The 2017 BMW M550i Does 0-60 Quicker Than Today's M5
Yesterday, we got our first look at the new BMW 5-Series, which will debut in U.S. dealerships soon. BMW has yet to release details on the next M5 that will be based on this car, but we now have a preview of the one-step-down performance variant, the M550i xDrive. It's going to be very quick.
BMW announced details on the European-market M550i, and the numbers paint an impressive picture. Its 4.4.-liter twin-turbo V8 packs a 462-hp punch, providing 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in 4.0 seconds dead. For reference, BMW says a standard current-generation M5 does 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds (an optional Competition Package adds 15 horsepower and shortens the M5's 0-100 km/h sprint a tad).
Credit the M550i's all-wheel-drive system, eight-speed automatic transmission, and punchy 479 lb-ft of torque, available from 1800 rpm. Unfortunately, BMW hasn't announced whether the M550i is U.S.-bound.
BMW also announced a plug-in hybrid variant of the 5-Series, the complexly-named 530e iPerformance. Using a combination of an electric motor and a four-cylinder gas engine, the 530e offers 252 total system horsepower, and an impressive 310 lb-ft of torque.
The M550i xDrive may be the quickest 5-series at the moment, but this is assuredly temporary. We've heard the next-generation M5 will offer all-wheel-drive, coupled with a dual-clutch transmission and a 600-hp-or-so V8. That sounds like a recipe for thrust to us.
You Might Also Like
