REVIEW

We love the latest BMW X5, it’s a classy, well built SUV that has the most restrained of the new big grilles seen on the 7-Series, X6 and X7, combined with subtly evolved styling and just enough sporting intention to make it interesting. However, the majority of X5s you see have a 3.0 litre diesel engine under the bonnet which is a little…. dull. Thankfully though, BMW has their M-Performance section which adds a little M/// flavour to their standard range, and it is that section which now gives us this, the X5 M50i. With a few satin pale gold touches to the exterior (they look better than they sound), along with a more aggressive front bumper, bigger wheels and more pronounced tailpipes it stands out from the rest of the range without shouting about it, which is good as it packs a real punch and we like subtle cars here. You see under that bonnet lies a 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 producing a mammoth 523bhp and 750Nm of torque – seriously big numbers and enough to propel even an SUV of this size to 62mph in just 4.3 seconds. And thankfully BMW has left enough of that delicious V8 soundtrack to be heard as well, so you can still tell this isn’t a diesel burning lump when you floor it.