Sponsored

Drove a 2018 BMW M550I

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
Dealer had a very nice looking M550i on the lot as I was driving by so I decided to take a look.
This car honestly blew my mind with how nice and also how ridiculously fast it was!
it felt light years faster than my Bullitt but it supposedly only has 456 HP. Granted I am at about 5,800ft of elevation and with that car being turbocharged it keeps more of its HP than an n/a engine.
the comfort of it was also impressive the seat massagers just felt like an added piece of luxury. I have wanted an M5 for as long as I can remember. Driving the lower tiered model really cemented to me that when the time is right I need to go for it.
Anyone else have a similar experience with a car feeling like it’s punching so high above it’s “HP” figures suggest
Sponsored

 

emcmtony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Threads
10
Messages
213
Reaction score
268
Location
08085
First Name
Tony
Vehicle(s)
2020 Saleen Mustang S302 White Label
Comparing a mustang to a 90k 550 is ridiculous!!! It is a totally different thing. Add 30k in upgrades to your Bullit and then make that comparison. The 550 is a GREAT car but you get what you pay for.
 
OP
OP
Louk

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
Bullitt sticker was 54, the m550i starts at 73, this one optioned out was 82 and was currently selling for 58 with 18k miles.
Bullitt trade in is in the mid to low 40’s so you figure a 12-15 grand difference buying that from the current Bullitt.

yes I am not blind to the fact that it is more expensive. But in my opinion it definitely felt worth it. Other vehicles just do not justify there price tags.

not the real point of the post though. It’s the fact that at 456hp how it feels so much faster than the number would suggest.
if I buy a 20 grand car with 456 or a 200 grand car with 456 you would expect similar performance ( given similar weights and obvious factors that they are in the realm of being close to each other)
This car has less power than the Bullitt and weighs around 600 ish pounds more but feels like it has a 100hp advantage.
if you take out launching the cars and just go let’s say a hit at about 40 or so. The bmw just pulls so much harder.

yes I agree the vehicles are in different price points but how does the fat 4 door sedan with less power out pull the lighter more powerful sports car?
 

JohnnyGT

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
1,278
Reaction score
3,086
Location
NoVA
First Name
John
Vehicle(s)
'20 Mustang GT, '17 Expedition, '04 LS430
how does the fat 4 door sedan with less power out pull the lighter more powerful sports car?
Torque from the turbo engine vs the Coyote being built for high RPM power.
 
OP
OP
Louk

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
Torque from the turbo engine vs the Coyote being built for high RPM power.
The low down torque was very nice, similar to when my truck spools up.
High rpm shifts still yielded an advantage to the bmw though, even with the coyote well within in power band.
Still love the Bullitt and think it’s a great car. Was just very much impressed with what I thought would feel generally similar or slightly slower and turned out to be a different experience.
 

Sponsored

PaddyPrix

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Threads
13
Messages
669
Reaction score
853
Location
San Diego
Website
www.youtube.com
First Name
Patrick
Vehicle(s)
07 335is, 08 LR2, 13 Tahoe, 18 Mustang GT x2
Vehicle Showcase
2
Torque from the turbo engine vs the Coyote being built for high RPM power.
Spot on. I took my 335is out for groceries last night, and without even touching the pedal it threw me back into the seat. Those small turbos are at full boost at like 1400rpm, whereas our Coyotes are still cracking their knuckles and warming up.
 

tosha

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
1,390
Reaction score
1,491
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT PP1
If you're after straight line acceleration feel, get model 3 performance for roughly the same price. It will completely wipe both bullitt and that "almost m5" thing, as far as acceleration feels around normal roads. It also has great livability, obviously no need to buy premium gas and it won't make you broke as a used 5 series bmw maintenance would.

I personally would never trade a very special (though less refined) s550 bullitt for a just another bimer, even with some cash on top of it.

Also, keep in mind that peak horsepower numbers have surprisingly minor contribution to how car acceleration feels and pulls from a standstill. Look what a corvette c8 is doing to supercharged monsters with it's humble 450sh hp
 
OP
OP
Louk

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
I think for some reason the intent here got lost in translation. This isn’t about what’s better or worse or expensive or cheap.
It was simply appreciating that another car was a very pleasant experience.
I am not attempting to say my car is crap at all. Not interested in maintenance or price differences..

just simply wow it felt much faster than what I thought it should.. what other cars that advertise a certain hp feel much much faster and can beat out much higher hp cars.

so far it seems to be a c8 and the model 3P I haven’t driven either of them yet, and probably won’t get the chance at a c8 for a while until things calm Down with the market.
 

Mustang_Lou

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 1, 2016
Threads
13
Messages
1,817
Reaction score
773
Location
Toronto, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 Mustang Bullitt
I used to own a 2005 330i and the Germans always punch above their weight.

Take a look at how easily this M5 takes a Hellcat Redeye:

 

Hack

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2014
Threads
83
Messages
12,283
Reaction score
7,443
Location
Minneapolis
Vehicle(s)
Mustang, Camaro
The BMW probably has a lot better gearing for acceleration with the 8 speed auto vs. your Bullitt's 6 speed manual. The newer Mustangs with manual transmissions have very tall gears. This really hurts acceleration at lower (street legal) speeds.

I've heard that BMWs also tend to be under-rated from a power standpoint. That might explain it as well, but I think the crappy manual transmission gearing is probably the biggest factor.
 

Sponsored

ice445

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
6,091
Reaction score
7,222
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
First Name
Ryan
Vehicle(s)
2020 Mustang GT 6MT
The BMW probably has a lot better gearing for acceleration with the 8 speed auto vs. your Bullitt's 6 speed manual. The newer Mustangs with manual transmissions have very tall gears. This really hurts acceleration at lower (street legal) speeds.

I've heard that BMWs also tend to be under-rated from a power standpoint. That might explain it as well, but I think the crappy manual transmission gearing is probably the biggest factor.
It's that and elevation. The Coyote actually does pretty well at high elevation, but when I dyno'd mine at 4,500 feet, I stopped making any extra power period after about 6200 RPM, when I'm supposed to make peak power closer to 7000. I'm sure OP is enjoying the same deficit. The BMW in comparison has better gearing and it's hardly losing and peak HP or torque from the elevation because there's plenty of compensation available by the system.
 

Balr14

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2019
Threads
30
Messages
2,506
Reaction score
2,300
Location
SE Wisconsin
First Name
John
Vehicle(s)
BMW Z4 M40i
I have owned a number of BMWs with the turbo-charged 3.0 and 4.4 engines. Both have much better performance than their published horsepower and 0-60 times. I would love an M6 convertible. I drove a couple before I settled on my Mustang GT convertible. I just couldn't afford it. As it turns out, there are other BMW models and options that give about the same performance for a lot less money. But, their model designations and options can be really confusing. Especially when comparing a 2014 model to a 2020 model, for example.

BMWs run hot. Their normal operating temperatures would be considered overheating in many other cars. Consequently, things like gaskets, seals and plastic parts don't last as long. But, if you do your own maintenance, which is easier than you would expect, they are not as expensive to maintain as their reputation suggests and they last a really long time. My son-in-law did the maintenance on my cars. Since I don't drive much anymore, I sold my 335i to him. I probably should have kept the 335i and sold the Mustang. It's just an overall better car.

I should mention the 4.4 turbo V8 in the 550i is a detuned version of what is used in the M6 and M8 models.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Louk

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
BMWs run hot. Their normal operating temperatures would be considered overheating in many other cars. Consequently, things like gaskets, seals and plastic parts don't last as long.
I have heard the turbo engines called the "Hot V" now i know why.
Maintenance is the main factor in being turned off from cars like this. How much difference in your experience is the maintenance going to be from what we currently drive?
Now if we are talking the E60 M5 that thing will cost you everything you own to keep it running. But the newer ones? thoughts?
 

SolidZebra

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Threads
1
Messages
45
Reaction score
22
Location
Dominican Republic
First Name
Steve
Vehicle(s)
2016 Shelby GT350
One big difference when comparing M5 models to muscle cars is 4WD...we have an M5 and the fact that it's 4WD (with German intelligence to determine power distribution on the fly) makes it extremely confidence inspiring...they have tons of grip for such a heavy.

I did the M driving school last month with one of my sons and we used M2s, M4 and M5 models. The M4 impressed me as the most fun combining power and some flickability. They had us use the M5s, however, for WOT laps around the larger track in SC and they are beasts.
 
OP
OP
Louk

Louk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
625
Reaction score
412
Location
America
First Name
Lou
Vehicle(s)
F90 M5, 2022 TRX
One big difference when comparing M5 models to muscle cars is 4WD...we have an M5 and the fact that it's 4WD (with German intelligence to determine power distribution on the fly) makes it extremely confidence inspiring...they have tons of grip for such a heavy.

I did the M driving school last month with one of my sons and we used M2s, M4 and M5 models. The M4 impressed me as the most fun combining power and some flickability. They had us use the M5s, however, for WOT laps around the larger track in SC and they are beasts.
Yeah-im-jealous-meme-36317.jpg
Sponsored

 
 




Top