BMW M550i xDrive - because you can't buy a new M5

The BMW M550i xDrive – debuts in Detroit

The BMW M550i xDrive arrives as a four-wheel drive 5-Series with a 4.4 litre V8 delivering 456bhp and hitting 62mph in 4.0 seconds. Debuts at the Detroit Motor Show.

When the 2017 BMW 5 Series was revealed back in October, we knew that the range-topping 5-series would be the M550i xDrive, and it’s about to debut at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show.

Not quite a BMW M car, the M550i is the first M Performance 5 Series to come with a petrol engine (the previous M Performance 5 Series was the mighty diesel M550d), and it looks like it will do very nicely until a new M5 arrives in a year or two.

Power for the M550i comes from BMW’s 4.4 litre V8, here delivering 456bhp and 479lb/ft of torque which, thanks to the traction from the rear-biased four-wheel drive, is enough to get the M550i to 62mph in just 4.0 seconds. That’s quicker than the current M5.

Power goes to all four wheels through a tweaked eight-speed auto, with a distinct rear-wheel bias to make sure the M550i drives like a performance 5 Series should. It will also give us a big heads-up about how the next M5 will drive as it’s expected to sport 4WD xDrive too.

Cosmetically, the M550i doesn’t shout too loudly (which is good) with just a subtle M Performance body kit, grey highlights where you might expect to see chrome and blue brake calipers.

The BMW M550i xDrive will debut in Detroit next month and arrive in the UK in March 2017.