Competition spec

The brand new BMW X5 M Competition takes an otherwise luxurious, practical SUV and transforms it into a 2-tonne missile that can go from a standstill to 100kmph in under 4 seconds. We tell you what it is like behind the wheel of BMW’s most potent SUV

- Dipayan Dutta

Supercars are awe-inspiring. In the pages of a magazine set against an exotic background, it’s hard not to want to be in the driver’s seat of a supercar. The reality though is quite a stark contrast. Supercars are ridiculously impractical, expensive to own, uncomfortable, finicky to repair and in most cases are only a good idea if money for you is an infinite resource. Most supercar owners need to be followed around in their Range Rover/ Toyota Fortuner back up vehicles and that just seems redundant. At this juncture, a case presents itself for the super SUV, the practicality of an SUV, strapped on to the back of a supercar. Cars like this X5 M Competition that combine the practicality of something as practical as a BMW X5, with the mental performance of a sports car. With 625bhp on tap, 25 more than the standard X5 M, the Competition is the fastest BMW SUV on the planet!

In the flesh, the X5 M Competition is understated, that is, aside from the bright red paint scheme that screams supercar sleeper. The glossy blacked-out grille with M-badging and double bars set the M-version apart and add to the sporty appeal. The bumpers have been redone as well, that add a sharper, more muscular look to X5 M Competition. In profile, the X5 M gets a pair of custom double-arm ORVMs that are supposed to add to the aerodynamics of big M, but look incredible anyway. M-specific alloy wheels are some of the best I’ve ever seen on an SUV to date, and they’re wrapped on staggered wheels with 21-inch wheels on the front and 22-inch wheels at the back. At the back it’s more or less carried forward from the X5 but gets the additional twin exhaust pipes and a roof-mounted spoiler.