time, that feeling of confidence would could cloud your judgement and it would be easy to surpass your own limits and those of the car (human limits are reached long before those of the car!) only to end up in a ditch on the side of the road!

The steering is a little heavy at low speeds, but it is very precise, – although it’s far from the near-perfect steering of the M3, for example. Fortunately, the turning diameter is short, which is always a bonus in tight situations, especially since the BMW Series 5 sedan’s body isn’t exactly compact. The brakes are extremely powerful and tests done during the last Testfest by the AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) gave a distance of 30.5 metres between 100 km/h and a complete stop. Keep in mind that this figure is above average for a car that weighs more than 2,000 kg.

The 550xi that we borrowed from BMW cost $75,900. Add the $3,000 Technology Package and the $5,500 Executive Package, and the price climbs to $84,400, which, you’ll agree, is out of reach for mere mortals (with me among the merest). However, if you can afford to treat yourself to luxury, power, strength and prestige, you should definitely include the BMW 5 Series on your grocery list. The Audi A6, Jaguar XF, Infiniti M, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Volvo S80 had better hold on tight!