The sports utility vehicle’s place is outside school gates and BMW’s idea of a SUV probably revolves around a parent with a child who is always late. How else can you explain why the first X5 was quicker and fitter than any SUV needed to be for its time? When that car got replaced, BMW went further off tangent to create a “coupe” derivative called the X6.
Now BMW has taken the SUV theme to an even more unnatural extension, making M versions of the X5 and X6.
The story goes that the cars came about because there were customers who asked for them. Just where these power-hungry soccer moms come from is not disclosed, but BMW is confident of finding buyers in North America and the Middle East. Nobody knew that the two lands had any interest in “football”, but anyway…
Apart from the seating arrangement, there isn’t supposed to be any difference between the X5M and X6M. Both have the same underpinnings, powered by the same M-fettered 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 accessed through the same 6-speed automatic transmission. They even weigh the same 2380kg.
It’s interesting to note that this is the first time the three aforementioned elements were ever attributed to a M car.
Yes, BMW has applied turbocharging on its race cars before, but this is the first instance of forced induction in the modern M road car formula.
While the E46-generation M3 broke tradition by having two instead of three pedals in the footwell, the X5M and X6M are the first to have a torque converter automatic, tuned by the M Division. The cars are also the first-ever to breach two tonnes. Any performance car purist will turn his nose up at the weight issue for sure.
Some purists (and others who happen to enjoy flying halfway across the world for a bit of driving) were invited to the Salzburgring race track in Austria to be part of something called the M Power Experience.
True to its name, participants get to experience the power of the M cars. Hopefully, it’ll dispel the doubts about the X5M/X6M’s pedigree. There were the usual brake and evade stations, nifty slalom sections and even a skidpan to powerslide the cars. For the first day, it was the M3 that was used for dodging cones on the slalom course, going sideways on the skidpan, and climaxing with some really speedy laps of the Salzburgring.
The track is not as well-known as the Nurburgring. With a lap measuring just over 4 kilometres long, Salzburgring is also a good deal shorter than the famous loop in neighbouring Germany.
That’s not to say the Austrian ‘ring is a pushover. Salzburgring packs some fierce high-speed turns as well as a pair of chicanes that bookend the final straights. When it’s not overrun by BMW Driver Training instructors and the M cars, the track hosts motorcycle and some classic car races.
You’d expect the M3 to tackle the difficult stuff in its stride. The long, high-speed straights do put the brakes to the test, but there are also plenty of opportunities to cool them between full-bore applications. That said, the M3s were fitted with special uprated brake pads.
While the high-speed turns at the end of each corner is a test of confidence and courage, it’s the tight chicanes that really demand precision. A ham-fisted entry consisting of poor steering input and inept pedal work will mean an even clumsier exit. When that happens, not even the advanced electronic nannies on board can hide the driver’s incompetence.
With the point of reference firmly set by the M3, it was the day of reckoning for the X5M and X6M the following day.
On the straights, there’s little to mark down the behemoth against its lithe coupe sibling (every car is light compared to the X5M/X6M!). Obviously happy with the low temperatures (just over 10 degrees Celsius), the 4.4-litre turbocharged engine feels immensely strong, delivering punchy acceleration lap after lap.
For most part of that 4km loop, neither the X5M nor X6M feels very heavy at all. There’s hardly any of that clumsiness expected of a two-tonne car. It’s a tidy handler with an obedient tail when squeezing the throttle out of the bends.
The steering, while muted in terms of feedback, is never less than absolutely direct in terms of transmitting instructions to the ground. The wealth of power compensates for the extra time and distance needed to be spent on shedding speed for the corners.
Out of the tricky chicanes, having the front paws do some of the engine’s work is a bonus, as it was possible to apply power earlier (and more abruptly) than in the M3. Subjectively, the X5M and X6M feel easier to thread through the low-speed twisties than the rear-wheel drive M3 with its twitchier behind.
Of course, things can go overboard. Get too gung-ho with the accelerator on exit and the giant will careen towards the wall with all the inertia that BMW has worked so hard to conceal. The car doesn’t enjoy such liberties and you won’t either. Everything the car does on track is deliberate and feels almost like a miracle.
If the objective of the M Power Experience is to prove that M cars can hack it on the track, the X5M and X6M were definitely up to the job. But there’s a distinct impression that it’ll be even better at doing the school run – in an awful hurry, no less.
Related story: BMW X5M review
Related story: BMW X6M review
