BMW X5

Had you heard that the BMW M3 CSL is being canned – in favour of faster 4x4s? BMW’s M Division is lending a hand to develop high-performance X5 and X6 models and our spies have snapped the go-faster X6 hot weather testing in the US and the hot X5 pounding the Nurburgring in Germany.


Both SUVs are expected to use a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, tweaked to over 460bhp, and cost at least £60,000. It's not clear at this stage how the cars will be badged, not least because of the MX-5 and MX-6 trademarks owned by Mazda.
How will the M Division differentiate the tuned X5 and X5 from its regular 4x4s?

With even more obnoxious styling. Check out the front bumper of the X6 – despite being clad in black tape and wire mesh you can see the deeper central air intake. Flanking it are two gaping grilles that appear to do without foglights (as every M car does), while a discreet splitter runs the width of the bumper. But we hope those white dots don’t hide LED lights – they’re fast becoming the latest annoying must-have.