Look away now, M Division purists: there’s a new BMW X5 M on the loose. The second generation of BMW’s super-SUV will arrive in 2014, with less weight, more power, and higher performance than the current car.
How can you tell this is an M Division BMW X5?
The tell-tale cues are quad exhaust pipes (a classic modern M car feature) and larger side skirts than we’ve seen on previous X5 mules. Behind the big alloys on low-profile rubber, the blue brake calipers denote an upgraded braking system: all new M models get upgraded stoppers as standard, with carbon-ceramic discs (clamped by gold-painted calipers) a pricey cost option.
How much power will the 2014 BMW X5 M have?
The next X5 M will use a development of the current car’s 4.4-litre bi-turbo V8, which is also employed in the X6 M, M5 and M6. Output will rise from the 547bhp of the current car to 565bhp in the new X5 M, with torque expected to rise slightly from the current 501lb ft. By comparison, the new Range Rover Sport musters ‘just’ 503bhp from its supercharged 5.0-litre V8, and Porsche’s flagship Cayenne Turbo S is trumped too, with 542bhp.
What’ll really improve the X5 M’s all-round performance is a weight-saving diet. The new car’s ‘X For All’ underpinnings, which will eventually support all future X models, uses aluminium to bring the kerbweight down by around 150kg versus the 2380kg current model. Entry-level four-cylinder X5s will be lighter still, falling just on the right side of two tonnes.
When will the new BMW X5 make its debut?
The new X5 will be seen first later in 2013, with a possible debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September, Expect to see the X5 M on sale by in 2014, sporting basic a price tags of £85,000. And no, don’t reckon on a name switch to MX5 either…