haha this was just an one-off Lemans X5 built to see if the X5 could handle the Lemans V12 700 hp engine. Guess it passed with flying colors. According to BMW there's just no way they're going to mass produce this thing. We'll just have to be content with the next best thing, their upcoming X5 4.6is.
I view this whole SUV thing as silly, and a M-version of the X5 is even more absurd! What is the point of a SUV that goes fast in a straight line, when even a modest turn at speed will cause it to roll over?
Around where I live, I have not seen a SINGLE SUV with dents on the side from off-road use. Not one. Every single SUV driver around here is a poseur. They pretend to be "outdoor/active" types, when in reality they're just minivan drivers jacked up about another foot off the ground for no good reason (not wanting to look like their parents).
When I was at the M5 school in Greer, Had a great dinner and conversation with a gentleman by the name of Joseph Craig. Turns out he works at BMW AG, and has an office next to Chris Bangle. He also was in the back seat of that very vehicle with Hans Stuck driving, a journalist and another getleman during the very scary ride around the Nurburgring in the rain that most car and enthusiast magazines recently wrote about. He's a very cool,has a great sense of humor, and is genuinely excited about the company, the BMW products to come and his job. The conversation with him was one of the highlights of my trip.
In fact, what we will see is the beefed up X5 with 342 hp called X5 HP ( for high performance). This car will according to insiders dethrone the ML 55 as the fastest SUV on the planet. The car goes on sale either this fall or next Spring in the US, at around $65k.
Originally posted by Rezf: This car will according to insiders dethrone the ML 55 as the fastest SUV on the planet.
Having the "fastest SUV on the planet" is just as useless as having "the largest toilet bowl on the planet."
I understand that a company should do anything possible to make money, and if there are fools who want a ML55 or M//X5, yes, one should take their money. But this SUV thing is getting really embarassing! It's bad enough to see a SUV without a dent on the side, but now to see them rocket-powered.... *Sigh*.
THe official name is actually slated to be called the X5 4.6is. However X5 HP will be the name given for the English market in the UK. X5 4.6is also applies to all the rest of Europe too from what I have been told.
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