The BMW X5 is available with a Clean Diesel engine that emits low volumes of pollution, gets good mileage and probably won't cost any owners their driver’s license, quick as it may be. The diesel-powered BMW X5 xDrive35d is a proper, correct and level-headed SUV for the times-- though it's just been given an evil twin.
The X5’s evil twin
Possibly bent on embarrassing the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S or manifesting a sport-ute supremacy-complex, BMW’s ‘M’ team has been busily finalizing their latest beastie-- the X5 M. It's a lower, wider and angrier version of the standard X5 with a body kit, 20-inch wheels and brake rotors the size of trash-can lids.
Out back, it's also got four exhaust pipes that could each nearly swallow a fist. They’re attached to a 4.4 litre direct-injected V8 that’s force-fed intercooled air by a pair of turbochargers to generate 555 horsepower. Not a typo.
This preposterous output makes the X5 M the most powerful sport ute on the road, as well as one of the most powerful vehicles for sale in North America.
A magnificent performance
Of course, it's not all just about numbers. Compared, perhaps logically, to the Cayenne Turbo S, the X5 M delivers more of a performance, too. That's not just in terms of sheer acceleration and cornering-- but in terms of sights, sounds and driving emotion, too.
The engine fires up with a slight grumble, snorts when prodded, and absolutely snarls during acceleration. It even burps loudly during upshifts, thanks to a computerized spark-cut system that helps synchronize engine RPM with the upcoming gear.
The proverbial ‘big red button’
Shifts can be carried out with paddles like a race car, and there's even a high-tech heads up display, a la fighter jet, with an RPM display and a gear indicator.
Drivers can unleash all German-engineered heck at the press of the legendary 'M' button. This steering-wheel mounted toggle likely came from some engineer’s childhood imagination, and engaging it puts every system instantly into a hyperactive performance mode. Turning ‘M’ mode on is like emptying a syringe of amphetamines into the X5M’s jugular.
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| A 4.4 litre direct-injected V8 that’s force-fed intercooled air by a pair of turbochargers to generate 555 horsepower. Not a typo. (photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |
The X5’s evil twin
Possibly bent on embarrassing the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S or manifesting a sport-ute supremacy-complex, BMW’s ‘M’ team has been busily finalizing their latest beastie-- the X5 M. It's a lower, wider and angrier version of the standard X5 with a body kit, 20-inch wheels and brake rotors the size of trash-can lids.
Out back, it's also got four exhaust pipes that could each nearly swallow a fist. They’re attached to a 4.4 litre direct-injected V8 that’s force-fed intercooled air by a pair of turbochargers to generate 555 horsepower. Not a typo.
This preposterous output makes the X5 M the most powerful sport ute on the road, as well as one of the most powerful vehicles for sale in North America.
A magnificent performance
Of course, it's not all just about numbers. Compared, perhaps logically, to the Cayenne Turbo S, the X5 M delivers more of a performance, too. That's not just in terms of sheer acceleration and cornering-- but in terms of sights, sounds and driving emotion, too.
The engine fires up with a slight grumble, snorts when prodded, and absolutely snarls during acceleration. It even burps loudly during upshifts, thanks to a computerized spark-cut system that helps synchronize engine RPM with the upcoming gear.
The proverbial ‘big red button’
Shifts can be carried out with paddles like a race car, and there's even a high-tech heads up display, a la fighter jet, with an RPM display and a gear indicator.
Drivers can unleash all German-engineered heck at the press of the legendary 'M' button. This steering-wheel mounted toggle likely came from some engineer’s childhood imagination, and engaging it puts every system instantly into a hyperactive performance mode. Turning ‘M’ mode on is like emptying a syringe of amphetamines into the X5M’s jugular.
 |
| Drivers can unleash all German-engineered heck at the press of the legendary 'M' button. (photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |