While more and more sporty cars are being killed in the smaller segments due to taxes and CO2 requirements, it is not possible in the thickest class. Buyers don’t look at a ton more or less and nowadays prefer SUVs to fat limos. The result is the power SUV, a concept less illogical than it once was.
The days when such thick mastodons were a curious phenomenon are long gone. We laughed at the BMW X6 and then other brands copied the concept of the SUV coupé because of its success. We spoke to shame of the X6 M and now the big German three stick their tuning label on every SUV they have. Credit where credit is due: Mercedes was there before, with models such as the G65 and ML55 AMG. However, AMG was less of a motorsport label than BMW M, which made the X6 M feel more sacrilegious at the time. However, the sales figures proved wrong for all the naive old-time-everything-better-dreamers, who would most like to see BMW go back to building only the 3, 5 and 7 series. There are still people with so much money that they don’t really care how expensive a car is. They check all options and just swipe the platinum card. However, they do want an SUV: nice and spacious, nice and luxurious and you have some overview too. As a car manufacturer you would be crazy to offer a ‘normal’ V8 or V6 for one and a half tons as a top model if you can get started with your in-house tuning label and catch a ton more. Each option package with thick wheels or carbon body parts is good for an extra ten grand and the margins are high. In the meantime, the question is whether it is all appearances or whether the cars in question actually live up to the reputation of those expensive sports logos: time for a test.
Gigantic
BMW soon discovered in this segment that it can always be bigger and thicker. An ordinary X5 or X6 is not enough, so there was an M: a big V8 with turbos in it and just bang. The model originally has 600 horsepower, but if you tick the Competition pack – and why not for just a relatively modest amount extra – you get 625 horsepower. Our test model is such a Competition. Unlike the Competition pack on the M3 and M4, this pack has no further chassis changes. In addition to the power gain, you get a sports exhaust, larger wheels, beautiful leather upholstery and a whole zipper of logos and stitching, so that everyone knows that it is a Competition. Speaking of big wheels, the 21-inch wheels at the front and 22-inch wheels at the rear are gigantic. The rear tires are a cheerful 31.5 cm wide, so you never have problems with traction or with braking. The BMW should be able to sprint to 100 km / h in less than 4 seconds, but we couldn’t. Part of the blame for that lies with us, because we couldn’t get the launch control to work. The 4.4-liter V8 reaches its maximum torque quite quickly, but still has a reasonably high-revving character. The transmission switches on quietly in Comfort mode, but if you put everything on edge, it responds well to the pinball commands. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down and dive into the car’s M menu, where you can determine all settings: chassis, steering, throttle response, four-wheel drive power distribution, ESP modes and more. There are two or even three positions for everything, so that you can combine endlessly, until you reach a maximum of two personal positions, which you can assign to the two M-paddles on the wheel. Oh, but wait, in the meantime you also have different positions of the counters in front of you and the machine has three positions of speed. It makes me dizzy and it also feels like overkill. Take Porsche or Ferrari for example: Normal / Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus and one individual position. You really don’t need more.
Chic lounge
Apart from the complicated operation, the BMW looks fabulously beautiful on the inside. Naturally, the interior is sprinkled with leather, carbon, aluminum and Alcantara, while the interior of the car looks even more pleasant due to the layout of the cockpit. It looks like a chic lounge. The brand was behind Mercedes and Audi for a while, but it has been caught up with this. Especially the 3D effect in the doors with the leather and the speakers looks super cool. The ergonomics in the BMW (apart from the M-positions) are also superb. There is still an iDrive button, but the multimedia screen is also a touchscreen.
The BMW is almost five meters long. As a result, rear passengers sit like royalty; both head and legs have plenty of room. The sofas are also nicely designed and of course there are plenty of multimedia options to entertain people. In the luggage compartment there is enough space for all luxury suitcases, with the X5 offering plenty of space with both the seats up and the seats down. It also has a new decadent option: the holder of the parcel shelf / cover disappears electrically in the bottom of the cargo floor on command. You can never forget it in your garage.
If you do indeed load the car before the rubbish dump, make sure you have secured everything properly, because, my goodness, you can shoot with this container. We have already talked about the sprint straight ahead, but the cornering is what really impresses. Certainly in the beginning it feels a bit uncomfortable, because you are quite high. It just feels very unnatural as soon as you turn in while sitting on the box and have the idea that the car is going to topple over, while the shock absorbers keep the juggernaut pressed against the asphalt. Despite the crushing torque of 750 Nm, the four wide tires can put everything on the asphalt, so you never have traction problems. The steering is very seeker around the middle position, which causes a nervous driving behavior with the wide and sometimes twisting rubber. A small correction and the nose reacts, after which 2,300 kilos of carriage must follow. Obviously it’s all meant more for the limit than everyday use, as there’s a real BMW vibe to it if you dare to let go. If you wish, with the ESP in looser positions, most of the power can be sent to the rear, after which the X5 will not be afraid to surprise you with a dot of oversteer. Good to get the dynamics out in the most literal sense of the word, but just a little less fun than in an M2 or M4. It is a lot of cars that run with you, while you have the feeling that you are as high up as a stagecoach driver.
When it comes to options, you can really go crazy with this car as you want, especially with all the individual flavor options you can throw in. In any case, taste will be the most important factor in this segment to determine whether you are going to shop at this brand or look at a competitor. In the domain of the power SUV, there is now almost more choice than in the A segment. It says something about the priorities in the car country.