M5 vs 550I with Dinan tune

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

That's what she said.

I like her.

[DaveCM5]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

Now for the M5. It's a strange car to me. I bought a heavily loaded 550xi - roughly $86k. People have asked me, why didn't you just spring for the M5? It wasn't a financial issue - I could afford the M5. But it's a practicality issue. I can't drive the M5 as a DD here in New England. It's essentially good for 2.5 seasons, maybe. Which leads me to wonder about a 4-door sedan that's only usable half the year for people in the north... great, I guess, if you had yet ANOTHER 4-door sedan to use in the snow... AND you're still, IMHO, lacking a real sports car. Just as M5 guys are knocking on the 550, you're going to find entire forums full of Porsche, Ferrari, etc, owners laughing at M5 guys who don't understand the girth, weight, and 4-doors attempting to pass itself off as a race-car. Yes, it's very competent for what it is... which is still, nonetheless, a compromise between a sedan and a real sports car.

The M5 is a very expensive compromise. It's not a race car and it's no longer a usable 4-door sedan in much of the country for 4 seasons. While, like most of what BMW does, I can admire the results of their effort, it doesn't change the fact that the M5 is trying to be really good a two very different tasks - a mid-sized, 4-door, luxury sedan and a race-car in one. Those two extremes, mashed together, create a strange car for me that can never be truly great at either being an agile race-car OR a comfy, versatile luxury sedan.

I think where you're confused is you think the M5 is a compromise. The magic of the M5 is that its not a compromise. It's as good or better at being a luxury sedan than a 550i, and better on a race track than a lot of sports cars. It's very, very good at both. It's very tame when you want it to be, or very aggressive when you want it.

It seems from what you said a sedan can't qualify as a useful daily driver unless it has AWD. But that's not the case for most people, even where you live I'm sure. It's true that the M5 doesn't have x-drive for your winters, but neither do a lot of 550s. And FWIW, most BMWs here in Florida don't have x-drive. This is my second M5, and it's as great a daily driver as my last one, especially on the back country roads where a 550 just wouldn't do.

The M5 is for people who want more in each department than a 550i can deliver.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by DaveCM5

I think where you're confused is you think the M5 is a compromise. The magic of the M5 is that its not a compromise. It's as good or better at being a luxury sedan than a 550i, and better on a race track than a lot of sports cars. It's very, very good at both. It's very tame when you want it to be, or very aggressive when you want it.

It seems from what you said a sedan can't qualify as a useful daily driver unless it has AWD. But that's not the case for most people, even where you live I'm sure. It's true that the M5 doesn't have x-drive for your winters, but neither do a lot of 550s. And FWIW, most BMWs here in Florida don't have x-drive. This is my second M5, and it's as great a daily driver as my last one, especially on the back country roads where a 550 just wouldn't do.

The M5 is for people who want more in each department than a 550i can deliver.

Did you drop the mic on this one?