2015 BMW X5 M Review

The premium high-performance SUVs – BMW X5 M and Mercedes-Benz GLE63 S AMG – are like the Wallabies playing the All-Blacks in the Rugby World Cup. Of course we should include the Range Rover Sport SVR in that equation, but the English rugby team…let’s not go there.

Label any one of that trio as the world’s best and you’ll get no arguments from us. If you’re buying here you have some tough calls to make.

BMW X5 M Overview

At $185,510, the M is the headline act of BMW’s latest X5 lineup which starts at $84,200 for the sDrive 25d. The latest installment of BMW’s high performance full-size SUV follows in hallowed wheeltracks.

With its twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 engine, gorgeous ‘M’ interior, sporty exterior enhancements, lowered ‘M’ suspension and enough technology to leave the Space Shuttle looking underdone…well we’re yet to drive an ‘M’-badged BMW which was short of goodies.

This is a vehicle which can on one day haul the family to Saturday sport and on the next whip around a race track as fast as a sports car. 

 

BMW X5 M Engine

X5 M’s powerplant shares much with the 4.4-litre V8s fitted to the M6 and M5 sedans. The twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 futures some clever exhaust technology to minimize throttle lag but, unlike the sedan models, the X5 M doesn’t run the artificial exhaust note system (no great loss we say when the standard exhaust note is so good).

With 423kW of power and maximum torque of 750Nm delivered between 2200rpm-5000rpm and driving through an eight-speed automatic transmission the X5 M covers zero to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds. The accepted ‘Supercar’ threshold is anything below 4.0 seconds – gives you an idea of the tremendous performance of this full-size five or seven-seat SUV.

Combined-cycle fuel consumption rates at 11.1l/100kms.

 

BMW X5 M The Interior

Any doubts about the worth of that $185K outlay will be erased when you open the door of the BMW X5 M. There before you is the work of the ‘M’ division at its finest.

‘M’ seats trimmed in Merino leather are both easy on the eye and grippy on the torso and the gorgeous thick ‘M’ leather-wrapped steering wheel is trimmed with the hallmark red and blue stitching. Behind are ‘M’ instruments, a head-up display and a free-standing flat screen for the BMW Professional navigation system.

And it’s all bound together by a superb leather-trimmed dashboard.

Centre-console is the familiar iDrive controller.

Electronic adjustment for the seat and steering wheel provides the driver with a top-shelf driving position. And yes Mrs Doubtfire it is possible to adjust things so you have the tall-riding position which for some reason some SUV buyers favour when they’re behind the wheel (actually the safest position is to sit as low as possible).

No shortage of space in the BMW X5 M with plenty of headroom and legroom in the two normal seating rows (the two occupants in the third row will feel squeezed). And cargo capacity isn’t lacking either – 650-litres with the rear seat in place or 1,870-litres when folded (and the rear seat split-folds 40:20:40).     

 

BMW X5 M Exterior & Styling

You just can’t please some people. On the one hand they criticize the BMW X6 M because (they say) its looks are too confronting and on the other they say the latest X5 is too ‘American’.

C’mon guys the fact is Americans buy more SUVs than anyone else on the planet so what’s wrong with BMW fettling its full-size model for the ‘Stars and Stripes’? After all the name of the game is to sell cars isn’t it?

We’re not going down that road. Fact is the latest BMW X5 looks great, clearly a progression from the previous generation but with a more muscly/purposeful look.

The X5 M is distinguished by cracking-looking 21-inch alloy wheels, a unique front-end with larger air intakes, revised ‘kidney’ grille and ‘M’ air vents behind the wheels. At the rear there’s a unique lower section and four tailpipes.

BMW X5 M On The Road

As you would expect the X5 M sits 10mm lower than the regular X5 on those beautiful 21-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres, ‘M’-enhanced elastokinematics (pitch/roll/ride characteristics)and larger brakes (392mm at the front and 385mm at the rear). The electric power steering is revised with driver-selectable three settings on offer.

Of course drive is via BMW’s familiar and well-developed electronically controlled xDrive system. You can also alter the traction control operation.

Wet weather prevailed over our high-speed mountain roads test loop but even in its sportiest configuration the BMW X5 M just commanded the conditions. Not even deliberate stomping of the throttle could outwit BMW’s electronic wizardry and the X5 M just went quicker.

Hustling into a corner and downshifting manually, the eight-speeder responded instantly with gorgeous throttle blipping cog-swaps keeping the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 on-song. The massive brakes were at all times unfazed and arrested this almost 2.3-tonnes projectile with ridiculous ease.

So you turn-in with barely a hint of pitch or roll (brilliant BMW body control) and superb steering feedback alerting you to every movement of those massive Pirelli tyres. Apex hit you simply nail the throttle and you’re rocketing out of the corner and unwinding steering lock while all that technology gets the power down via one or two axles – absolutely astonishing.

Otherwise it was just a normal week for the X5 M – the odd airport run and school pickup. Incredibly -  in the most comfortable settings of course – this high-performance V8 was as docile as a church mouse.

 

BMW X5 M Verdict

With no offence to the mainstream hatchbacks and sedans…if only every week at www.carshworoom.com.au was like this. Yes it’s a full size large SUV but by any measure the BMW X5 M is a scintillating high performance machine.

Every drive reminds you of its capability – just hit the starter button and listen to that twin-turbo V8 erupt into life. It’s so astonishingly good, so gloriously equipped inside and so damn capable just the first trip home from the BMW dealership would justify your $185,510 outlay.

And then you contemplate the technology on-board to tailor each drive to your needs or desires. Thousands of man-hours from thousands of technicians in Germany and North America underwrite what is without doubt one of the best of its kind.

The X5 M is BMW at its best.

 

BMW X5 M Issues

It’s a very, very minor thing but we reckon BMW sells the X5 M a bit short for exterior ‘go-fast/muscle’ looks (it’s just too similar to the xDrive 50i).

 

BMW X5 M The Competition

The all-new Mercedes-Benz GLE63 S AMG with its twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 does slightly outgun the X5 M with 430kW/760Nm but it’s a small margin. And there’s no denying the gorgeous AMG-enhanced interior is a pearler. Like the X5 M, the ‘Benz is just astonishingly good in the twisty stuff with out-of-this-world response and grip and it may be a bit more supple in the ride department (but both are European firm…just the way we like it). You’ll need a tad more coin for the GLE63 S AMG which is listed at $189,900.

And you’ll need a lot more extra coin for the Range Rover Sport SVR – and it’s worth every cent of its $218,500 price tag. More so than the BMW X5 M, the SVR looks the business with stylish exterior enhancements to promote it high performance credentials. And with the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 from Jaguar delivering 405kW/680Nm the SVR Rangie is certainly high performance - virtually as fast as the X5 M (zero to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds) and possibly a shade in front for interior space.