BMW 550i to be replaced with 400-hp 555i

I am a big fan of BMW but I do not understand this rush to turbos. Who is going to be able to afford to keep these wildly complicated things going after a 100K miles?

Valid point - however, the buyer of a brand spankin new 555i isnt going to consider this.

But your reasoning is why I didn't buy a used S4 like I wanted too...

Good Question, here are a couple of reasons why BMW is moving to turbos;

-Able to up the horsepower with smaller engine (weight)
-Better real world fuel economy (if you stay off the turbos)
-Increase low end torque.
There are more but I think you get the idea.

BMW biggest problem with turbos was driveability(see turbo lag), with direct injection and technology advancements BMW has all but vanished turbo lag.

I've heard the BMW spent considerable time working on turbo cooling systems to help improve longevity and reliability

I agree, I dont like turbo's, they are too touchy and have had maintenance problems with them in the past..

Hey, if I see Series III Jaguar XJ6's still on the road, it shouldn't be too bad taking care of a 2008 BMW in 20 years. I don't think anything could be more unreliable than say, a 1979 Jaguar (except maybe a 1979 Audi, but that's another story...)

Not only is that new engine going to be an absolute monster, the badge 555i is pretty cool.

So I guess now we know the 7-series is going to be the 755i.

Can't wait to drive one of these beasts !!

5 Series is my favourite BMW right now.It is just soo damn sexy...and I believe it's gonna be even better in every way.This new 4.4 liter TT is one of the best BMW engines ever...

GO BMW.....

the E60 is fugly, however, the E39 was a sexy looking car.

I was going to post this on the thread that said that this would be the next M5. Why would they go from 500hp on the current m5 to 400hp?.... makes no sense.

the 550 is going to 400 hp . Which most likely means the next generation M5 will be a twin-turbo variant of the V10.

personally i hope that bmw doesnt turn to FI engines for their M powered cars

Wazz- As do I. But they must hold their own in this ridiculous horsepower battle.

I don't think they have to. If they lower weight on the next M5 and keep it between 500-550hp, that should be more than enough. Enough to distance it from the 555i but not so much as to make it scary fast like the RS6. It should be drivable.

I guess I wasn't clear. Some days ago there was a "news" item that said the next generation M5 was going to use the TT V8 engine. That would be going backwards in HP, which didn't make sense. It was obvious this engine was going to replace the V8s across the BMW line, including the 555i and the 755i.

Wonder what MB and Audi have up their sleeves to compete with?

This motor sounds like great fun though. There have only been a few 5 series that I have really wanted over the years and this one is shaping up to be one of them.

The next generation A6 will likely have a V8 at 420 bhp as the top since the base A8L will start at 420 bhp.

The 6.3 from MB is a very loud answer.....and they start at 451hp....

^ you are correct. That 6.2L V8 is only available in AMG models, however, which compete with BMW's M models, not with "normal" BMW models like this.

The 5.5L engine in the S550/E550 is amazing, 382hp 391 lb/ft. I say it tweaks the current engine a bit to stay in the game.

I can imagine MB will take the 5.5 and "tweak" if it were but still, 450 lb-ft is a serious number to contend with. What I dont see is letting something so special, say 6.3 AMG, find its way into a car as ordinary as a non-AMG E-class. I think a supercharged 4.5 would be cool. Surprised we dont see the 4.5 much over here.

Even though I am no 5 series fan I drove the 550i last summer and I liked the body kit on the car and it was freakin fast. I am not a big fan of turbo motors but I can say that with the turbo motor this will be super fast and probably a great car. If they would just clean up the styling I would love it.
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Threepoint1415926 : AMG 6.2 is giving 525 HP with out turbos or supercharger......can you imagine what kind of power those beast can give you. MB does not have anything to be worry about, also AUDI already is even beyond, so at this moment BMW need to catch them with a lighter car or a more powerful engine.
I like the 5 series style, (better external design), what I hate are the engines. If they are not willing to grow, turbos are a good choice to improve torque and HP.

how can you hate the engines in the 5-Series? That's pretty much the most unassailable part of a BMW, and those engines usually lead the class in performance -- MB doesn't have a 528i competitor, the 535 beats everything in its class, the 550 is dead even with the slightly more powerful, newer, and larger engined E550, and same with the M5 versus the E63.

Smaller, more fuel efficient engines, same or better performance. Sounds pretty ok to me. How big of an engine do you want them to shoehorn in there anyway? 7.0L? 8.0L? At what point does that cross into ridiculousness?

The AMG motor is hand built for AMG cars. I doubt seriously it will find its way into the common lineup.

Okay, So the 755 will have a 400hp V8. . . Cool! Hope it doesn't guzzle gas tho

Looks like Darth Vader's car! X->

New 6-series is due in 2011. Wonder if they'll drop the turbo V8 in the current model until then? I'm thinking, like the 5-series, it won't be until the new model is released.

Well, I would say it's coming in late 2010 as an '11 model, so that's not ridiculously far from now. They're bound to do something to keep the 6er fresh, or maybe they'll just offer a good deal like they have with the 7 Series.

Seems like some person just goes around and de-boosts everything I say, no matter what.

Weird name. That would be a great engine. I haven't heard anything bad about BMW turbos.

Much rather have a Supercharged Jaguar XF, better in every way, and the new direct injection engines will be available soon:-)