Straying quite a bit from its roots, BMW's performance division turns its attention to the SUV in the family - the new X5 gets a big bad dose of M magic
Nitish Ramanujam

When BMW confirmed in April 2009 that it was going ahead with the M versions of its X5 and X6 brutes, it seemed the car maker had gone bonkers. Slapping on the hallowed M badge, a moniker that had adorned driver-focused RWD machines over the decades, was now going to be slapped on to the rumps of two heavyweight SUVs. Sacrilegious as it may appear, BMW was intent on ruffling the feathered caps worn by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. To that end, a 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 was dropped into the X5's engine bay to make what is, on paper, the fastest and most powerful production SUV you can buy today.

On the outside
Changes might seem trivial to the casual observer, but look carefully and you’ll notice new 20” rims perfectly filling out the subtly flared wheel arches. Sitting on 275/40 R20 rubber at the front and massive 315/35 R20 Bridgestone Duelers at the back, the X5M’s most obvious giveaways are the enormous air intakes dominating the front end and quad tail pipes at the back, typical of cars wearing the M badge. It doesn’t look overly aggressive, especially in our car’s metallic silver shade, but, like Mike Tyson in a super expensive tuxedo, it could probably bite your ears off anytime.

The cabin
True to tradition, the super Bee Em’s interior is a tactile and visual delight, a technophile’s wet dream. Covered in expensive leather and accented with carbon fiber-finish on the dash and center console, the X5M sports M logos aplenty to hit home the fact that you’re in a very special car. The door sills, rev counter, gear lever and steering wheel get the treatment, with the latter also boasting tasteful red and blue stitching. As you’d expect from a vehicle that retails at about AED 485,000, the X5M features an extensive list of standard equipment, including xenon headlights, powered front sport seats, a 12-speaker sound system, panoramic sunroof and much more, while digging into the options list will net you a neat head-up display, rear-seat entertainment system, four-zone climate control and a rear-view camera among others.

Under the hood
The talking point of any M car is the engine, which, in this case, is a 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8 gem that employs advanced twin scroll tech and a common exhaust manifold for both rows of cylinders for immediate response, linear build-up of power and an unusually consistent torque curve. The V8 belts out an ML63-beating 555 hp at 6,000 rpm, along with peak torque of 680Nm that is maintained all the way from 1,500 to 5,650 rpm.

The motor also features special BMW M pistons and camshafts as well as a cooling system that is almost completely new. To optimize the cooling circuit in accor¬dance with the exceptionally high output per liter of the engine, the technology – previously seen in the X6 xDrive50i and the new 750i has been significantly modified to an even higher standard.

As you’d have guessed by now, acceleration figures are pretty scary for such a tall and heavy 4WD vehicle; 0-100 km/h is dispatched in a ridiculous 4.7 seconds, with the big BMW effortlessly punching through the air en route to its top speed. Terminal velocity is limited to ‘just’ 250 km/h for the weak-kneed, while brave souls can opt to have the speed limit raised to a supercar-like 275 km/h.

The stiff stuff
To cope with the increased performance, the X5M gets a specially developed suspension, which are accompanied by stiffer springs and subframe mounts. It also comes as standard with air suspension featuring self-levelling on the rear axle, newly developed Servotronic steering as well as Adaptive Drive with electronically adjustable dampers and active anti-roll stabilisation. The Integrated Chassis Management system coordinates the drivetrain and suspension functions of the X5M within fractions of a second, ensuring maximum stability and confident handling at all times.

Sporty suspensions and adaptive dampers being the norm these days with high-performance vehicles, the X5M offers a trick new tech called Dynamic Performance Control that variably distributes power between the rear wheels, significantly enhances both steering precision and tracking stability.

With insane speeds being reached easily, retardation duties are taken care of by a high-performance brake system that combines four-piston fixed-caliper brakes at the front and swing-caliper brakes at the rear with inner-vented lightweight brake discs. The brake discs measure 395 mm at the front and 385 mm at the rear.

At the wheel
The X5M is a genuinely fast vehicle that obliterates the laws of physics and blurs the line between car and SUV. That said, it is also simply an appliance for speed, a tool that can be used to hurtle from A to B in absolute refinement. Power is prodigious and the grip massive, but the whole experience isn’t as involving or immediate as you’d expect from a true M car, which is quite unfortunate. On the other hand, it’s a brilliant all-rounder; for sheer pace and exceptional dynamics, there are few cars that match the X5M’s broad spread of talent.

Our verdict
If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you happen to prefer tons of sophistication over raw adrenaline thrills, the X5M is right up your alley. The über-SUV can embarrass many sports cars even over the twisties, and is perfectly usable as a daily driver. But so is the V10-engined M5, which seats the same number of people and is much better to drive. So why did BMW burn the proverbial midnight oil to come up with this over-endowed SUV? Simply because they can, and beat its steroidal, high-performance compatriots while at it.