BMW M550i 2021 review - see why it's better than an M5!

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BMW’s finally brought the M550i to the UK, so of course, we had to get it in for a review!

We're sure it'll come as no surprise to any of you that the M550i doesn't come cheap though (at least, compared to the regular 5 Series), with the price kicking off from around £70,000! That's over £30,000 more than the starting price for an entry-level 5 Series.

So is it worth it? Well, if you choose to pay the larger price tag, you’ll be graced with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 under the bonnet, which will put down an impressive 530hp and 750Nm of torque! Not only that, but it’ll shoot you to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds.

So, it sounds mighty impressive, right? Which leaves us with just one question - with such strong performance stats, should you bother spending the extra £30,000 and go for the BMW M5? There’s only one way to find out… Keep watching to see what Mat thinks!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:55 Price
01:34 Exterior Design
02:50 Interior
05:55 Back Seats
07:58 Boot
08:47 Five Annoying Things
09:50 Five Good Things
11:35 Engines
12:38 0 - 60mph
13:09 Town Driving
14:28 Motorway Driving
16:17 Twisty Road Driving
17:18 Verdict

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[MatWatsonCars]

Hi Mat here: do you think there is no need to buy an M5 as this M550i gets so close yet is much less expensive? Or would you always rather just pay the extra for the proper M car?

[dino_mk]

Matt is half human, half link in top right corner.

[insayn]

These big v8 German sedans are incredible, it’s insane that people get SUVs over them. Also, absolutely loving the new 5 series’ design.

[whoseyourchef]

The M550i exists in a vacuum where the competing brands don't have a comparable model. Its far quicker than an S6/7 and E53 and awfully damn close in performance to the RS6/7, E63, and M5 for quite a bit less money. BMW should really call it the M5 GT since it is just a soft M5 at heart.

[niccoulter]

“The extra 2 inches is always welcome”

...I wouldn’t know

[bonzobonanza]

This is the best looking 5 Series since the E39

[aabidamn]

Regardless of their performance or extra features, I'm just glad they still have normal grilles.

[dpk]

Who’s back here appreciating this after seeing the 2024 model

[carwow]

Come on then - BMW 5 Series vs Mercedes E-Class vs Audi A6. Which are you choosing? VOTE BELOW!

[Solemnfuture]

"sorry there's no car washes available" ahahahah that's taking lazy to a whole new level

[ponchantos]

I had both since I owned an exotic car rental company in Vancouver Canada. And this car for most people had more than enough power when you needed it. It is also more comfortable than the M5 due to the M5 racing capabilities. Lets face it racing cars aren't comfortable

For someone that wants to be fast when you need and be civilized and comfortable to carry the family, the M550 is the right one 😊
Phenomenonal video as usual Matt. Thank you

🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[charlesxavier]

Mat’s: girlfriend: I can’t do this anymore
Mat: that’s nothing the carwow stick of truth can’t fix

[pramitharyan]

Hey Mat I think it’s time for the NEW “ A6 VS 5 SERIES VS E CLASS “

[UMR_-mosb]

Damn...the best looking brother out of the other German competition.

[TomsDocumentaries]

I'm a current 2021 G30 M550i owner - have to agree with Mat's review, and I'd like to add a couple of comments. My car is approaching 8K miles on the clock. I love the car! It handles beautifully, and the power under the hood (bonnet if you prefer) is impressive. I've turned off the gesture control - it's just too annoying for anyone who talks with their hands. The integration of iDrive with Apple devices could be tighter - e.g. you can't select a music playlist from your iPhone. Lane assist needs to be less sensitive to get close enough to the lane boundaries when another lane is not available to give room to law enforcement, construction, broken down vehicles, etc. – otherwise, the lane keeping tries to drag you back to center when you don’t want to be there. It doesn't matter how much you dial back the sensitivity, and you basically have to turn it off to avoid having the car try to drag you back toward the peace officer, parked car, etc. Last, in the last winter storm, the heavy wet snow accumulated on the LED headlights, likely because LED lights are cooler than other types, and the car doesn't come with a lens heating system or headlight washer to clear them. On the positive side, the car handled very well in the snow and slush (put it in traction mode) and the recent update to the car's iDrive operating system installed without a hitch (be careful and follow the update instructions) as did the most recent quarterly map update for the navigation system. On the whole, if I'm heading into the dealer to buy a new car, I'd buy an M550i again, loaded with the packages on mine now - Driving Assistance Plus, Dynamic Handling, Parking Assistant, Executive, 20-inch wheels, heated front and rear seats, and front massaging seats. As for considering an M5, the extra ~75hp (in a base M5) isn't worth the extra $25, 000, and even a limited top end speed of nearly 160mph in the M550i will get you where you want to go on most days.

[straightbusta]

Good to see atleast some BMWs don't have the horrendous grille

[soft_luv]

Can you have a drag race between new 550i vs F10 M5 vs E60 M5

[TheBimmerMan]

for those wondering, you can deactivate the fake noise (Active Noise as per BMW lingo) by just disconnecting the module or coding it to deactivate (either E-SYS or Bimmercode), both works.

[Daveyboy_GolfR]

I love how reminiscent it is of the E39 m5. They really went back a few decades in its design and I think it looks great.... Engine was bulletproof... I Put almost 300, 000 MI in about 10 years, and other than maintenance and little odds and ends here and there, it gave me no trouble. And that m sport button was always depressed... Sorry I know we're talking about the new m550i but it just reminds me so much of the E39 M5 so I got a little off subject and nostalgic.

[MetikalMan]

This looks best in class. Why oh why aren’t the “gauges” configurable. The layout seems good for when you want the map dead ahead, but why can’t I change it to a beautiful, simple white on black or classic orange on black round dials?! Come on BMW complete the process to digital with clean throwback options.