Owners of 2021 BMW M550i xDrive models are in luck as the automaker has just announced an over-the-air update that will unlock some additional performance.
BMW’s official claim is that the M550i xDrive needs just 3.6 seconds to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) but while testing out the sedan earlier this year, Car and Driver was only able to record a 4.1 second time.
That was odd not only because the publication routinely beats manufacturer times but also because it had previously recorded a 3.9-second sprint to 60 mph in the BMW X5 M50i, a vehicle that weighs 856 lbs (388 kg) more and yet has the same 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8.
Read Also: BMW Admits M550i And 540i xDrive Are Slower Than Advertised, Fix Coming Soon
Soon after hearing about these rest results, BMW engineers began to investigate why the M550i xDrive was so much slower than it should have been. They soon discovered that a software issue was triggering a miscommunication between the engine computer and the car’s stability-control module.
The magazine notes that the stability control would intervene and force the engine to reduce boost. The same issue was found to be impacting 540i xDrive models.
An over-the-air update addressing the issue was introduced over the summer and the American outlet recently had the chance to test out an updated M550i xDrive to see if the fix was effective. It was. In fact, the publication recorded a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and managed to sprint down the quarter-mile in an equally as impressive 119 mph (191 km/h).
