Great review. I drove the 550 AT yesterday too and I would agree with all the points.
FWIW here is my perspective with respect to an E90 M3:
- The E90 feels tiny and far less luxurious
- The 550 is surprisingly agile for such a big car. I was expecting it to feel much much worse than an M3. It doesn't. This anticipation was based on my experience with the corresponding mercedes.
- The 550 feels clearly slower than the M3 which is due to the extra weight as the engine is pretty much on par in terms of engine power.
- The ZF 8 speed auto is superior in comfort to the DCT but it is definitely much worse than the DCT in terms of responsiveness and speed of shifts. A DCT on the 550 car would greatly improve the sporty feeling.
- Brakes are great!!! A few panic stops with them were thoroughly convincing.
- I didn't find a way to turn off all the nanny controls. Even in SPORT+ DTC kicked in after little wheelspin
- If you are used to the NA V8 throttle response, the 550 will leave you yawning.
- The gadgetry is outstanding. They now include the manual inside the iDrive
. The HUD was nice but I forgot about it 4 min into the drive.
Verdict: Superb car. Easily the best in its class. I don't see why you would want a 7, since this car is really BIG.