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6sp manual M5 vs 550

4K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  ///MURDOCK 
#1 ·
Hello everybody,

Have just finished driving 2008 M5 with 6 sp manual, drove 08 550i a while back. I am truly hoping there is somebody on this forum that has driven both and can confirm/disagree/discuss.

The purpose for this car is really a third car, I already have a dedicated sports car ( 06' C4S) and need this to be an everyday car - fun enough not to be bored but livable. Here are my observations:

- M5 is a faster car, but it seemed to me like you really have to work hard for it. There is lack of torque at lower RPM and the car doesn't really come alive until about 5k. 550 seems to be very smooth at launch and seems to have plenty of usable power all throughout the range. Can somebody please comment on this? Does it truly make that much difference when torque is readily available? Or perhaps this V10 engine was not really designed for true manual tranny and therefore gears are much taller? Anybody?

- this active seat bs is something out of this world, distractive as hell. I wanted to stop on the side of the road and rip it out

- is it true that sport suspension on 550 = comfort setting on M5?


Any advice is appreciated, money difference is no object, I would want more suitable car for what I need it for.

Regards

Eugene
 
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#2 ·
IMO by the time you option a 550 out you are close, pricewise, to a no option M5 which comes standard with alot of the extras you pay for in the 550. I have driven both at the dealer and the difference in performance is significant. If money is no object as you have stated, then the answer is very simple...///M5 all the way!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Eugene: You have a S4 which has better pull than the M5 in the low (1500 to 3000) rpm ranges, but is basically a 14 second 1/4 mile car. You will need to get used to being a gear lower, but an easy thing to do. The 550i would not be as big of an adjustment, and still faster by a little in the 1/4 mile than your S4 but ultimately no match for the M5, on many levels.

If you are used to the low rpm characteristics of your S4, try the 335i (or ix) which would feel more like a real improvement than either the 550i or M5.

I use normal (middle) setting mostly and it is much like my S4 (like yours). The "sport" 550i was a little softer, and maybe like comfort, hard to tell having driven both but months apart. The top setting on the M5 is for smooth pavement, period.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I think he said he has a C4S as in 997 Porsche Carrera C4S not an S4. The C4S is a mid-12 second car. Eugene, funny you should post this, I went this weekend and test drove a 6spd M5 because 1) i missed my smg M5 and 2)was curious if the 6spd was a better car. I also came away feeling that the lack of low-end torque was quite noticeable, much more than i recall in the smg version. As you wind it up above 5k the 6spd definitely comes alive but it seems like it lacks that F1 click-click mad endless dash to the redline that the SMG provides. Also i noticed driveline lash which is felt in the gear lever, and obviously not in the smg lever. I honestly think that for the M5 the smg provides for a better if more detached driving experience; and i next thought the best 6spd experience may be in the torquey 550i but did not test drive the latter.
I am sure there are many happy 6spd m5 drivers and don't mean to flame but having driven more than 12k miles in my smg m5 i think smg>6spd in the m5, mind you i would not want smg/dsg/zsg in my 997s and love the 6spd in that car.
In contrast to the previous post, if you absolutely have to have a 6spd, the torquey v8 in the 550 may be better choice; if you want the m5 then go with the smg. :cheers:
 
#5 ·
Eugene,

Every once in a while a thread such as this surfaces -- and please believe me here, as I'm not trying to sound inflammatory -- but I think you should opt for the 550.

Those that know an M5 typically have little doubt. It sounds as though you're looking for comfort and torque (the earmarks of the MB driver, btw).

In contrast I'll tell you that on a personal level, I drive an M6 as my daily driver so as not to be bored (and I too own and track a 911).

This is not meant to sound critical in any way -- slow, lazy, and torque-oriented driving is thrived upon by the masses -- yet it's the antithesis of the M5, both physically and philosophically.

In the end this all comes down to money -- the M costs more than the 5er, so it end up being a question of priorities. Best of luck in your decision.
 
#20 ·
This is not meant to sound critical in any way -- slow, lazy, and torque-oriented driving is thrived upon by the masses -- yet it's the antithesis of the M5, both physically and philosophically.
Not sure I buy this . . . anyone who knows me well would tell you I drive obscenely fast through traffic and my current daily is a very torque-oriented 335i. Torque is a good thing if you like to drive fast and actively -- you can better take advantage of disconnects in traffic by having big power immediately on tap.
 
#6 ·
You may also want to consider waithing for the 535.
 
#7 ·
It says "view my 2000 S4" on the left of his post, so I was comparing that to the M5 or 550i. I think the idea is to replace that with the BMW.

Good point about the 535i. Bigger if the 3 series is too small, and at really low rpm will do in the 550i and the M5 (300 #/ft torque at 1400 rpm is big), nice for the driver that "lives" down there. Something about the sound of the M5 as it climbs past 5000, 6000, 7000 etc. that no twin turbo 6 will be able to match. The 335i does sound nice tho.
 
#8 ·
Eugene... I recommend you watch the autospies special comparing the 550, 535, and the M5. I think you may get a better understanding of the differences. I love the M5 look way more then the standard e60 so that was partially my reason for going with it. Mind you the 550 does come with night vision and adaptive stop and go cruise control options you can't get in an M5. But like the members said the specs are pretty close.

check out the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0oMSvR434
 
#12 ·
Hi Eugene, the 7spd smg is really perfectly geared and the 1st 2 gears are perfect and do enable you to get anywhere in a hurry even in stop and go traffic. Even from a standstill it is quite fast, you can use an accelerator pumping action which will raise the revs before releasing the clutch, at the expense of the time to perform this maneuver. I would say for your needs go with the m5 smg, it's a very special car and if you need a little detachment/comfort with ability to get fully involved at any time the m5 is it and i would go with smg. If you absolutely wanted a 6-spd 5 series and you don't have another 6-spd to scratch that rowing itch then for the range of speeds in the US the 550 may be better. If you had an e46 m3 and a C4s seems to me the m5 smg is the right prescription for that perfect combo for someone who appreciates the difference. One more important thing, the m5's edc enables you to change from really comfortable at the soft setting which if you go with the 550 will be a 1-way ticket if you decide to go with the sport suspension.
Good luck and have fun making that decision...
 
#14 ·
Thanks a lot to everybody for their replies.

Catdog, 550 I drove had standard m-sport package on 19's, which, from what I understood is an eqv of M5 comfort setting. Your point in reference to US roads is clear - I was test driving M5 at canbec in Montreal, and it was hard finding a stretch of the road to put a power down. Still feel like if I don't go with an M5 I would miss out..

Wayward, understood, just trying to combine real life heavy commuting with
desire to have fun while enroute.

Would anybody happen to have a chart hp/tq M5 and 550?

TIA
 
#16 ·
I've always prefered having high-end torque on a car. It gives it a sportier feeling and all you have to do is drop it a gear or two and BAM!, you're in your powerband.

Matt
 
#17 · (Edited)
Eugene: Go here.

http://www.rri.se/

Charts are at rear wheel, but factory at the flywheel graphs are there too.

example see

http://www.rri.se/popup/performancegraphs.php?ChartsID=623

and

http://www.rri.se/popup/performancegraphs.php?ChartsID=153

On those pages you can click on "graph" next to "overview" and get a blown up chart that is easy to read. The factory graphs are gray and above, naturally, the rear wheel dyno result.

Check out the 335! Turbo motors torque can be managed perfectly flat as shown!

Erik
 
#21 ·
MWM, yes, and I think that almost everyone appreciates "twist-on-demand" type engines, those with loads of torque at low rpm. BMW's design philosophy with the V10 (and the new M3's V8) reflects something a of counterpoint (though not entirely, as the torque band is wide).

High torque is great in traffic, but far less entertaining than a high-reving motor. In other words, one's driving style can easily adapt to accommodate the V10 in traffic to maximize torque, and in MHO, it's alot more fun.

For, me, I love the both the control and the entertainment value of living at moderate to high rpm, although high torque down low is great when you're caught off guard.

Here's a pertinent excerpt from BMW's M6 media guide (Dec. 2004):
In principle there are three options to achieve optimum power and
performance in engine construction: To make the engine larger, obtaining higher torque in the process, to boost engine output by means of a turbocharger or compressor, or to increase engine speed by means of the high-speed engine philosophy.


Power is more than just a number.
This means that on the road, power and performance is more than just an impressive horsepower rating. Rather, what really counts is a car’s behavior when accelerating and its driving dynamics. And this depends on the thrust and muscle actually generated by the drivetrain as well as the weight of the car. The thrust going to the drive wheels, in turn, is a result of engine torque and the overall transmission ratio. The high-speed engine concept, therefore, allows the right transmission and final drive ratios, guaranteeing impressive performance also in everyday motoring.


Given these basic laws of physics, we find huge differences between various engines, even when on paper they have the same output. A large-volume engine, for example, has the disadvantage of both extra weight and larger dimensions leading to higher fuel consumption. A turbocharged engine likewise consumes more fuel and lacks spontaneity that is the instantaneous response of the engine to the driver’s wishes.

The high-revving concept – the perfect answer.
This leaves the third option: the compact, fast-revving normal-aspiration power unit. For traditional reasons alone the engineers at BMW M acknowledge this concept as the ideal solution, increasing engine output and performance by an appropriate increase in engine speed. The fact remains, however, that the high-speed engine concept is far more demanding in technological terms, making it a greater challenge requiring more sophisticated solutions. Reaching engine speeds of 8,250 rpm, the V10 enters a speed range until recently reserved to thoroughbred racing cars alone.


Formula 1 technology for the road.
Featuring qualities of this kind, the new V10 raises the limits to technology in series engine production to a higher standard never seen before. A comparison clearly shows what this means in terms the loads and forces acting on the various materials: At a speed of 8,000 rpm, each of the 10 pistons covers a distance of some 20 meters a second. Revving at 18,000 rpm in the BMW WilliamsF1, piston travel is actually 25 meters per second. But while durability is merely a relative factor in motorsport, a BMW M engine must last the same long life as the car itself – in all kinds of weather, under all traffic conditions, and with that typical M style of motoring.


507 horsepower for a new world of driving dynamics.
The fast-revving ten-cylinder develops maximum output of 507 horsepower at 7,750 rpm. But compared with its output and performance it remains a lightweight athlete weighing just 240 kg or 529 lb. When it comes to output per liter, on the other hand, this engine is definitely a “heavy” player. The ten-cylinder easily achieves the magical limit of 100 hp per liter, with specific output comparable to that of a racing machine.


Only engine speed can really bring out power and torque.
Maximum torque of 383 lb-ft comes at 6,100 rpm. But the ten-cylinder develops 332 lb-ft from just 3,500 rpm, with 80 per cent of the engine’s maximum torque offered consistently throughout a wide range of 5,500 rpm.


This alone places the BMW M6 with its high-speed engine far above the competition, with virtually all other models focusing on torque alone provided by larger engine capacity and/or turbocharging. A further drawback with other models is that they require a significantly reinforced and, as a result, very heavy drivetrain to convey their extremely high torque, thus suffering from extra weight and mass which consistently has to be accelerated and slowed down. By contrast, BMW’s compact V10 with its high-speed concept benefits from a far lighter drivetrain with a much faster gearshift.

A good example is that of a cyclist riding up a hill. Shifting down a gear, the cyclist will have to turn the pedals faster, but is able, in return, to take virtually every grade. Should the cyclist remain in the same gear or even shift up, on the other hand, the choices would be to either put more strength into the pedals or, quite simply, get off the bicycle. Taking two cyclists absolutely equal in their strength and stamina, the winner will always be the cyclist able to turn the pedals more quickly.

 
#25 ·
I kind of agree

The 550 and M5 are really different cars. I have a 2005 545i 6Sp and a 2008 M5 SMG. After going back and forth between the cars it is true that the 545i seems to have more low end torque - it's in some ways (my opinion) a better daily driver than the M5 which is a beast! You just have to rev up a bit.

That said, to pick one over the other, i'd take the M5 any day. My only regret is not doing the manual tranny on the M. As good as the SMG is, I still don't feel quite as connected to the car.
 
#27 ·
I've been through many sleepless nights trying to decide between SMG and 6-speed, but in the end I chose 6-speed. Why? Because I wanted to become one with beast. I'm a person that just loves to drive... and when I drive I really want to be in control of everything.
Why did I choose the M5 rather than the top of the line 5 series... just because it's an M5. Nothing can really compare to the M badge. It's the best that BMW has to offer.
 
#28 ·
The m5 has a very nice feel to it. I sometimes used to miss the torque, or I should say the feel of the torque. Used to drive a supra TT and whenever that second turbo kicked in, I never thought I could go N/A again. Here I am with the m5 and loving it. You are going so fast with less effort. The m5 needs the 7 gears with such a rev happy engine.
 
#30 ·
I've had my m5 (SMG) about a month now. I must say that it is a wonderful daily driver. Because it doesn't have the monster low end torque, it has a very predictable throttle response in traffic that seems quite tame. But once you rev it up, it becomes quite a different animal.
On the other end of the spectrum, when I was younger, I had a friend who had a modded Mustang with tremendous torque. Because the response was so brutal down low, it was difficult to apply even acceleration in stop and go traffic. Granted, it's not as sophisticated as some of the vehicles nowadays, but I just wanted to make a point.
 
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