BMW X5 M official video released

Totally agree with you Steve, especially regarding the 'focus' of M division.

And of course, we have had M SUV's but they were not branded M. Now, this move, in my view, will definitely help sell these 2-ton monsters a lot but will probably degrade the brand image of the M-division and eventually harm sales of real M-cars. For M3 money you can get a new cayman S (promising, right Richard?) and maybe the fact that I think M is loosing it's focus will be enough to turn my attention to a cayman...

No matter how good it may be (and certainly is) I think it's wrong to use the M-brand, it's against the core values of M.

Please M, make a true R8 competitor and prove us wrong. We'll forgive you the X6 M if you say it was just a way to raise money for developing the R8 competitor!

The rumour doing the rounds a few months ago was that BMW M GmbH shelved the E92 M3 CSL in favour of these two SUVs, but I find that a little difficult to believe.

An E92 CSL would most likely sell at least as many units as the E46 CSL, which would mean around 1000-2000 cars. BMW expect to sell as many X5M/X6M as M5s (which aren't exactly driving out of the showrooms by themselves), so that's still a pretty small niche. I expect it would cost BMW more to engineer an X5 to handle 550bhp than it would take for an M3 to cope with 470bhp, so that would favour engineering a model that they know (known costs, known demand) rather than verging into the unknown. I suspect BMW had/have other plans for a proper sporting model that they're keeping quiet (either M3-based or aimed at the R8/911).

Anyway, back to this X5M. I used to own an AMG ML63 and still miss it, and despite common sense telling me that my X6 35d is more than sufficient, I'd be easily tempted back into the uber-SUV fold.

But rather than ask whether BMW should build a high-performance SUV (why not? Porsche and AMG already do), perhaps the key question should be whether it should occupy the time and attention of M GmbH?

The previous X5 4.6is and 4.8is were M-sport models if not fully-fledged M-models themselves, given that they were fitted with Alpina tuned V8 engines and featured most of the 'M' embellishments such as bigger brakes, grey instrument dials with warm up lights and a redesigned suspension. So we've had these unofficial M-versions of the X5 since 2003.

Maybe we're more concerned that BMW have taken their eyes off the ball. I had put my name down for an E92 M3 CSL, but that's not coming any time soon, so what is the mainstream M-enthusiast to buy these days, apart from the brilliant M3 or slow-selling M5/M6?

That's where I have an issue with this X5M, it's an interesting option but BMW should be focusing their attention on providing a suitable alternative in the R8 and Cayman model sectors or at the very least giving us an 'ultimate' M3 that lifts the brand for the everyday models.

Building ultimate-SUVs seems akin to fiddling whilst Rome burns.

Some further images of a red X6 M courtesy of Leftlanenews..

[img]http://photos.leftlanenews.com/photos/imageresizeronfly/phpThumb.php?src=/photos/content/november2008/blue-bmw-x6m-3.jpg&w=1024[/img]

[img]http://photos.leftlanenews.com/photos/imageresizeronfly/phpThumb.php?src=/photos/content/november2008/bmw-x6m.jpg[/img]

The key to the engine mystery is surely answered by the rev-counter shot -the calibrations don't go high enough for the V10, because it needs a 9k rev-counter!!

I'm sure this will be an impressive machine, but I can't help but think that BMWM could be developing machines that better demonstrate the company's core abilities.