BMW 550i Luxury Touring | Spotted

The M5 Touring is imminent, but there is a 4.4-litre, V8 5 Series estate available for a tenth of the cost...

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 13 February 2025 / Loading comments

It’s been a disappointing time of late for those of us who spend far too long on car configurators. There are seemingly fewer variants of most cars than ever, a limited colour palette unless willing to pay through the nose, and a bewildering array of options - most of which seem totally unnecessary. It’s why BMW’s news of new colours for the manual Z4 was so warmly received last week; no more money, some extra choice, a little extra desirability for a likeable sports car.

But then it’s notable that Handschalters aren’t exactly on every street corner. Model offerings are being streamlined to reflect what people actually buy, logic that it’s pretty hard to contest; when cutting costs feels like priority number one for the industry right now, culling slow sellers must be an easy way to save.

This 5 Series hails from a time when there were no such concerns - the heady days of 2014 - and the customer was most certainly always right in matters of taste. There’s just no way this would happen for a new 5 Series now. Partly because it’s a Luxury spec, complete with chrome and clear glass, where only Sport or M Sport or M is now available. Partly it’s because this is a flat red estate, which can’t have happened much in any era of 5 Series. (If anyone can help with what the colour’s called, it’d be appreciated!)

Oh yes, and there’s the small matter of a V8 under the bonnet. This is a BMW 550i Luxury Touring, a specification so rare we weren’t entirely sure it existed until seeing this one. HowManyLeft reckons there were only ever a maximum of nine in the UK, across both bodystyles. This is another reason why this sort of thing doesn’t happen anymore - but if you enjoy a weird BMW spec that’s been rare from new (hello from a 325ti owner), it’s manna from heaven.

Now showing 100,000 miles for a decade of use, the 449hp 5 Series presents very nicely indeed. The red is vibrant, the chrome shiny, the very unassuming wheels apparently unblemished. Somebody would have paid at least £60k for this once (more than £80,000 now), so hopefully it’s been taken care of. The interior has held up well; folk who like buttons in a BMW cabin will be overjoyed at the sight of this.

There’s a catch, of course, and that’s the engine: BMW’s N63 was never known as a paragon of reliability, to put it mildly. This 550i uses the later 4.4-litre variant, which is generally regarded as tougher and less troublesome than the original 4.0-litre, though it still doesn’t have the best reputation. Issues can arise from the turbos, direct injection system, high-pressure fuel and water pump, any one of which could mean a big bill. So don’t say you weren’t warned. This one is said to be fully main dealer maintained, and hopefully the fact it’s made it this far is a good sign.

Because what an interesting bit of BMW history it represents, when large engines could go in without a hint, really, of sporting pretence. And it’s a recent 5 Series Touring, so it’ll be spacious, refined and plush enough for all aboard. There’s an advisory-free MOT until 2026, and surely some room for manoeuvre on £12,990 given the esoteric appeal of the spec. What a cool family bus it could be - and easy to spot in among all the grey 520ds…

SPECIFICATION | BMW 550I LUXURY TOURING (F11)

Engine: 4,395cc, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 449@5,500-6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@2,000-4,500rpm
MPG: 31-32.1
CO2: 206-213g/km
Year registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 98,803
Price new: £60,070 (before options)
Yours for: £12,990