Friday Fleet Notes: 6.22.07

One perk about working around cars is that you get to drive a lot of luxury brands that you’re probably not going to end up plunking down your own hard-earned money for. That’s the case with two recent entries into our fleet from BMW and Jaguar. We were all easily swayed by the luxury cruisers, but that’s because they did a terrific job impressing us with their substance and style, not because we pine away for them. Well, for the most part.

2008 BMW 550i

Question: What does the 550i do that I like? Answer: Everything. The seat’s good, the drivetrain’s good, the shifter was good; I liked the steering wheel, headroom, visibility, exhaust note … heck, I even liked the white paint. I drive everything that comes in here with a manual transmission if my bosses let me (they hogged the Mini we had), and this was the best.

Whether it’s stopping, going or turning, it feels as if this car is connected to your brain. It does precisely what you ask of it. See a gap in traffic you want to drive into? You’re there. Need to stop? No fuss, no muss — you just stop, thanks to a firm brake pedal that’s easy to modulate. The biggest issue I had was engaging Reverse. The motion it required felt awkward, as if I were about to break something. It’s the kind of thing I’m sure I’d get used to, but it didn’t immediately inspire confidence.

In the end, what makes the 550i so enjoyable for me is that it is utterly docile in stop-and-go, rush-hour traffic. The power is there if you need it, but it’s still very drivable in the real world. Up until now, the supercharged Range Rover I drove was my hands-down pick as my favorite ultraluxury car. It has been replaced.

• Bill Jackson, Buying Guides editor

The only bad thing about working in downtown Chicago is that when I’m tossed the keys to the latest fleet car I’m lucky enough to test drive, the only place to take it is the city’s traffic-choked streets. More often than not, I end up feeling more frustrated by the gridlock than elated by the car’s mechanics.

Not so in the BMW 550i. Even with a manual transmission, this car is a commuter’s dream come true (minus the less-than-stellar gas mileage). Stuck in stop-on-go traffic on the expressway near our offices, I was able to “cruise” along in 2nd gear, barely ever engaging the clutch to keep it going. When traffic allowed, I took it from a crawl to 40 mph without changing gears and without the engine protesting in the least.

The seemingly infinitely adjustable seat was very comfortable, and everything I needed – temperature controls, navigation help, radio settings – was close at hand, even if it did sometimes require wading through the hapless iDrive system. My only minor gripes are with the side mirrors, which are a tad small, and the gearshift, which had more resistance than I’d like. 

• Beth Palmer, copy editor

I like Bill’s “BMW good” note above because the 550i with the M sports package and manual shifting was as close to the M5 as you get without the $20,000 in extra cost. There’s less horsepower and two less cylinders here, but for the non-uber enthusiast, the 550i will be just right and is plenty fast. I already tested the 528i for an upcoming 5 Series review, and the 550i gave me an idea of what the top of the range holds for the new year.

Lately, white color schemes have started to grow on me, especially on German brands like BMW and Audi. The 550i looked tough in white, with its bigger front and rear body panels, sexy black exhaust tips, huge wheels and devilish lights. It’s what a bad guy in a TV show would drive.

I barely got to flog the thing, though, relative to most of the cars I test or take out for comparison reasons, but in some cars you just know how good they are with one shift into second gear. Indeed Bill is right: 550i … good.

• David Thomas, KickingTires editor

It’s well known around the office that I’ve coveted the Jaguar XK ever since it was redesigned and introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show almost two years ago. When I found out I’d get a chance to take the convertible version out on a warm sunny day, it felt like my birthday, Christmas and Flag Day all rolled into one. Not to gush or anything, but I had a blast and the car did not disappoint.

I have no complaints about the performance of the car; the acceleration was smooth and the exhaust sound was particularly impressive. Visibility was compromised a bit with the top up, but for a convertible, the rear window was actually large enough to get a somewhat decent view of traffic behind me. Trying to squeeze an adult passenger into the extraordinarily tiny rear “seat” was a bit of a debacle, but I don’t suppose anyone will buy this car to chauffeur their three best friends around.

Passers-by seemed as impressed by the looks of the sleek convertible as I was, judging by the number of stares and comments I got while driving around downtown Chicago – or maybe they were just confused about what a 20-something was doing in an $97,000 car. Ultimately, this is a car to be seen in … and I wouldn’t mind being seen in it more often.

• Amanda Wegrzyn, Advice editor

I’m not a driver’s driver, so to speak, so I won’t be able to go into great detail about why the XK is such a fantastic car, all I can tell you is that it is. It accelerates beautifully, feels firmly planted and nimble at any speed, and looks great from pretty much any angle.

In the soft-top XK, a touch of a button sends the ragtop into the trunk – no clasps or levers to deal with. Putting it back in place is just as easy, and my only complaint with this car deals with the restricted view out back when you do so.

Given all the things there are to love about the XK, though, that’s a very small grievance. There aren’t a lot of cars I’d drive just for the sake of driving, but the XK would definitely make that list.

• Beth Palmer, copy editor

It’s nearly 90 degrees out and the wind’s barely blowing — what’s not to like about riding around in one of the sharpest-looking soft-tops on the road today? The Jaguar was the picture of comfort, and in a top-down drive at dusk along some empty country roads, the feeling was both peaceful and powerful. The Jag responded great to just a tap on the accelerator, but it didn’t feel like it was going to go out of control. Watching the retractable soft-top withdraw was cool, although the thought of trying to fit someone into the backseat was nearly laughable.

The XK came with three memory settings for the driver’s seat. Given that no more than two people are likely going to ride in it at any time (no chauffeurs here), I can’t help but wonder if two memory settings wouldn’t have been enough.

• Patrick Olsen, managing editor