BMW has given the current X5 and X6 SUVs the M treatment. BMW The X5 M, looking shiny outside some of Arizona's finest midcentury architecture. BMW The differences between the X5 M and X6 M are really just cosmetic. BMW You can have the interior of either upholstered like a storm trooper. BMW I don't know about you but I think the yellow/orange stripes are a bit much. BMW The command center. BMW No one really needs an SUV with 617hp. BMW You can preconfigure the cars' vast array of settings and engage them with the push of a button on the steering wheel. BMW Do you think unintelligent safety remains engaged? BMW Big brakes and sticky tires help these big SUVs handle better than you might think possible. BMW If your rear passengers need headroom, the X5 M is the one you want. BMW By contrast, this is the X6 M's back seat. BMW Again, for maximum trunk space: X5 M. BMW But you can still get plenty of stuff in an X6 M. BMW Can a car this heavy really be called "competition"? BMW
Yes. Another SUV review. Sorry, but couples, families, singles, alt-lifestylers, outdoor-seekers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, musicians, actors, and even website developers are continuing to drive the SUV segment into utter dominance. And it doesn't matter where you live: the sales figures in Europe are accelerating more swiftly to the SUV camp than in North America, where it's dominated for many years already. This is not a value judgment on the goodness or evil of SUVs. It just is. And consider this: of BMW's 15 different lines of automobiles, seven of them are SUVs. Mercedes has a staggering eight lines of SUVs.
But BMW is nothing if not a company aware of and amenable to splitting niches, be they product lines (like all those hatchback variations on sedans) or ultra-high-performance flavors of big SUVs. That's where we pick up this particular train coming into the station: the 2020 X5 M and the related X6 M. These two add the engine and legs of a thoroughbred sports sedan to the sport-utility, resulting in SUVs with not just room and girth but also abilities in the twisties and the vast open road on the order of a top sports sedan.
The new Ms snarl with 600hp (447kW) from their twin-turbo, 4.4L V8 engines, though that figure can be boosted even more to 617hp (460kW) with the lily-gilding optional Competition Package. (We can't help thinking that any 5,200-plus-pound SUV wearing a badge that reads "Competition" is just a trifle incongruous, unless it's an eating competition.) And yes, that's damn near twice the output of the base X5 and X6 powertrain (in the US market), which puffs out a comparatively paltry 335hp (250kW), though no one would could legitimately call that engine deficient.
And all that power is nothing without the ability to harness it, so active anti-roll bars, adjustable damping, and enormous brakes come along for the ride. Both M models also have a full helping of active safety features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist, plus conveniences like Wi-Fi, making the Ms an overflowing river of various technologies.
Not the best SUVs for crossing continents in a day
But starting at $106,095 for the X5 M and $109,595 for the X6 M, they are financial mountains to climb. And with combined city-highway fuel-economy figures of just 15mpg (15.7l/100km) for both, they're thirsty ones, too. These new Ms save fuel by using a start/stop system that shuts down the engine when reaching a full stop. However, when engaged, it creates an abrupt stop, even when you feather the brake pedal. You can disable the start/stop systeRead More – Source
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