e-nthusiast. November 2009
Since the very first BMW M car was offered for sale the message has been pure and clear. BMW M means extracting the greatest amount of motorsport-bred performance possible and feeding it securely into a highly modified production car to create the Ultimate Driving Machine for the ultimate enthusiast.
From the BMW M1 to the BMW M3 and the BMW M5, blistering performance, agile handling, enormous stopping power and off-the-scale exhilaration were the order of the day.
Until now, BMW M had restricted itself to working with rear-wheel drive BMW models. That restriction is now officially lifted, so welcome to the era of the BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M: Two shining examples of how to extrapolate BMW M to the Power X.
Not only do the new X Series vehicles wear the BMW M badges in their own right for the first time (the earlier BMW X5 4.6is and 4.8is were not BMW M models), but they arrive with an astounding new 408 kW V8 engine with TwinPower Turbo induction. They are the most powerful road-going factory-built BMW M cars yet.
Not surprisingly, a not insubstantial amount of tuning of the new generation 4.4-litre V8 engine delivers this magnificent level of output. Painstaking exhaust manifold plumbing results in a unique shared outlet pipe to feed the two Twin Scroll turbochargers, which provides razor-sharp and instantaneous response to the throttle.
But 408 kW alone is an insufficient measure of the mighty output of this engine that will race to 6,000 rpm. It punches out a mountainous, yet billiard-table flat 680 Nm of peak torque from 1,500 rpm all the way to 5,650 rpm, enough to blow both the
BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M models away from standstill and through the 100 km/h barrier in just 4.7 seconds. This true supercar performance is delivered from the BMW M-lined comfort of a full-size Sports Activity Vehicle or Sports Activity Coupé.
Harnessing all this muscular intent is a new six-speed automatic transmission, the insides of which BMW M engineers have configured specifically to cope with full-blown Launch Control acceleration runs. In Sport mode the gearbox resolutely refuses to up-shift at the rev limiter until it is so commanded by the driver, via the shifter or steering wheel mounted paddles. Gear-change times have been drastically reduced, also, to further enhance that race-bred feeling.
Drivers may configure all manner of driving systems to suit their style, from a choice of steering response maps to electronically adjustable damper settings, to the level of stability control intervention required.
From the outside, flared front and rear valances feed monstrous amounts of air to cool the powerful engine, and unique 20-inch light alloy wheels (an individual design per model) wear 315/35 section rear tyres and 275/40 section front tyres. Traction is ensured through BMW xDrive and Dynamic Performance Control, delivering a genuine, thrilling, and unique BMW M driving experience.
To find out more about these exclusive high-performance machines, visit www.BMW.com.au/X5M or www.BMW.com.au/X6M
