Without making an announcement in advance, BMW M quietly introduced the 2024 X5 M Medical Car at last weekend’s French MotoGP, the fifth round of the season. Now available exclusively as a Competition model, the high-performance SUV made an appearance at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit wearing a Black Sapphire Metallic coat of paint and riding on the 818 M wheels. Wrapped around non-run-flat tires, the alloys have a two-tone look and measure 21 inches front and 22 inches rear.
The X5 M has been discreetly updated for the 2024 model year by getting slimmer headlights with arrow-shaped daytime running lights. The revised clusters flank a new pair of kidneys with horizontal slats to mirror the M2 G87, and with the Life Cycle Impulse, the grille now comes in all-black and has a larger M logo. Together with the lower air intake, the grille form an X-shaped area repeated at the back for the updated LED graphics of the taillights.
In production at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina since last month, the facelifted X5 M Competition is the last of its kind considering the inevitable move to plug-in hybrids before going purely electric. The XM has already kick-started the electrified revolution for BMW M, which will continue around 2025 with the next-generation M5 coming exclusively as a PHEV. Should there be a next-generation X5 M near the end of the decade, it will be electrified to some extent.
Come to think of it, the current model has already been electrified, albeit barely, since it gets a 48V setup for the newly developed “S68” engine. Output hasn’t changed as you’re still getting 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo V8 4.4-liter unit, but the e-motor built into the eight-speed automatic transmission does offer a temporary 12 hp and 147 lb-ft. The German luxury brand promises “more rapid power delivery” courtesy of the mild-hybrid system.
Source: BMW M / Instagram
