New BMW M550d xDrive with FOUR Turbos and 394bhp
The 2018 BMW M550d xDrive arrives with the world’s most powerful production diesel with 394bhp and four turbos. Available as a saloon or Touring.
That means a 3.0 litre in-line six with four turbos, delivering an impressive 394bhp and 560lb/ft of torque. Figures which better the 4.2 litre diesel in the Porsche Cayenne Diesel S by 14bhp, although the BMW is some 65lb/ft down on the Porsche.
Still, the BMW is doing its stuff from a smaller engine and delivering official economy of around 40mpg for the M550d saloon, almost 20 per cent better than the Cayenne.
Available as a saloon or a Touring (estate), the M550d can get to 62mph in a more than impressive 4.4 seconds (4.6s for the estate) and a limited top speed of 155mph.
The new engine for the M550d is actually the same engine BMW delivered in the new 750d last year, with its two low and two high pressure turbos having to be limited to make sure the eight-speed ZF auto could cope.
As both the saloon and Touring are M Performance models that means ‘sporty’ goodies on offer to titillate buyers’ appetites, including 19″ alloys, an M aerodynamic package, uprated brakes, M Sport suspension, Cerium Grey highlights – and xDrive 4WD too.
BMW say the M550d saloon will be available from July and the Touring at the end of the year, but we’ve not yet had confirmation the M550d is coming to the UK. Last year’s new 750d didn’t, but we can’t see BMW declining to offer the new M550d in its UK showrooms.
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