Auto Design

Can a SAV (as BMW wants you to call their SUV) can really be an SC, that is a Sports Car, or – if you prefer – a Super Car? At BMW M, the high performance, race-experienced arm of BMW, think so. Or at least they taught so when they set out to create their own high performance development of the very well equipped BMW X5 and X6. Now that they are ready to introduce their new baby, the entire world economy in turmoil and what should they do? Keep the new deliveries hidden as the fruit of a sin or face their responsibility, make the public announcement and check out how many drivers stand on their side and go as far as writing a check to go with an advanced order?

When the situation is bad, you do not just wait and see. You react, if you are a confirmed winner and have enough confident in what you are doing. Obviously this has been BMW choice and the fact is that the visitors of the New York Motor Show will be the first one to see the new BMW X5 M and the new BMW X6 M at a public event.

The M-GmbH brand of the BMW Group has certainly done an excellent job at engineering the superlative V8 engine with Twin Turbo and wonderful technology, redesign the body look to express the much higher potential and granted the mechanicals, from chassis to steering, powertrain and brake all the cars needed and deserved but one has got to ask when and where will anybody be able to exploit it potential on public roads.

Even in the deserted areas of the Arabic Peninsula, there are speed limits of any sort and its there any sense to push a vehicle that is 2.3 metric tons heavy at a speed “limited to 250 kph”? This is what the 4.4 litre M TwinPower TurboV8 engine can do. It deliver 408 kW (555 HP) from 5750 and 6000 rpm. Even more impressive is the 680 Nm (or 501 lb-ft) of torque, between 1500 and 5650 rpm, the driver can count on at nearly every time.

Performance and fuel consumption of the BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M are consequent with the mission.

Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 4.7 seconds (by comparison a latest generation Porsche 911 Carrera 997 takes 4.9 and need the new double clutch gearbox to be as fast off the blocks as these two new model from BMW M) Top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph) (275 km/h (171 mph) with optional M Driver’s Package), Average fuel consumption in the EU cycle: 13.9 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 20.3 mpg imp), CO2 emissions in the EU cycle: 325 g/km.

There is much more to discover and report on the new “occasions for supremacy statements” from BMW but we wait to see and – perhaps – drive them to come with facts and first-hand impressions.

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