| After a weekend at the helm Robert Barry is impressed by the technological tour-de-force that is the new BMW 550i sport sedan. Former BMW design chief Chris Bangle drew criticism from both press and BMW aficionados for the execution of the previous 5-series. First impressions of the new car have expunged any remnants of Bangle’s bungling, it looks far more elegant and less brutal. The exterior is conservative but so too are the buyers, a fact we think that was not lost on the design team now led by Bangles successor Adrian Van Hooydonk. A nice touch inside is the redesigned dashboard and cockpit layout, the double binnacle look has been ditched in favour of one single binnacle in front of the driver while the large screen for the Navigation and diagnostic screen is much more neatly integrated in the central console. On the road the new 550i with its 4.4 litre bi-turbocharged V8 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission is a quiet and frugal cruiser. On an Auckland to Hamilton run we managed an average consumption of 11.9l/100km while urban running saw a worst of 14.6l/100km. Official combined is 10.4l/100km and urban is 15.4l/100km so driven with care the 550i will return very good economy for a car with an engine producing 300kW of power with 660 Newton metres of torque. Until the autobahn-storming M5 arrives down-under the 550i will be the flagship model for the new range and as such it is absolutely loaded with technology which may at first appear gimmicky but is anything but. The i-Drive multi-media system controlling all functions of the car is a lot more user friendly and intuitive thanks to separate buttons around the circular controller for navigation, CD, radio, telephone, and menu with a back button too. Depending on the driver’s mood and inclination, the 550i offers four driving modes which change the character of the steering, suspension set up and engine/transmission response. These modes include comfort, normal, sport and sport plus which switches off the electronic stability control to allow some tail out driving but retains some electronic traction control Other technological party tricks include the optional parking assist function which will negotiate parallel parking spaces for the driver, the radar-assisted cruise control which will slow the 550i when the vehicle in front reduces speed and bring the car to a complete halt if required. Lane change assist which will cause the steering wheel to vibrate if you try to change lane and another vehicle is in your blind spot, a small triangular hazard warning light installed in the cowling of the side mirror will also flash, and the steering wheel will also vibrate if it senses you are about to depart your lane unintentionally. But the best function of all has to be the two cameras installed in each front wheel arch that allow the driver to see what is ahead when exiting a building or driveway with restricted forward vision. For example you may not be able to see past a tall building or a tall fence but the camera does it for you, which is great for the safety of pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. |
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