subject: Bmw X5 M high performance [print this page] Bmw X5 M high performance Bmw X5 M high performance
BMW has dabbled with high-performance X5s before (it all started with the 2002 X5 4.6is), but this is the first time that the crossover SUV has received an official M treatment. As with other M cars, the X5 M gets an exclusive engine (shared with the mechanically identical X6 M), this time a twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V8 that develops a massive 555 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque. Notably, this is 5 more hp than the gonzo Porsche Cayenne Turbo S puts out. A sprint between the two is likely to be a wash -- no small accomplishment for the X5 M given that it costs about $40,000 less.
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Bmw X5 M
Also on tap are a number of modifications to make the X5 M handle more like a sport sedan. Standard 20-inch performance tires and a special sport-tuned suspension with adaptive dampers certainly help, but then, a number of crossovers have such features these days. The X5 M's trump card here is what BMW calls "Dynamic Performance Control" (DPC), a sophisticated torque distribution system that works in conjunction with all-wheel drive to send power wherever it's needed most. In hard cornering, for example, the outer wheels receive more power, which counteracts speed-sapping understeer.
M Sports Automatic with electronic gear selector lever and shift paddles on the steering wheel.
Featured for the first time on a BMW M Model, the six-speed automatic transmission enhances the high-performance character of the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M through its spontaneous gearshift, direct connection to the engine, and the high standard of shift comfort. The new M Sports Automatic is controlled by an electronic gear selector lever on the centre console and offers the driver not only the D Mode, but also an S and M Mode for an even more sporting gearshift. Aluminium gearshift paddles on the steering wheel exclusive to BMW M allow a manual gearshift significantly shortening gearshift times by the new technology reducing torque in the transmission through the deactivation of individual cylinders.
This significantly enhances the sporting character of the car, the gear in mesh being held in position in the M Mode up to maximum engine speed in order to give the driver optimum control of his vehicle also under the most dynamic driving conditions. In other words, the transmission does not shift up automatically at a certain engine speed in this mode.
