Jump from M550 to 750?

[NGT2]

I have a 2020 M550. I love it. For reasons too long to explain, I may be replacing it. Likely with another G30 M550 but want to also give the 2021-2022 750 M Sport a test. My local dealer has one and I’m going to drive it this week. Not the colors I like but will do for a test drive.

It looks like prices are pretty much the same for 2021-2022 M550’s and 750’s. Looking around 30-40k miles so they’re mostly all CPO and should be in good shape on condition and warranty for a while.

Anyone with experience jumping from 5 to 7? Particularly 550 to 750?

I know I like the ride of the 7 for comfort and luxury. I’ve driven a 740 as a loaner. I know I like the looks and the presence of it. But I also drive my 5 series kind of hard and like to have some fun in it. Not sure if I’ll miss the slightly smaller size and more sporty drive. I know the 5 series is not really a sports car but the M550 is pretty sporty for an executive sedan, very fast, and dynamic handling makes it handle smaller than it is.

Wife is joining me for the test drive. I expect her to love the ride and the feel of it. I expect myself to be very happy with the power and the straight line acceleration and ride. I expect I might feel the difference when we take a corner and not sure I can go all the way to the full size 7.

I’m also about to be 39 and kind of feel like maybe I’m 5-10 years too young to go to the 7. People don’t realize how affordable these cars are after a couple years of depreciation and give you an uncomfortable look when you’re in your 30’s and driving a car that was $90k-$100k+ new MSRP. No one bats an eye that my friends’ GM’s are $70k-$80k+ and I’m buying these German machines for well under that!

Wife has an X7, so I don’t need it for the space. It would be pure enjoyment factor of the car. Both M550 and 750 are enjoyable, just in some different ways. I love getting input from people that have more experience with these cars than I do.

Thanks in advance for any input and comments.

[Scobar]

Had a 2014 550 that I loved, favorite car ever, drove the snot out of it.

Bought a 21 750 in Jan, has the Autobahn package, MSport, etc. etc. it 1000% surpasses my old 550. It’s so much more comfortable, but also a beast, and I mean a beast. It handles so well for a luxobarge and when you give it some foot, it moves. The sport exhaust sounds amazing for factory exhaust. I’ve given people rides who drive ZL1 Cameros, Z06 Vettes, and while these are different classes of cars for sure, they are all blown away by the power this car has. It’s a beast, and it can be either the cloudy ride of a Cadillac or make you feel like you’re ready to take on Laguna Seca with the press of a button.

Got rid of the 550 a few years ago, missed it ever since, but this 750 is so much more in so many ways.

Not sure of the jump from a 2020 550 to a 750, but I love being able to get 4 adults in the car for a long ride comfortably, and that just wasn’t an option on the 550. Obviously we could get that many in there, but the back seat could be a little cramped. I’m not short, so the rear driver side seat didn’t have a ton of room. Don’t need to worry about that anymore.

I always wanted a 7, thought I might miss the “size” of the 5 or the fun of the 3, but this car drives better from my standpoint especially for how I want to use it. Driving clients around in luxury, to carving some twistys on the back roads. It’s a blast.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Scobar

Had a 2014 550 that I loved, favorite car ever, drove the snot out of it.

Bought a 21 750 in Jan, has the Autobahn package, MSport, etc. etc. it 1000% surpasses my old 550. It’s so much more comfortable, but also a beast, and I mean a beast. It handles so well for a luxobarge and when you give it some foot, it moves. The sport exhaust sounds amazing for factory exhaust. I’ve given people rides who drive ZL1 Cameros, Z06 Vettes, and while these are different classes of cars for sure, they are all blown away by the power this car has. It’s a beast, and it can be either the cloudy ride of a Cadillac or make you feel like you’re ready to take on Laguna Seca with the press of a button.

Got rid of the 550 a few years ago, missed it ever since, but this 750 is so much more in so many ways.

Not sure of the jump from a 2020 550 to a 750, but I love being able to get 4 adults in the car for a long ride comfortably, and that just wasn’t an option on the 550. Obviously we could get that many in there, but the back seat could be a little cramped. I’m not short, so the rear driver side seat didn’t have a ton of room. Don’t need to worry about that anymore.

I always wanted a 7, thought I might miss the “size” of the 5 or the fun of the 3, but this car drives better from my standpoint especially for how I want to use it. Driving clients around in luxury, to carving some twistys on the back roads. It’s a blast.

Thanks! Very interesting review. I have seen a few with the autobahn package and feel like it’s pretty important. Especially since I’m used to the same features on my M550.

[M_Bimmer]

The G30 ///M550 is a great car, and from the Driver's seat is almost identical to the G12. There are minor difference, but none worth noting.

There are attributes that make the G12 more refined. The road noise is greatly reduced if the G12 is outfitted with acoustic glass (not sure I've seen one w/o it, but I haven't checked every G12 in the U.S.A.). The rear seat is a great place to sit, with plenty of leg room, very comfortable, and very quiet - more so than the G30. I can listen to the radio at a noticeable lower level in the the G12 over the G30, and the conditions and situations that you hear the engine (or not) are different between platforms, and prefer the G12, where it is absolutely quiet during "normal" driving.

The door brakes on the G12 are magnetic and allows the door to "hold" in any open position, and for some reason (maybe due to door weight?) are not on the G07 X7's or the G30 (could it be mod'ed?).

The 4-wheel steering on the G12 is the best feature, and wouldn't want a large vehicle w/o it.

Two last things to consider.

1. The G12 is so hard to gauge the speed in and must be monitored more frequently using the speedometer. You swear that you are only doing 60 MPH, only to find you are doing well over 80 MPH (dangerous, but the G12 is that quiet and road compliant), where in the G30, you sort of know when you are going "fast".
   
   
2. The G12 is a long vehicle, so if your garage can't support, plan to park it outside. My garage (house) was built in 2013, and I only have 1" to spare between the rear bumper and the garage door (requires wheel stops to get the car perfectly parked in the garage - and it took the wife a bit to get it parked consistently in the garage)

As a G12 owner, it would be hard to own a G30 platform, and similar, IMHO, between the F10 vs F02, the F02 wins in every way.

Then there is the next generation issue, which is going to be problem as the G70 is just not my style, but the G60 still looks similar enough to the G30....but that's tomorrow's problem.

[AP]

Just throwing in a curve ball for the he’ll of it
What about a 760? Literally just for the engine. A v12 will be super smooth, produces a ton of power

https://youtu.be/O2ddtpy4dlg?si=o6wQ1RdIB79JhaQM

As a fellow m550 owner though I think it’s a tough act to follow.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by AP

Just throwing in a curve ball for the he’ll of it
What about a 760? Literally just for the engine. A v12 will be super smooth, produces a ton of power

https://youtu.be/O2ddtpy4dlg?si=o6wQ1RdIB79JhaQM

As a fellow m550 owner though I think it’s a tough act to follow.

Don’t think I haven’t thought about it… but I think I’d be in over my head on future maintenance and upkeep. I’m pretty comfortable with my expectations on the V8, going forward.

I’m driving a 750 M Sport tomorrow. I expect I’ll end up wanting to stay in the M550 model because of size but I want to know for sure. Also going to drive a 2023 540 just because it’s there. Been a year since I drove a 5 series with the I6 and want to reconfirm that I “need” the V8.

Between tires, brakes, and extended warranty, I’m going to have several thousand dollars of “investment” to put into this 2020 M550 in the next 12 months. I just want to cross everything else off the list before I make that final call. Once I execute on those items, I’m done looking for a few years. I do think I’ll eventually buy an LCI M550 regardless, probably a 2023. But I could run this one another 3-4 years and still do that later and reset into one with pretty low miles (most likely).

[AP]

Be interested on your take of both of them

[Scobar]

Originally Posted by NGT2

I’m driving a 750 M Sport tomorrow. I expect I’ll end up wanting to stay in the M550 model because of size but I want to know for sure. Also going to drive a 2023 540 just because it’s there. Been a year since I drove a 5 series with the I6 and want to reconfirm that I “need” the V8.

Does it have the 4 wheel steering? Game changer for sure. Makes the barge drive like a much smaller vehicle.

Couple thoughts on your drive, make sure to compare sport, and comfort and comfort plus. Adaptive is amazingly good at figuring out what is needed at the time as well, but hard to compare unless you’re driving for a long period of time.

Comfort plus is like a cloud, but the car starts in second gear, so the throttle tip in is atrocious. Adaptive does a good job of blending that with the ride of comfort plus.

But I would surmise that, as posted above, the 550 to 750 from the drivers seat will be similar. Sit in the back and recline the chair, and then figure out how to hire a chauffeur.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Scobar

Does it have the 4 wheel steering? Game changer for sure. Makes the barge drive like a much smaller vehicle.

Couple thoughts on your drive, make sure to compare sport, and comfort and comfort plus. Adaptive is amazingly good at figuring out what is needed at the time as well, but hard to compare unless you’re driving for a long period of time.

Comfort plus is like a cloud, but the car starts in second gear, so the throttle tip in is atrocious. Adaptive does a good job of blending that with the ride of comfort plus.

But I would surmise that, as posted above, the 550 to 750 from the drivers seat will be similar. Sit in the back and recline the chair, and then figure out how to hire a chauffeur.

The one I’m driving doesn’t have 4 wheel steering but there’s one I’m keeping an eye on that does. It’s out of town. Great color scheme too. I have that on my M550 and it’s great.

My wife is coming with me. I want to get her take from the passenger seat, as well. If I go this route, I can see myself lobbying to take it on family road trips over our X7. Leg room in the rear will be nice but the kids are 7 and under 2. So they don’t need it but it would fit their booster/car seats better. The 5 handles that fine, though. We took my old 540 to the beach before we had the baby. Hauled all three of us plus luggage with zero problem. So I know the 7 could easily do it with the 4 of us.

If it were up to me, we’d have gotten her a 740 when we got her the X7. But she wanted the SUV and third row.

[Raimo5]

From what has been described here so far, you really want as much chassis control tech as possible. That includes rear axle slip control, but more importantly, executive drive pro. When I was browsing for G11/12, I first tried few cars that didn't have ARS and let me tell you, I was instantly able to feel the difference when I got into one that had it. Smoother on the straights but then really straps down and stays flat throughout the bends. I could swear it even leans into the corners a bit in comfort mode. It also makes different driving modes more pronounced. Rear axle steering would have been nice to have, but wasn't essential for me as I was shopping for standard wheelbase G11 anyway.

And Executive Drive Pro doesn't only mean electrical roll bars that only work reactively. They also work proactively by considering GPS data and analyzing road ahead via KAFAS cameras. It also features additional wheel acceleration sensors on each strut and makes that info available and usable for all other VDP functions that can leverage it.

[ledphut]

Take a look at one of the few G12 Alpina B7s that are available. 600+ HP, 205mph top speed and they all come fully loaded with all the luxury/safety options.

[Bob in IL]

Originally Posted by ledphut

Take a look at one of the few G12 Alpina B7s that are available. 600+ HP, 205mph top speed and they all come fully loaded with all the luxury/safety options.

I saw one of these on display at the dealership a couple of weeks ago when I had my car in for service. Very impressive and unique car.

[ledphut]

Originally Posted by Bob in IL

I saw one of these on display at the dealership a couple of weeks ago when I had my car in for service. Very impressive and unique car.

You owe it to yourself to test drive it. There’s nothing quite like it in the SUV market.

[painintheglass]

https://youtu.be/AvuBRNbF9Wk?feature=shared

[JustJosh]

I've actually considered doing the opposite only because the G12 is long af and parking is tight in my neighborhood.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by JustJosh

I've actually considered doing the opposite only because the G12 is long af and parking is tight in my neighborhood.

M550 is awesome. If you can find one to test out, you should. Plenty of rear seat room if you have kids and plenty of trunk space if you need it. I took me, my wife, and then 4 year old to the beach for a week in a G30. All the luggage fit in the trunk, no roof box, and everyone was comfortable for the 8 hour drive. And that was a 540 so we hauled ass and got almost 30 mpg (if that is important to you, it’s less so to me).