BMW X5 M News

BMW is getting ready to launch the third-generation X5 next year, and not wanting to make performance-minded customers wait too long, the X5 M is expected soon after the standard models. As seen in the video we posted last week, the new M-powered X5 is putting down some punishing laps at the Nurburgring. Now we're happy to supplement that video with some ...

The engineers at BMW's M Division have their magical finite element analysis machines working on the next-generation high-performance version of the company's popular X5 crossover, and they've taken a disguised X5 M prototype to Germany's Nürburgring to run the numbers. According to forum user Jason at Bimmerpost, the impetuous BMW CUV will begin the ...

It's nice to see that someone at BMW apparently has a wry sense of humor when it comes to the X5 M. We are not shy about admitting that we find it hard to take the 550-horsepower SUV seriously – we famously called it a "2.7-ton Miata with a lampshade on its head and a serious coke habit," when we reviewed it back in 2010. But this little 30-second ...

Autoblog Podcast #219 is here, and the two Chrises and Dan are joined by Bring A Trailer's Randy Nonnenberg to talk oddball cars, all things Geneva Motor Show, the impending Chevrolet Cruze Diesel and the government's delay making backup cameras mandatory. Questions and feedback wrap it up, and it's an hour and thirty-six minutes of fun this week. Thanks ...

No one ever said that evolution is pretty. Take the best-of-breed BMW M Division product: the E30 M3. Little more than a homologated race car, the first generation M3 was potent, nimble, and with its small displacement 2.3-liter inline-four fed by a retweaked M1 intake, it was light, too. Long story short, the OG M3 remains an ideal performance ...

These days, German luxury crossovers are a dime a dozen, what with Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and the lot all offering one or more sporty-ish soft-roaders. But we must remember that back in 1999, the vehicle that started this whole trend was the original BMW X5. Eleven years later, there's something to be said about the biggest Bimmer offering, ...

Most factory tours cost a lot less than $99, but BMW has more up its sleeve than a short walk down the production line. BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina facility is home to a new enthusiast attraction called "The Ultimate BMW Experience." The tour starts out with a trip to the Zentrum museum followed by a tour of the assembly line, where you're likely to ...

The 2011 BMW M5 has been caught on video doing its thing around the 'Ring, and by "doing its thing" we really mean shredding the life out of the rear tires. Judging from the quick video, the massive sedan seems to have no problem hustling through the banked curves of every automaker's favorite test track. BMW has kept its lips sealed when it comes to ...

There was a time, not too long ago, when a BMW M-badged vehicle was feared. In the late 1990s, the E36 M3 Coupe was often regarded as the best-handling two-door on the planet and its sibling, the E36 M3 Sedan, was the fastest four-door in showrooms. The droptop M Roadster offered a viable alternative to a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, while the bad-to-the bone ...

BMW is hell-bent on incorporating its EfficientDynamics systems into every model in its line-up, and the latest recipient is the M3, which will come equipped with Auto Start Stop this spring. According to BMW, the system, which cuts the engine when the M3 comes to a stop, reduces emissions and fuel consumption by up to eight percent. BMW will also begin ...

If you're like us – and odds are very good you are – you have an evergreen problem. Namely, getting your significant other to feel one-tenth of the excitement about cars that you feel. Sure, you've tried explaining that while you almost drove off the freeway, it's okay because you were trying to catch up with a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy ...

We all know what the biggest problem with the BMW X6 M is, right? Not nearly enough power. Sure, 555 hp from a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 is 5 hp more potent than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, making the X6 M the most powerful production SUV on earth. Still, 600 hp is the new black, so a stock X6 M just ain't going to cut it. Thank heavens, then, for ...

Audi has the mid-engined R8 (now available with a 525-horsepower V10). Mercedes-Benz now has the AMG SLS (with more power than the R8 – 563 horses). BMW has... a 500-horsepower V10 in a 4,000 pounds M6. Not exactly competitive in the supercar department these days. Well, according to everyone's favorite British Buff Book (EVO), BMW will be ...

According to a post on the forums at GermanCarZone, BMW is currently working on a new version of its 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engine, which puts out 286 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque in its current, twin-turbocharged guise. To bump that power peak a bit higher, those crazy German engineers are rumored to be adding a third turbocharger that would ...

This week, BMW announced high performance M versions of the X5 and X6 "sport activity vehicles." The Ms get the usual array of visual "enhancements" to go along with all the performance upgrades which include a beefed up version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that debuted in the original X6 last year. The M version of the V8 gets a boost from 400 hp to ...

Chris, Dan, and Sam got together for Episode #122 of the Autoblog Podcast, and no politics were harmed in the making of this installment. Of course, it was mostly a lead-up to the New York Auto show, so we discussed what's ready to debut in Manhattan. GMC's Terrain gets some attention, as do the M versions of BMW's X5 and X6. We also take the time to ...

BMW has done the inexplicable inevitable, expanding its M treatment from cars to SUVs (or Sports Activity Vehicles in BMW parlance). The New York Auto Show marks the world debut of the X5 M and X6 M, and in typical M fashion, the high riders get substantially more power than their more pedestrian variants. Both vehicles get uprated versions of the ...

Two alert readers caught these latest snapshots of BMW's forthcoming X5 M near the company's Spartanburg, South Carolina facility. With that stance, six front intakes, and that enormous rubber, it looks like the perfect vehicle for a group of Bavarian hitmen, albeit in silver. Some cyber sleuthing revealed terms like "550 bhp" and "Twin Scroll Twin Turbo" ...

The teaser site's tag line reads, "M. Welcome to the next chapter." The now official X5 M and X6 M will certainly be something we've never read in the book of BMW high performance vehicles. Recent chapters have featured high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive cars like the M3, M5 and M6 as their main protagonist, but these new Ms will be big, weigh over 5,000 ...

BMW Blog has trained its spyglass on what it says is a list of BMW rollouts for 2009, and it will begin next month with the brand spankin' new Z4 showcased at the Detroit Auto Show. It is March, though, that will bring year's first real bounty. At Geneva, BMW will be showing off a concept version of the Progressive Activity Vehicle (half 5 Series, half X6), ...