Bucket Seat: BMW X5 M & X6 M

When BMW makes a car and puts their legendary M badge on it, one expects a fast, sleek, saloon but they changed the game in 2009 when they, for the first time launched two all wheel drive vehicles from their stable with the prestigious badge on it. The X5 M and X6 M was coming as the German manufacturer needed to answer their competitors with a top of the range sports model for their bigger SUV's. While some might argue, the bigger engined X5/6 such as the one I test driven a while back is more than adequate to compete with those, one just feels they lack that flare and aggression needed to represent BMW on that level. 

Last week saw BMW released the latest versions of these beasts, powered by a 4.4ltr V8 Twin Scroll turbo engine that has a maximum output of 423kW between 6000rpm and 6500rpm. It's a brand new engine by them which boasts a 4 percent increase in performance from the previous one and punches a mighty 750Nm or torque! That is an insane amount of power, one could get whiplash from a standing start. Speaking of which, both these cars have a 0-100km claimed time of 4.2 seconds, that would put most cars to shame. While performance upgrades are good, it's also good to note hat they have made the engines more environmentally friendly, as the C02 emissions have been cut by 20 percent from the previous models. 

The other thing about M cars, is not only do they go fast but they look fast even when standing still. BMW have done a great job with the M Package on these vehicles, it's hard to make a big robust SUV look sporty but my do they look menacing! The interior is very similar to the normal X5 and X6 with some added detail to make the M models stand out more, the gear shift lever has a slight redesign as well. 

Over all they look well impressive on paper and in the metal, how they perform on the road? Well I bet they're great but I'll reserve my comments until I have driven one for the week.