New BMW X5 gets armoured

Too many SUV owners are accused of driving like they think their cars are bulletproof. Some of them might actually be right, with VR6 protection level coming to the big-selling BMW X5.

Bullet and explosion resistant, the BMW X5 Protection VR6 has been developed from the chassis up to keep its occupants safe inside the large luxury SUV, particularly in countries like Russia, parts of Africa and parts of South America.

Based around the 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 version of the X5, cranking out 390kW of power and 750Nm of torque, BMW claims it will still hit 100km/h in 5.9 seconds -- despite the extra weight of its armour, making it the quickest vehicle in the limited category.

Its top speed is limited to 210km/h, though, and its fuel consumption balloons out to 13L/100km (with a supercar-like 298g/km of CO2).

The BMW X5’s suspension and brakes have been upgraded to cope with the extra weight, in an attempt to retain emergency-escape agility in a car that’s been turned into a single protective cell.

All the Protection VR6 models use BMW’s (usually optional) active roll stabilisation system to minimise body roll in corners, along with integral active steering (rear-wheel steering).

BMW said the need for a Protection version was accounted for from the X5’s earliest engineering drawings, giving their SUV the ability to protect its occupants against “violent attacks, kidnapping or organised crime”.

BMW has been building this sort of machine for more than 40 years, with the first 733i High Security arriving in 1978. It was followed by similar versions of each generation of the flagship sedan.

There were even armoured BMW 3 Series and 5 Series models, with the X5 turned into a security car in 2004.

But the German brand is far from the only car-maker to protect its occupants to a degree unheard of in NCAP tests. Mercedes-Benz has had its Guard program, which ranges up to its top-end limousines and SUVs, since 1999.

In addition to the standard 90- and 45-degree ballistic tests by independent authorities, BMW backed it up with additional angles to check its effectiveness in real-world conditions.

The special BMW X5 looks incredibly similar to a standard X5 by design, to give it anonymity, even though the Protection VR6 meets all the VR6-class requirements for bullet and explosive-force resistance.

It uses a host of strategies, including security glass (bullet-proof is far too Bond a term to use) and moulded armour plating pieces inside the doors.

BMW insists its strategy, as opposed to bolting in components later, allowed it to identify and fix weak points like body joints and the seams between the metal and the glass pieces.

And if people don’t want to lower the windows to the outside world, there’s an intercom system and an attack alarm system.

The intercom uses an external microphone in the side-mirror housing and an external speaker, and uses the standard hands-free speaker inside.

The passenger compartment is armoured, with high-strength steel moulded to the contours of the body, especially the doors, side frames, roof and firewall.

There are aluminium underbody splinter shields and an armoured partition between the luggage area and the passenger compartment.

All the glass is “security glazed” and about 33mm thick and there’s an additional layer of polycarbonate to catch any glass splinters.

The armour has been designed to overlap in the traditional weak points in the door gaps and window seals, too, giving it protection against 7.62mm munitions used by weapons like the AK-47.

It’s also proofed against up to 15kg TNT in a sideways blast from just four metres, with the windows remaining in place to give it additional safety against secondary attacks.

The underbody is reinforced with fibre composite materials to give the X5 protection against hand grenades and there’s an even stronger version as an option.

There’s also the option of extra armour for the roof to protect it against drone attacks and C4 explosives.

A self-sealing fuel tank and run-flat tyres are also standard and there’s also a system to override the standard car’s function that turns the engine off after collisions.

BMW hasn’t skimped on the luxury, which seems natural given the kind of passengers it’s likely to carry.

The windscreen and the front of the side windows can be heated, though only the driver’s side window is electrically operated (it’s an option on the passenger side). Both windows can have a 10cm limit applied to them, too.

Finally, the interior’s attack alarm button, in a new panel in front of the gear selector, automatically locks the doors and the windows