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the numbers
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive,
5-passenger, 4-door wagon
Base ............................. $ 106 , 095 –$ 115 , 095
Engine: twin-turbocharged and intercooled
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and
heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement ......................... 268 in^3 , 4395 cm^3
Power ........................ 600 or 617 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque ................................. 553 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Dimensions- Wheelbase ................................................. 117.0 in
- L/W/H ..................................... 195.0/79.3/68.9 in
- Curb Weight ............................................. 5450 lb
Performance (C/D est) - 60 mph ................................................ 3.6–3.7 sec
- 100 mph .............................................. 9.0–9.1 sec
- 1 /4-Mile ............................................ 12.0–12.1 sec
- Top Speed ........................................ 155–177 mph
EPA Fuel Economy - Comb/City/Hwy ........................... 15/13/18 mpg
2020 BMW X5 M ~ BY RICH CEPPOS
Nonsense and Sensibility
A deeply wonderful and completely irrational Bimmer.
If you’re going to drive something absurd, why not just go for it? A luxury model
is a departure from pragmatism, so what does that make the redesigned
BMW X 5 M, a mid-size SUV with nearly double the horsepower of the
entry X 5 for almost twice the price? Completely nonsensical, that’s what.
With a height of 68. 9 inches and weighing roughly 5450 pounds, the
X 5 M should be too tall and too heavy to be a serious driver’s machine.
It casts a big shadow, but it barely has more cargo room behind its front
seats than the much lighter and lower-riding 5 -series wagon. That’s not
really a relevant comparison, though, since BMW doesn’t sell that car in
the U.S. So here we are. Starting at $ 106 , 095 , the X 5 M comes with a 600 -
hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 that can be bumped to 617 horses with the
$9 000 Competition upgrade. There. Is that irrational enough for you?
If not, BMW also makes an even less practical version it calls the X 6 M.
Very rational engineers have been working hard at the margins of
physics to make these beasts capable of feats that were
once the domain of sports cars. If BMW’s 60 -mph claim
of 3.7 seconds is accurate, we’d say they succeeded. That
number might actually be conservative. The last-gen
X 5 M managed it in 3. 8 with 567 horsepower. With the
2020 ’s extra power and 553 pound-feet of torque, which is
harnessed by the silky ZF eight-speed automatic and rear-
biased all-wheel-drive system, this hot-rod X 5 launches
from rest like the Road Runner ditching Wile E. Coyote.
Not surprisingly, BMW’s M division reworked the
X 5 ’s chassis to handle this unholy rush of speed. Active
anti-roll bars, adaptive dampers, and massive Michelin
Pilot Sport 4S summer tires—size 29 5/35ZR-2 1 in front,
315/35ZR-2 1 in the rear—enable it to bite into corners with
sports-car-like ferocity.
Given the X 5 M’s height and rather
numb steering, whipping down twisty
roads initially feels like an act of faith in
the Michelin man. But once you adjust, this
beast is easy to manage, even at velocities
that leave your passengers fearing for their
YVcR`AURE":μ`V_\[¼`aRQ]NcRZR[aT_V]
P\ZR` NaaUR]_VPR\SN`aVß_VQRRcR[dVaU
its dampers in Comfort mode. Such abrupt
impacts might be too jarring on the broken
roads of the freeze-thaw states.
The world’s thirst for crossovers shows
no signs of being satiated, so wrapping one
in a racing suit and giving it the power to
delight sports-car lovers seems rational.
And while the X 5 M is a highly irrational pur-
chase, it’s that unbridled excess that makes
this BMW so darn compelling.