- Auto123 tests the new 2024 BMW X5M on the race track.
Vancouver, BC – Continuity in change, we know that at BMW. The Bavarian brand began as a manufacturer of roadsters and sports cars and later moved into the development of high-performance sedans and finally high-performance SUVs. Today we are moving towards electromobility.
Throughout this evolution, the company has maintained this spirit of performance across most of its product ranges. Well, we can’t praise the acceleration and handling capabilities of the i3 EV (now discontinued), but you don’t have to look far at a BMW dealer to find something fast and fun. Amusing.
The X5M Competition isn’t so much fast and fun as it is insane.
Here are the facts and figures: The SUV is equipped with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 (each turbo has two coils) and a 48-volt mild hybrid system with a built-in starter/gear generator, which results in a weight of 147 lb-ft of torque, all together resulting in 617 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Then yes. Insane. The 8-speed automatic with electronic slip limitation and the all-wheel drive have all been tuned by M, and there is also sports steering and adaptive M dampers on all four corners.
Photo: D. Heyman
The new BMW X5M 2024
Design of the BMW X5M Competition 2024
The model’s design has been updated for 2024 – it is an “LCI”, a mid-cycle refresh in BMW parlance. The front fascia is more aggressive, with a blacked out grille that works very well, new rims and improved aerodynamics.
The SUV looks really great, especially in Isle of Man Green Metallic with black rims (21 inches at the front and 22 inches at the rear).
Although this was a track test, what is important to most buyers is that the aerodynamic changes translate into improved fuel economy. But hey, we definitely noticed a reduction in lift in the long, fast corners and elevation changes at Area 27 Motorsports Park, where we put the X5M and other BMWs to the test.
Photo: D. Heyman
The interior of the 2024 BMW X5M
Interior of the 2024 BMW X5M Competition
Inside, the update brings a curved screen with new graphics and the latest iDrive system, now in its eighth generation and faster than ever with all sorts of online functions, live updates and so on. For the rest, we find M sports seats with illuminated M logos on the headrests, premium leather with diamond inserts, a Bowers & Wilkins audio system that sounds (and looks) great, lots of carbon fiber and the thick steering wheel with two red “M”s. Buttons to activate your personalized driving settings.
It’s also a fantastic place to spend time. No matter how good it has become, the X5M will still be a very good long-distance vehicle.
Photo: D. Heyman
BMW X5M 2024 green
Drive the BMW X5M Competition 2024 – on the racetrack
Comfort-oriented settings quickly gave way to sport settings for steering, brakes, suspension and drivetrain.
The Area 27 Tour is nestled among the beautiful rolling vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in central British Columbia. The course is designed to adapt to this terrain, meaning lots of elevation changes and blind crests that challenge both driver and car. In these conditions you can really see what a car can do. Changes in height can disrupt a car by turning it in all directions and destabilizing a chassis that is not up to par.
With the X5M I wasn’t too worried about this. In addition to the above new elements, the chassis has been strengthened to improve handling and body control. You can feel it as soon as you start driving.
Unsurprisingly, the available power hits like a sledgehammer, but the shock absorbers are tuned to minimize sag under acceleration, allowing the big 295cc Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires to sink smoothly into the track’s surface and Get you on the first straight. They grab from 0-100km/h in around 3.7 seconds in a desperate attempt to keep up with the large, responsive carbon paddle shifters, accompanied by a howl worthy of a GT race car from the four exhaust outlets sounds. Whoever said a turbo engine would never sound right hasn’t driven a car like this.
Photo: D. Heyman
BMW X5M 2024 wheel
At this speed we quickly reach the end of this first straight of Area 27 and a very tight right-hand bend awaits us. This part of the route is quickly covered, but in terms of elevation changes, it is one of the quieter parts of the route, allowing you to better appreciate what the vehicle is doing around you.
The corners are mastered in a sporty manner and although, as with many other BMWs (and as with modern sports cars and sedans in general), I would have liked a little more feeling in the large steering wheel, you quickly learn to trust the response of the front axle.
What I didn’t expect, however, is that this large SUV’s curb weight of around 5,500 pounds is felt very quickly once you start throwing it into the corners. This feeling intensifies as you approach the most difficult corners on the track. It’s not that it makes you understeer and drive you into oblivion, but I had recently driven the M8 coupe and was expecting the X5M to feel more like a slightly higher-end model of that car.
Photo: D. Heyman
BMW X5M 2024 logo
Still, the X5M’s brakes are phenomenal, both in terms of feel and stopping power, and the all-wheel drive means you can control things with the throttle if you feel the need. Of course, on the racetrack this is not an option, but a necessity.
So the X5M is really, really fast. We can criticize its behavior in the corners of the racetrack, but let’s be honest: even if BMW would have us believe that X5M Competition owners take their SUV to the racetrack, it’s not really designed for that.
Essentially a Porsche Cayenne GT. We agree that the 1% of X5M owners who drive on circuits might have been better off purchasing something more track focused that they could tow there with their X5M to suit their needs to satisfy. But the majority will like the X5M for its looks, performance, interior and finish.
Strong points
- Inexhaustible power
- Very pretty looking
- First-class interior design, workmanship and equipment
- Good value for money
Photo: D. Heyman
Preview of the new BMW X5M 2024
The participants of the BMW X5M Competition 2024
Audi RS Q8
Cadillac Escalade V-Series
Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 63 S
Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT