Monday 6 April 2009

BMW X5 M AND X6 M: OFFICIAL PICTURES AND FIGURES!










Oh the glory days are back again! BMW has unleashed the X5 M and X6 M with all the details and everything. We’ve been following these two cars ever since they were rumoured to be in development about two years ago. Later power figures were bandied about and we guessed (almost correctly too) that the engine would make 405kW and 700Nm.


Both figures were off. But not by much actually. The X5 M and X6 M both have a 4.4-litre V8 engine with two turbos for their thrust. It produces maximum power of 408kW (555hp) and maximum torque of 678Nm. This makes the twins the most powerful production SUVs ever built. BMW says the two will hurl themselves from 0 – 100km/h in about 4.6 seconds. That means at Gauteng altitudes of 1600m above sea level, we are likely to return figures of between 5 and 5.3 seconds flat. Bloody hell, that’s as quick as cars like the M3 and Subaru Impreza STI!


A 6-speed M Sports Automatic gearbox is fitted which allows for manual changes. Thank goodness for BMW engineers who recognise that drivers of these cars in manual mode actually want to change gears themselves. Therefore there is no automatic intervention from the car if it feels you are over revving the engine.


As per usual M specification the X5 M and X6 M both feature quad tailpipes and muscular appearances both from the front and rear. Technologies found in the cars include hill descent control, rear view cameras, the new-generation iDrive system and 20-inch wheels with runflat tyres wrapped around them.


It should be at least another 12 months before we will be able to see these two on South African soil. Pricing is likely to range between R1.6 million for the X5 M and R1.7 million for the X6 M.

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