550i do you hear the 8 cylinder growl when driving (or is it too quiet) - Need advice

I am about to order the 5 series and I did test drive both the 535 and 550 (both were great) ... I don't recall if I heard the growl you normally get from the 550's 8 cylinder during my test drive.

From reading posts here some say it is so quiet you can't hear the engine. I understand it will not be as loud as my 650i was but do you still hear the grumble of the V-8 during normal acceleration or under hard acceleration ?

If you can give some opinion's I would appreciate it ... I have had a few German cars with the 8 cylinder engines (Audi A6 4.2, 650i, etc) and always loved the growl you get when accelerating.

Thank you.

I have a 2012 550 M-Sport Package. The car is extremely quiet, even under heavy acceleration. I also have a 2011 X5 50i with the same engine and it has a very noticeable V8 growl even when you first start it up. In some ways I wish my 550i sounded like the X5, as when you start it up the X5 there is no doubt that there is a powerful V8 under the hood. I still love the 550i, but I do wish it had a little growl to it.

The F10 just has tons of sound dampening materials so no matter what engine you have its going to sound pretty quiet. Nothing a nice aftermarket exhaust (Supersprint, Eisenammn Race) couldn't fix.

Alan

The 550 is quiet and smooth even on Sport + compared with my wife's X5 35i. I have no complaints, I love the handling of the 550 even though most argue it drives soft. As for the lack of growl, BMW did a good job on sound proofing the F10's interior. Most agree that BMW made the F10 a much more luxurious vehicle compared with the E60. It's evident just by looking at the fit and finish of the interior as it shares many of it's components with the 7. So too did the ride and handling conform to a more luxurious sedan. Again, no complaints from me.

You are not going to get the growl of a mustang, or a sports car. The soundproofing is great, and the exhaust is refined. Since when I drive, I drive 2-14 hours a pop, I would much rather have it be quiet than drone.

Thanks everyone for the responses ... I just went to the dealer and drove the 550ix and this was after driving my friends 535ix at lunch today and the 550ix is VERY quiet ... nothing at all like my 650 was ... it was a great car but I liked the rougher around the edges of the 535ix so that is what I ordered.

Thanks again ... they both are wonderful cars.

Hey AF,

Define "Rougher around the edges for me"

My buddy has a 535 and its a great car (why I got my 550i) but I am not sure I can hear it either.

I do think the interior is very well soundproofed but I also think its the exhaust- it isn't loud outside either. Definitely think an aftermarket exhaust would make a world of difference inside and outside.

I fear a loud rumble of the exhaust would make my 3 year old yell "punch it" relentlessly if he also got an audible feedback to match the neck snapping physical one. Yeah I know I wont win Dad of the year awards but unless he starts sleeping past 5:30am he wont make the best kid list either.......

Originally Posted by Tuffyboy

Hey AF,

Define "Rougher around the edges for me"

My buddy has a 535 and its a great car (why I got my 550i) but I am not sure I can hear it either.

I do think the interior is very well soundproofed but I also think its the exhaust- it isn't loud outside either. Definitely think an aftermarket exhaust would make a world of difference inside and outside.

I fear a loud rumble of the exhaust would make my 3 year old yell "punch it" relentlessly if he also got an audible feedback to match the neck snapping physical one. Yeah I know I wont win Dad of the year awards but unless he starts sleeping past 5:30am he wont make the best kid list either.......

LOL I love the way you put that

When I say rough around the edges .. for some reason the 550i felt more subdued and much quieter then my friends 535ix ... the 535ix engine seems to be louder and it made the car feel slightly less insulated ... just so you know we are talking VERY minor differences.

Also the 550ix I drove was not an Msport (neither was the 535xi) and it only had I think about 600 miles so the car was not broken in where the 535ix was broken in with 6,000 miles.

It is too quite - I agree with that. But that would not (and did not) stop me from buying a 550. The torque of the 550 is really intoxicating. I've had quite a few Corvettes - my last being a 505 hp Z06 that I sold earlier this year. Now don't get me wrong, the 550 is certainly no Z06, but even after owning cars like that the 550 still impresses the hell out of me every time I nail it. Put a 550 in "sport" mode and let is sit a few seconds at 55 mph then nail it. It will literally throw you back in the seat.

Originally Posted by AF

LOL I love the way you put that

When I say rough around the edges .. for some reason the 550i felt more subdued and much quieter then my friends 535ix ... the 535ix engine seems to be louder and it made the car feel slightly less insulated ... just so you know we are talking VERY minor differences.

Also the 550ix I drove was not an Msport (neither was the 535xi) and it only had I think about 600 miles so the car was not broken in where the 535ix was broken in with 6,000 miles.

Gotcha. Not sure if breaking it in has anything to do with it. My 550i Msport has about 15k miles on it and its whisper quiet. Almost borders on boring. My buddies 535i was not Msport (not sure that matters anyway) and it did seem more sporty. Before any 550i owners yell at me, i mean the 535I engine did seem louder and struggled more in a sporty way when you got on it. I have the Dinan stage 2 and when I push the throttle it I have to remove my foot almost immediately- more of a fast tap. It barely struggles to get to 60 and when at 40+ it seems like it launches to 100. I can break the rear wheels lose at over 40 but can only faintly hear it. When the windows are down you can hear a nice rumble but its faint at best. Had a guy in a new Jeep with the big Hemi in it and it sounded like it could take my head off in a drag race

Originally Posted by Tuffyboy

Gotcha. Not sure if breaking it in has anything to do with it. My 550i Msport has about 15k miles on it and its whisper quiet. Almost borders on boring. My buddies 535i was not Msport (not sure that matters anyway) and it did seem more sporty. Before any 550i owners yell at me, i mean the 535I engine did seem louder and struggled more in a sporty way when you got on it. I have the Dinan stage 2 and when I push the throttle it I have to remove my foot almost immediately- more of a fast tap. It barely struggles to get to 60 and when at 40+ it seems like it launches to 100. I can break the rear wheels lose at over 40 but can only faintly hear it. When the windows are down you can hear a nice rumble but its faint at best. Had a guy in a new Jeep with the big Hemi in it and it sounded like it could take my head off in a drag race

Go to Stage 3 with the Dinan exhaust. You will not be disappointed!

It is quiet......if you're in normal driving I'm betting if you have good hearing you'll hear the HVAC on "LOW" more than the engine and exhaust. My car is exceptionally quiet. No rattles or squeaks. The 550's doesn't have the purr on start-up...you'll hear that in your garage--it sounds rough. But when warmed up, you open it up, it's subdued.

This is quite the stealth car. People that do not know what the 550 is have no idea about the car--they think that it's just a big sedan. If it's driven by someone that knows something about car (like guys that spent 4 days at Bondurant) they'll be in for a surprise.

Comparing to a 535, there's a difference in performance, sound, and overall feeling. It feels like a 6. It's not a bad 6 by any means. The V8 is all-together different. The V8 IMO is quieter. Like others have said there's a ton of sound-deading material in this car. You can tell the 535 has a pretty high-strung engine and it's a fun car to drive. The 550 just has grunt power.

The 535 redeems itself at the pump. For normal driving you can have some selective fun with the 550, but you have to watch for speed traps as it can get you in trouble!....LOL. However for that same normal driving the 535 is fine.

Both of these cars are nice cars. If you want "I can move out of pretty much any situation" the 550 is your car. On the streets or on the highway, it goes. I came close to getting into an accident with my F10 535xi on the interstate--it was a situation which called for acceleration. The 60-90 response or so was required was there with my F10 535. When it came to decide on the 535 or 550, I chose the 550--I want that extra power. Personal choice.

I test drive both back to back before buying my 535i.

535i has better sound and better handling.

But, 550i has a lot more power on the straight.

Originally Posted by P-Town550i

Go to Stage 3 with the Dinan exhaust. You will not be disappointed!

How do you suppose the Dinan exhaust without the software tune would sound, still better than stock?

I can definitely hear the engine growl in my 535ix.

Originally Posted by Donm

How do you suppose the Dinan exhaust without the software tune would sound, still better than stock?

Would sound every bit as good...just without the added 111 hp and 130 lb/ft.

Originally Posted by P-Town550i

Would sound every bit as good...just without the added 111 hp and 130 lb/ft.

Agreed- Dinan has zero to do with sound from what I can tell. Exhaust would make a world of difference.

I have driven both cars and while the 535i is a (small) tad sportier sounding, both cars are very quiet by design. Especially the 550i...its way too quiet for a V8.
By way of comparison, test drive a new AMGc63 or even an Audi S4 for some nice sound that some manufacturers are doing right out of the factory.

I think no matter which model you pick, an aftermarket exhaust system, BMW own "M" power mufflers, or at least a custom made 3" cat back mandrel bent pipes with muffler delete will be need to get that growl and rumble back.

My 535xi is a fun sporty car. It has more than enough acceleration for driving the highways and byways. When you want to really move the car lets out a definite growl that other drivers hear and also startles my wife and I get a lot of flack for that. Maybe I should have gotten a 550 so she wouldn't be that aware when I accelerate. The next problem I have to solve is turbo takeoff pushing her back into the seat. Best idea is to drive alone.

Originally Posted by kirbyj

My 535xi is a fun sporty car. It has more than enough acceleration for driving the highways and byways. When you want to really move the car lets out a definite growl that other drivers hear and also startles my wife and I get a lot of flack for that. Maybe I should have gotten a 550 so she wouldn't be that aware when I accelerate. The next problem I have to solve is turbo takeoff pushing her back into the seat. Best idea is to drive alone.

That wouldn't be turbo takeoff. That would be the crappy ass throttle programming.