Pity the poor BMW M550i xDrive charged with following the tyre tracks of the “aloof” M5 Competition that “stumbled” into third outright in PCOTY 2019.

What hope would the luxo-dipped 5 Series with M-lite credentials and seemingly modest sporting pretensions have of rising to the 2021 occasion against more thoroughbred stock?

And yet it did. To a large extent, perception was the BMW’s strongest ally; a full-fat limousine easily underestimated to the point where you experienced its remarkable Jekyll to Hyde leap, dramatic enough that it gave unsuspecting judges long pauses of reflection.

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Its formidable twin-turbo V8 thrusts its near two-tonne heft to 100km/h well shy of BMW’s form guide. However, on boil, its gutsy 390kW and 750Nm uncorked rolling punch served equally potently on a back road as it did around the Winton circuit.

Dynamically, it’s not the lively animal in the PCOTY pen, but its benign and obedient chassis and deftly M-fettled xDrive offers supreme stability and phenomenal corner exit purchase. Braking, too, is impressive – its 33.87-metre stop was shorter than that of the Audi’s carbon-anchored R8 and RS6 Avant – though the sheer inertia of the thing does punish rubber once the red mist descends for any extended stint.

MORE BMW M550i takes on the MOTOR Shootout!

A fresh-rubber lap banked a time of 1:35.4sec, some eight-tenths quicker than the more heroic and lively Audi wagon, logically the Bimmer’s closest nemesis of the field. Amazingly that proved a dead heat with the Cayman GTS.

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The M550i xDrive stakes no claim to being its maker’s “ultimate driving machine” but it could be BMW’s finest ever Q-car. That it’ll confidently sit in the wheel tracks of nearly any of its nine competitors out in the real world while remaining easily the field pick for grand touring, long-haul comfort is outstanding in its own right.

That it’s approaching $100k more affordable than a proper M5 Competition while still laying on the lavish appointments is central to the $149,900 M550’s charm.

And that twin-turbo V8 heartbeat in such an unassuming high street cruiser, in a world now wedded to six-pot alternatives is hugely appealing for traditionalist tastes.

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The M550i xDrive is arguably the fittest embodiment of BMW’s velvet hammer sports sedan mantra than anything else in Munich’s current stable. The cheaper Pure version is also a tempter, doing without laser lights, rear steer, soft close doors and active roll stabilisation.

Ultimately, though, its balanced goodness was only going to serve the Bimmer to a limited extent in the annual stoush where focus on sheer performance is so dominant.

Had this been All-Rounder Of The Year, here was your odds on favourite for the win. – CD

THE NUMBERS

0-100km/h: 4.27 sec 0-400m: 12.21 sec @ 193.86km/h Lap Time: 1:35.4

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JUDGE’S RANK

Butler 8th Eight-tenths of an M5 with 12-tenths of the comfort

Cordony 7th The ultimate cross-country express, but the Pure’s even better value

Dupriez 10th Velvet hammer V8 limousine is perhaps BMW’s ultimate Q-car. Its Jekyll to Hyde transformation is quite the eye-opener

Enright 7th Wow. The M550i’s this year’s dark horse. Fast, capable, charismatic but ultra-discreet. I want one

Newman 7th A performance bargain and entertaining to boot, but buy the Pure

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