Seeing an M badge on the rump of a BMW used to be unambiguous proof that you were looking at a pinnacle car, one of those lucky products to have been given the comprehensive reworking by the company’s motorsport division.

Then things started to get both confused and confusing. First, there were some not particularly good M cars to break up the run of hits, as BMW’s marketing department insisted efforts be directed at less obvious parts of the market—the first-generation X5 M and X6 M stood as obvious violations of what had previously been core M values of deftness and precision. But then BMW decided to create a subsidiary line, a sub sub-brand if you will, in the form of cheaper M Performance models, a sort of halfway house designed to understudy the single-integer M cars.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

The latest of these is the M550i xDrive, a very fast 5-series sedan aimed at those who want an M badge without having to wait for, or pay for, the new M5. Like its punchier sibling, the M550i uses a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine, an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and all-wheel drive. Peak output is 456 horsepower, some way short of the 600-hp M5 but still more than respectable, especially when considered against the 396 ponies in the V-6–powered Mercedes-AMG E43. And although we’re told that the M550i’s all-wheel-drive system is rear-biased, it lacks the M5’s Active M Differential and ability to act as a pure rear-driver. Still, for $74,395 it offers a useful discount to the M5, which we’re expecting will cost close to six figures.



A Star Turn

The engine is definitely the M550i’s star attraction. While the less powerful V-8 can’t match the searing pace of the M5’s brawnier unit, it has an entirely satisfying amount of brawn pretty much all of the time. Peak torque is available from just 1800 rpm, and the engine pulls cleanly all the way to 7000 rpm with only the briefest lag at low revs, accompanied by a soundtrack that builds from a purposeful growl to a full-throated V-8 snarl. Acceleration numbers are equally impressive. We recorded a zero-to-60-mph time of just 3.8 seconds, 0.7 second quicker than the already brisk BMW 540i xDrive. Along with a 9.2-second zero-to-100-mph time and a 12.3-second quarter-mile at 115 mph, that makes the M550i nearly as quick as the previous-generation M5.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

The standard eight-speed automatic operates extremely well. The ZF-sourced transmission has become the go-to gearbox for the world’s premium automakers, and the M550i is one of its best implementations yet. It shifts both quickly and intelligently, helping to zing the engine to life for short-notice passing moves but also holding onto ratios when the engine’s flat torque curve suffices to get the job done. Manual changes are dispatched quickly, although—as in lesser 5-series models—the shift paddles behind the steering wheel are plasticky and their action feels too light.

Quick But . . .

The M550i certainly is fast enough to have earned its M badge, but it struggles to deliver the remainder of a sports-sedan experience, with little of the dynamic connection that buyers might legitimately expect to find in even a basic 5-series. The electrically assisted steering is the prime culprit here. It’s accurate and yields prompt responses from the front end, but with none of the feedback that—until recently—came standard on any BMW. The helm is very light in the Comfort mode, with Sport and Sport+ adding weight but no more sensation. Grip levels are high (the 0.94 g it posted on our skidpad is entirely respectable), but the M550i’s handling balance feels front-heavy, with a surprising amount of understeer in tighter turns and little evidence of the rear-biased xDrive system. Physics certainly aren’t on its side; the 4414-pound curb weight makes it 243 pounds heavier than the 540i xDrive we tested, with the majority of that difference coming from the big V-8 out front.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

The suspension tune also is surprisingly soft, with the standard adaptive dampers having to work hard to maintain body discipline over rougher road surfaces, even in their firmer Sport setting; hard cornering also revealed a surprising amount of body roll. The flip side is excellent cruising refinement. The M550i’s interior isn’t as quiet as lowlier versions of this G30-generation 5-series, but it remains a calm and relaxing place, especially given the excellence of the well-finished cabin and the abundance of standard equipment and connectivity options.

Yet it also feels as if more effort has been expended on such details than has been on what used to be BMW basics. The LED cabin lighting is beautiful, and the animation of the display screens is crisply rendered. Our test car came fitted with BMW’s Active Driving Assistant Plus system (part of the $3400 Driving Assistance Plus package), which adds some active-steering assistance to the adaptive cruise control. This worked well on lane-marked freeways, but it struggled to cope with lesser roads. There’s also a lane-keeping-assist system that aggressively applies steering torque when it thinks the car is heading off-road; it is less subtle in operation than the adaptive cruise and seems less adept at spotting lines, so it was soon switched off.

The M550i xDrive impressed when we drove it on the German autobahn, but it struggles to make nearly as good a case for itself on our side of the Atlantic. The M550i was an excellent opportunity to create a wingman to the M5, a driver-focused lesser model in the spirit of the Mercedes-AMG E43. The M550i isn’t that. It’s a very fast 5-series with an M badge rather than something that BMW’s longer-serving fans would recognize as a real M car.

Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $87,985 (base price: $74,395)

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 268 cu in, 4395 cc

Power: 456 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque: 480 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 117.1 in

Length: 195.4 in

Width: 73.5 in Height: 57.8 in

Passenger volume: 99 cu ft

Trunk volume: 19 cu ft

Curb weight: 4414 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:

Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 9.2 sec

Zero to 130 mph: 16.1 sec

Zero to 150 mph: 23.3 sec

Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 5.1 sec

Top gear, 30-50 mph: 2.5 sec

Top gear, 50-70 mph: 3.1 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 12.3 sec @ 115 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 156 mph

Braking, 70-0 mph: 151 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY:

Observed: 17 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY:

Combined/city/highway: 19/16/25 mpg

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