BMW has officially expanded its M division from just cars to include it’s SUVs. The New York Auto Show marks the world debut of the X5 M and X6 M, and in typical M fashion, the high riders get much more power than their standard siblings.
Both vehicles get uprated versions of the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that was first dropped into the X6 last year. Power boosts upward from 400 hp up to 555 hp in M form with torque swelling from 450 to 500 lb-ft. While the increase in torque doesn’t seem like all that much, BMW claims it’s produced from 1,500 all the way to 5,650 rpm.
The 4.4-litre V8 utilises direct injection and like other such engines with turbos, torque is huge. Like the standard version of the V8, the M variant has the intakes on the outside of the cylinder heads with the exhaust and twin turbos planted in the valley between the banks. This new version sports a revised exhaust manifold that combines the flow from both banks into the duo of twin scroll turbochargers.
BMW M engineers have also reworked the full drivetrain and chassis, with the addition of the new M-specific adaptive suspension, an uprated intelligent xDrive AWD system, and newly-developed Servotronic power steering.
Also featured for the first time on an M model is a six-speed automatic transmission, which for the X5 M and X6 M also comes with an electronic selector on the center console and offers three different driving modes — Drive, Sport and M Manual modes for absolute control of gear selection.
Check back as we bring you more updates from the New York Auto Show.
Gallery
BMW has officially expanded its M division from just cars to include it’s SUVs. The New York Auto Show marks the world debut of the X5 M and X6 M, and in typical M fashion, the high riders get much more power than their standard siblings.
Both vehicles get uprated versions of the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that was first dropped into the X6 last year. Power boosts upward from 400 hp up to 555 hp in M form with torque swelling from 450 to 500 lb-ft. While the increase in torque doesn’t seem like all that much, BMW claims it’s produced from 1,500 all the way to 5,650 rpm.
The 4.4-litre V8 utilises direct injection and like other such engines with turbos, torque is huge. Like the standard version of the V8, the M variant has the intakes on the outside of the cylinder heads with the exhaust and twin turbos planted in the valley between the banks. This new version sports a revised exhaust manifold that combines the flow from both banks into the duo of twin scroll turbochargers.
BMW M engineers have also reworked the full drivetrain and chassis, with the addition of the new M-specific adaptive suspension, an uprated intelligent xDrive AWD system, and newly-developed Servotronic power steering.
Also featured for the first time on an M model is a six-speed automatic transmission, which for the X5 M and X6 M also comes with an electronic selector on the center console and offers three different driving modes — Drive, Sport and M Manual modes for absolute control of gear selection.
Check back as we bring you more updates from the New York Auto Show.
Gallery
