Quote:
Originally Posted by Gautam
I was resisting but can resist no more, why the m850 over the m550 LCI? What makes the 8er better?
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Hah.........how much time ya got?
Kidding......I see you have a 2018 M550. Which means you know what a great car it is. My M550 was a 2018 also. I had it for 2 years and we went 34,000 miles in it. I was only able to take it on 2 long trips, however: 2,500 miles out to Yellowstone and 2,300 miles down to Yosemite by way of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Grand Tetons
I'll try to be as objective as possible. I personally think the M550 was the best value in the BMW line-up: Great styling (that hadn't been effed up yet), great power, great handling and at a not break the bank price. Too bad they discontinued it.
I absolutely loved the G30 M550, after coming from a 2014 F10 550xi. It was pre-LCI, so only 456 hp instead of 523 hp. Still plenty fast, though. The seats were unreal - best I've ever had in any car. I had the Dynamic Handling Package, so the ride comfort and handling were exceptional. But, the F90 M5 called. I answered. My 2019 Base lasted 17 months and 21,500 miles. One trip to Utah for 3,500 miles. The ride left me missing the comfort of the M550, however. A friend of mine then upgraded his 2017 540xi to a new 2021 M550. I drove it, but was still glad to get back in my M5. His car had the 523 hp engine, but this was before anyone knew that they weren't putting out full power yet. Soon after, I stepped up into an LCI M5C because of the new suspension upgrades. Big improvement. I had that car for 17 months and drove 23,000 miles. It went on a 2,000 mile trip to Wallowa Lake and 4,200 miles out to Mt Rushmore and the Rockies. What an awesome road car that was.
All in, I've been able to pull off 10 long trips in my 4 V-8s since 2017. Two in the M550, three in the M5s and five in the M850. I feel my sample set is sufficient for this discussion.
I drove my friend's M550 after he got his full horsepower. I also drove an M850 for fun, around the same time. Both equally fast, but the M850 cabin felt more luxurious - and cocooned. Which is weird, because I didn't like the feeling when I drove a couple 650s before I settled on the M550 back in 2017. You sit a lot lower, too. But the styling of the F06 6 Series is just killer. So, I really wanted an 8 series as soon as I saw them. I originally wanted an M8, but deals had vanished, rates were going up and the market was going down. I kept thinking maybe the M850 is the right car, because I knew how much I enjoyed the M550. When I found my M850 on the lot and then drove it, I knew I would be happy - even with almost 100 fewer HP than my current M5. And a less harsh ride. A person still has to drive around in their city. I had built several M550s and M850s on the configurator in the previous 2 years, but the M850 styling always won me over.
So, M850 styling over the M550. The price delta was about $25,000 dollars (I'm still not sure where it all goes) and the M850 cabin felt nicer. I feel like my car rides a lot better than my friend's. I think it sounds better. The overall experience felt better, just like an M550 would feel better than a 540, which feels better than a 530. All great cars - the more expensive ones are just better. Especially when you are tooling down the road at 75 mph on a windy road for 10 hours a day.
I now have 36,600 miles on the M850. More than the M550, but relatively equal. Again, I really liked my M550, but, it's M850 all the way.
The M550 is such a fine looking car.
But, it's not this.
Sorry for the long winded answer, but, you asked
