An all-new BMW 5 Series has arrived for the first time in seven years, topped by a new M550i xDrive performance flagship with a blistering 4.0-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

Blissfully, eight-cylinder grunt isn’t dead: the 4.4-litre turbocharged petrol V8 engine makes 340kW at 5500rpm and 650Nm from 1800rpm, and together with an eight-speed automatic it cuts down the outgoing 412kW/680Nm M5 Pure’s sprint time by three tenths.

BMW M550i xDrive engine

“We are a performance market and we would love to see that vehicle in Australia, the engine, the configuration, the all-wheel drive I think it looks sensational,” BMW Australia communications general manager Lenore Fletcher told MOTOR.

BMW M550i xDrive rear

Up to 20-inch alloy wheels are available, working around a “lighter and stiffer” multi-link front and rear suspension setup. Being BMW, though, there are plenty of options.

BMW M550i x Drive badge

For the first time the xDrive system can also work with what BMW dubs Integral Active Steering, essentially a variable-ratio four-wheel-steer designed to increase stability at higher cornering speeds and allow the larger sedan to feel more nimble in tight, low-speed bends.

BMW M550i x Drive interior

If the BMW M550i xDrive makes it to Australia, expect a pricetag of around $170K in order to compete with the slower and older Audi S6 and Mercedes-AMG E43.