Deliveries of the new BMW X5 will soon kick off and customers are anxious to get behind the wheel of their brand new models. And while that is reason enough to get a couple of smiles going, the fact that BMW is preparing an X5 M already should get the adrenaline running. The new uber-SUV has been spotted on the Nurburgring recently, making a set of tires squeal like they never squealed before.
The new X5 M is still quite a mystery as no info about it has leaked so far. However, we can make a couple of informed assumptions about what it will bring to the table. First of all, the engine will most likely be the exact same one from the F90 M5. The heavily revised S63 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 will develop 600 HP on the X5 M as well, while the Competition model will get 625 HP. Since the X3 M and X4 M models are bound to get the new M xDrive all-wheel drive system, chances are the X5 M will also get this treatment.
If that’s confirmed, the new high-performance SAV will be able to drift like a pro, even though it may not be the perfect machine for such purposes. The high center of gravity and the fact that it will be a heavy car, make it more prone to be used as a land missile/fast tank rather than a drift machine. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the M xDrive system behaves on an SUV and how the people from the BMW M division will set it up.
The car in the images below is definitely the M version as it has a beefier front bumper (larger air intakes to the sides), quad exhausts at the back and M side mirrors which are easy to make out despite the heavy camo. The footage also includes a short glimpse of the upcoming BMW X3 M and its new S58 engine, another car which is bound to captivate the audience when it is finally revealed in full.
