All new 2020 BMW X5 M F85, 2020 BMW X6 M F86 tuffs M5’s 460kW twin-turbo V8 into berko sprog bus
X5 M RETURNETH
BMW’s maddest and baddest SUVs just got madder and badder. The covers have been flung off the new BMW X5 M and X6 M, with the wilder Competition variants set to land in Australia in Q2 2020.
The headline news is the installation of the 460kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the M5 Competition, which propels these 2295kg leviathans to 100km/h in a claimed 3.8sec, almost half-a-second quicker than their predecessors. The X5 M Competition manages to pass 200km/h in 13.4sec, the sleeker X6 reaching the marker 0.2sec quicker. Regular variants of the X5 and X6 M produce 441kW/750Nm and reach 100km/h a tenth slower, but are unlikely to reach Aussie shores.
An eight-speed automatic sends drive to all four wheels via the M xDrive system, which debuted in the current M5 and, if the smaller X3 and X4 M are anything to go by, will endow the X5 and X6 M with remarkable levels of agility and ability for such a large car. The default 4WD mode prioritises traction and stability, but selecting 4WD Sport sends more power to the rear “making it possible to execute controlled drifts” according to BMW. Perfect for scything through traffic during the school run.
The engine is surrounded my massive braces, with a similar arrangement hidden away under the rear, in order to stiffen the bodyshell as much as possible for the sharpest handling responses. Both models use adaptive dampers and active anti-roll bars to control its heft through corners, with BMW claiming to have spent many hours fine-tuning the dynamic prowess of the X5 and X6 M and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
The Competition variants use giant staggered rims, 21 inches at the front and 22 inches at the rear, wrapped in equally enormous Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres measuring 295/35 R21 at the nose and 315/30 R22 out back. This much mass requires a lot of stopping, so M Compound brakes are standard with 395mm discs and six-piston calipers at the front and 380mm discs and single-piston calipers at the rear. Inside there are bespoke seats, plenty of carbon fibre trim and more technology than we can cover here. Local pricing has not been announced, but bet on a figure around $200K.
Beastly 460kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 a straight lift from the M5 and check out all that bracing!
