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Ken Gratton15 Apr 2015
REVIEW

BMW X5 M and X6 M 2015 Review

Master blasters from Munich raise the bar for top-end SUVs

BMW X5 M and X6 M

Local launch review
Lake St. Clair, Tasmania

High-performance SUVs are a relatively new genus of car, promoting a prestige brand's go-anywhere, all-round capability with a race-ready powerplant under the bonnet. BMW's latest X5 M and X6 M are newly-arrived entrants that will appeal to those who like their tow tugs to get them to their favourite holiday destination at the earliest opportunity. Boasting power and torque placing them ahead of many peers, the BMWs will quickly find their feet in the market.

BMW Australia has sold 415 units of the previous generation X5 M and X6 M since 2009, but the prestige marque expects to exceed that number with the new F85 (X5) and F86 (X6) variants – despite the new models reaching Australia priced not far short of $200,000.

For the local launch, the X5 M and X6 M were tested over roads that have formed part of the Targa Tasmania competition route in the past. The mix of challenging bends, long straights, coarse-chip bitumen with repaired patches and some early-morning ice all combined for a good test of the new models, albeit one that the BMWs easily passed.

More than perhaps the visual aspect of the X5 M and X6 M, it's the twin-turbo V8 that catches the attention of the average punter (and the driver too). The 423kW engine delivers its peak power and the 750Nm of torque accompanied by booming, wide-open throttle noise, which is not piped through the car's audio system speakers – unlike other M cars in the BMW range. Curiously however, you could be forgiven for thinking it is motoring muzak – because it arrives with a suddenness that seems synthesised rather than natural. Nevertheless, we're guaranteed by BMW it's the real deal.

As you would expect, performance is on tap pretty much anywhere in the rev range, and the engine is Euro 6-compliant. As much as 600Nm is available just off idle, according to BMW Australia, but the M SUVs are very sure-footed, thanks to the 21-inch alloys (standard in Australia, but optional elsewhere) and the xDrive all-wheel drive system, which is biased 60:40 for the rear/front torque split. In lesser X5 and X6 models the torque split is 70:30 in normal operation.

The ZF eight-speed automatic bolted up to the V8 is operated by a combination of conventional shift paddles and a lever in the centre console. With its golf-club-like head, the dogleg reverse up and to the left and tap-shift detente to the right for selecting Drive it reminds me of nothing less than the similar set-up in the Toyota Prius – not that the two cars are ever likely to be cross-shopped.

Adjacent the shift lever are buttons to disable the stability control and – grouped together – M Dynamic mode switches to change engine management, damper calibration and steering assistance. There is a distinct sense of retardation felt when changing the engine from Sport or Sport+ mode to Efficiency. As a general rule, I would probably choose to leave it in Efficiency, because you can still tap into the twin-turbo V8's formidable torque merely by kicking down.

I personally found the comfort setting for the steering to be unnatural and less communicative than the other modes, and would probably leave the steering set to Sport, but other drivers might prefer less weight in the wheel. In the Sport+ mode, the steering seemed almost too direct and responsive in the Tasmanian rural environs; on some corners it's necessary to re-correct the angle of attack at times, whereas the Sport mode is a little more forgiving.

The damper calibration switch did effect changes to ride quality and body control, but even in Sport and Sport+ modes the ride quality was not too punishing on the odd stretch of poorly maintained country road surface.

Leaving aside the electronically adjustable dynamics, the M-powered SUVs' passive dynamics were excellent, providing strong and immediate steering response, very obvious grip through the front wheels – and unimpeachable stability in corners. This stability was due to multiple factors, including the torque vectoring – which not only brakes inside wheels, but also powers up outside wheels in corners – plus the Dynamic Drive system that employs an electric motor to firm up the rear anti-roll bar for reduced body roll.  The torque vectoring was generally imperceptible, but could be felt changing the car's angle of attack with unrelenting power applied beyond the apex.

The brakes complemented the BMWs' cornering power, handing the driver strong and progressive stopping action courtesy of the six-piston callipers at the front, and cross-drilled rotors. Subjected to some abuse on the way down winding passes with plenty of hairpins thrown in, or at the end of long straights, the BMWs' braking system never let the side down.

Inside, the two cars are kitted out with M multi-function seats that are an option in other markets, but standard in Australia for both cars. They provide a remarkable range of adjustment, and are the key factor in the BMW SUVs' outstanding driving position, which delivers the precise level of comfort, information and ergonomic control. With the switchgear on the sides of the seats it's possible to adjust the side bolstering, lumbar and two-stage recline, as well as the other, usual settings. About the only thing that can't be adjusted are the fixed headrests, but I found that they were fine with the higher section of the seat squab reclined forward or aft.

Just behind the shift lever on the console is a three-stage toggle switch to change the nature of the gear changes, from aggressive to soft, with an intermediate stage as well. The aggressive setting is good fun, but it might quickly grow tiring in traffic or with passengers on board.

Despite the plethora of non-traditional controls (the gear lever already mentioned, plus electronic park brake, start button, iDrive single-point controller and trip computer scroll/reset button on the wiper stalk), the BMWs' ergonomic design was sound, and everything the driver needed was grouped together in close proximity. Even without previous experience driving a BMW, a new driver will quickly become accustomed to the method of operation in each case.

The interface for the dual-zone climate control was very straightforward and followed a conventional ergonomic design pattern.

For the head-up display, the information presented changed with the choice of M1 or M2 driving programs. To be frank, I'd rather set up the car with some of the M2 program's operating parameters and stick with the head-up display as per M1 (the normal road-going operational display). In contrast, the M2 display in the HUD is more suitable for the track, but you may not have time to read it anyway – not when forward progress in these cars is a headlong rush taking no more than 4.2 seconds to reach the open-road limit. That's half a second shaved off the 0-100km/h time.

There's plenty of room for rear-seat passengers in the X5, and they can set the heating or cooling to suit themselves, as long as they agree to be neighbourly. Both cars can accommodate adults of average height in the rear, but naturally the X5 is a little more spacious. My head lightly brushed the headlining in the X6 (after ducking under the coupe-style low roofline), and knee room was at a slight premium.

The X5 has a split tailgate, versus the X6's one-piece unit. I'm in two minds about the X5's. It makes sense in garages, where overhead space may be at a premium, but it takes two moves to load large items.

The autonomous emergency braking system won't bring the X5 M or X6 M to a full stop, as the radar unit at the front of standard X5 and X6 models has had to be left off the M Cars' specification for the SUVs. This is to allow the all-important cooling to be optimised.

At just under $200,000 for each car, the X5 M and X6 M seem like a rich person's toy, without doubt, but when considering the cost of buying an M5, with a lesser engine and only two driven wheels, the value of the SUVs suddenly crystalises. Here are two practical, good-looking (perhaps not so much the X6...) SUVs that can outperform a host of exotic passenger cars for around the same money. That's gotta be worth 200 grand.

2015 BMW X5 M and X6 M pricing and specifications:
Price:
$185,900 for X5 M, $194,700 for X6 M (plus on-road costs)
Engines: 4.4-litre V8 turbo-petrol
Output: 423kW/750Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 258g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBA

What we liked:
>>
Explosive engine performance
>> Sharp driving dynamics
>> Exceptional seat adjustment

Not so much:
>>
X6 M's proportions
>> Real-world fuel consumption
>> High price will keep these two exclusive

Also consider:
Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography (from $236,100)
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (from $284,700)
Mercedes-Benz GLE 63 (when it arrives)

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Written byKen Gratton
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