5
NEWS
SPY PICS: BMW X5 M
Hi-po version of third-generation BMW X5 M is not expected to arrive in Australia until late 2014The new generation BMW X5 is expected to arrive in Australia towards the end of this year, but indications are we will not see the full-bore M version until maybe a year later.
These Automedia spy photos show what appears to be an X5 M under development in Europe. With a noticeably lower stance than the regular third generation X5 that was revealed at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, the X5 M is also identifiable via specific front and rear bumpers, quad exhausts, bigger brakes and a hefty wheel/tyre combination.
There has been a lot of talk about notable weight savings with the third generation X5 but, according to our figures, they don’t add up to that much – the 30d xDrive version is only 5kg less than the current version, the X50i xDrive 15kg less.
So whether next year’s X5 M will want more punch than the current (Australian-spec) car’s 408kW/680Nm to elevate the already formidable performance remains to be seen. Other variants of the new X5, petrol and diesel, have more power than before so it will be interesting to see if the M version’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 gets similar treatment.
If weights aren’t all that different, at least the aerodynamics will be improved: Some versions of the next X5 claim a Cd figure as low as 0.31, which is comparable with a slippery sedan.
Efficiency improvements like these make the next generation X5 faster, more economical and less polluting than before. As with the current generation X5, the new car is built at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, USA.
– with Automedia
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