The first video review of the new 2013 BMW M550d xDrive super diesel we can bring to you is probably the only one you would want to watch anyway. Chris Harris flew to Munich one morning to attend the launch ceremony of this M Performance new arrival and to give its tri-turbo diesel engine a crack at the track.
The M550d is quite a remarkable car. It does 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds and yet averages well over 40mpg. It’s based on a F10 5-Series which means it is one of the best-made, well-equipped, good-looking sedans out there. In this video Chris tries to figure out how much of that is actually true.
The new and globally unique M Performance TwinPower Turbo technology gives the six-cylinder in-line diesel engine powering the BMW M550d xDrive and BMW M550d xDrive Touring maximum output of 280 kW/381 hp and peak torque of 740 Newton metres (546 lb-ft). The engine’s instantaneous and sustained wave of torque allows it to lay down benchmark performance values for diesel-powered executive cars.
The diesel technology developed exclusively for the BMW M Performance Automobiles also gives the new arrivals a convincing head start in terms of efficiency. The Sedan offers fuel economy figures of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres (44.8 mpg imp) in the EU test cycle, while the Touring achieves 6.4 l/100 km (44.1 mpg imp). CO2 emissions are 165 grams per kilometre for the BMW M550d xDrive Sedan and 169 g/km in the case of the BMW M550d xDrive Touring. Standard-fitted BMW BluePerformance technology also allows the two models to meet the stipulations of the EU6 exhaust standard.
