For those that followed the last 550i thread, the problem turned out to be a faulty sensor. It needed to be ordered, and the 550i was back on the road in two days.
It drove problem-free all week, and was given back to us because Jess's father decided to drive the A8L into NYC this weekend (9 MB)
M Parallel replicas were installed with aggressive Nokian Hakkapellitta snow tires.
This is my begrudgingly positive review after a bit of 550i seat time.
Brandon and I took the 550i out today to get it washed and I put it through its paces - It's fast. It also drives extremely well. Once I had settled in and felt comfortable behind the wheel, the car impressed me with its agility. While the automatic sucked for thrashing, once I gave up trying to wring every last inch of rip out of the car, and I calmed into appreciating it for its excellent Cruiser capacity...I loved it. The modernized interior felt a bit overdone, but it was still very nice, and as with Zakin's E60, I loved the seats.
It felt muscular on the Nokians. There is enough power to lay a straightline patch from a roll in first gear, and the car never stops pulling until you cut the throttle. For a good while I kept trying to equate it to an E39 M5. In that regard the 550i is smooth, and it moves, but I felt it lacks the immediacy and slam of the S62, and does not punch into the atmosphere as impressively over 130 mph. Or, ever, really.
Of course it's no slouch! I tore past 140 mph today faster than I ever would have thought, before I realized how foolish I was being on snow tires.
550i, still filthy immediately after being washed:
Video from today 17 MB
