OK - after much deliberation and waiting, I finally took delivery of my 2013 550 x-drive last night with the added benefit of Dinan S2! I wanted x-drive because i thought it would better harness the 500hp off the line and this will be my DD and I regularly tote my children to school (I will be getting winter tires as well).
My first impression is WOW - the car has an incredible amount of power! I can't wait to drive it like it stole it. The HUD is really cool, but I need to get it coded to display more. I also want to get a couple of other things coded (like not having to pull the door handle twice to exit), so if there is anyone knowledgeable around the Lehigh Valley area that would be willing to help, I would be grateful.
The iDrive is going to take some getting used to - it appears to be much more complex (for no reason) than what I am coming from (the latest generation of the Porsche PCM). For example, it is very stupid that iDrive disables bluetooth audio when you plug in your iphone. The seats are the most comfortable seats I've sat in.
To confirm what others have said, the xdrive cars with msport come with the dreaded Goodyear runflats. I will be swapping the wheels/tires this weekend with a staggered set with summer tires. On my way home from the dealer last night, I did hit some potholes - while I normally try to avoid them, hitting some over the course of driving is inevitable. One thing I noticed is that this car doesn't seem to take potholes too well as the whole car shuttered when I drove over it - even my 997 takes them better. Perhaps that is a reason why we have so many bubbling issues. The last car I owned that had habitual bubbling issues was my wife's A4 from the late 90s (with Continental tires).
Thanks all for your insights and opinions. I'm very excited to have this car - she's a beast. Here's a couple of pics I snapped before the sun went down last night.
