The crossover-SUV scene is erupting like ancient Mount Toba, threatening to snuff out myriad car species and alter the gene pools of some storied automakers. But just because these porky soft-roaders are growing in size, doesn’t mean performance will die off with it. Indeed, their massive dimensions afford them plenty of room to package an armory of go-fast parts—and the X5 M makes good use of all those to make one of the sportiest SUVs in town.
This racy ride can scoot to 60 mph in just four seconds, according to BMW, and it has more than enough power for a brisk launch from the stoplight. Its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 churns out 567 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. The X5 M also comes with an upgraded front and rear suspension, a self-leveling air suspension and Launch Control, all of which help the svelte SUV to turn corners in a way that no one would expect from a vehicle wearing this much bling.
The X5 M’s standard driver-assistance features include high-performance antilock brakes, stability and traction control, hill descent control and a pair of front-seat side airbags. An optional Driver Assistance Plus package adds active blind-spot monitoring, a top-view camera system, lane departure warning, speed limit information and pedestrian detection.
The X5 M is the sportiest version of the X5, which itself offers a choice between rear-wheel drive (sDrive35i) and BMW’s all-wheel drive 4x4 system (xDrive50i). Aside from the powertrain, the X5 M shares the same gubbins as the rest of the lineup, including an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, voice recognition, smartphone integration and four-zone automatic climate control. The X5 M also has 18-way-adjustable front sport seats, leather trim and a power-operated tailgate.
