The 2011 BMW M5 has been caught on video doing its thing around the 'Ring, and by "doing its thing" we really mean shredding the life out of the rear tires. Judging from the quick video, the massive sedan seems to have no problem hustling through the banked curves of every automaker's favorite test track.
BMW has kept its lips sealed when it comes to what exactly is under the hood of the next-generation M5 or when the lowly public will be able to get their greedy paws on the finished product. Rumor has it the German automaker has ditched the big, naturally-aspirated V10 we all know and love in favor of the same twin-turbocharged V8 found at the heart of X5 M and X6 M. If true, that means the car is packing somewhere around 578 horsepower in its arsenal.
As for when we'll finally see this big beastie without its psychedelic camouflage, your guess is as good as ours. In the mean time, hit the jump to see the uber sedan tackle the 'Ring.
We'll come clean. Collectively, we spend an unexpected amount time repeating the following sentence, "As much as I know I shouldn't, I love the BMW X6. I know it's wrong, I know. But it's just a great car." But you know what makes less sense than the X6? The X6 M. That car's stone cold crazy. Therefore we like it even more than the regular flavor SAC (Sports Activity Coupe). Have you met our friend Hamann?
For the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Hamann brought along its new Tycoon EVO M. And... it's quite bonkers.The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 has been pumped up to the tune of 670 horsepower and 576 pound-feet of torque. For comparison's sake, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce's mighty 6.5-liter V12 produces 670 hp – exactly the same amount as the Hamann Tycoon EVO M. Crazy, no? Oh, also, the mightiest ever Lambo makes 89 lb-ft of torque less than this mental patient Hamann.
Then there's the little matter of the carbon fiber. Look, we're all for saving precious pounds but keep it real for a minute. Before Hamann got their filthy mitts all over it, the X6 M weighed in at 5,324 pounds. Lord (and Hamann) only knows what it weighs now. And since we're keeping it real, shaving a few pounds off the front end of an over-powered beast like the Tycoon is killing a mouse with the 101st Airborne. In other words, the carbon fiber hood and splitter is nothing but blingy, look-at-me bunting. And since we're ragging on conspicuous displays of too much wealth, Tycoon? Really? That said, we've never seen 23-inch wheels look so perfectly at home.
Last year Hamann introduced the BMW X6-based Tycoon, and while the widebody kit gave the crossover a mean look, it was only backed up by a mere 360 horsepower from the twin-turbo inline-six. That horsepower deficiency will soon be resolved as Hamann plans to introduce the Tycoon Evo M at the Geneva Motor Show next week. Under the hood is the X6 M's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that only needs a high-flow exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU to reach 670 horsepower and 576 pound-feet of torque. Hamann claims that the extra 115 horsepower is good for a 4.2 second sprint to 62 mph and a top speed of 186 mph.
Along with the additional power, Hamann has also developed a revised widebody kit to fit the X6 M. The fenders have been widened 60mm, and LED running lights are now featured prominently on the front fascia. Additional upgrades include lightweight 23-inch forged wheels and aluminum and carbon fiber interior accessories.
We all know what the biggest problem with the BMW X6 M is, right? Not nearly enough power. Sure, 555 hp from a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 is 5 hp more potent than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, making the X6 M the most powerful production SUV on earth. Still, 600 hp is the new black, so a stock X6 M just ain't going to cut it. Thank heavens, then, for G-Power.
Meet the G-Power Typhoon. Thanks to 15% increased airflow to the intercoolers, G-Power was able to wrangle an additional 45 hp out of the Bimmer's motivator. Torque's up a bit, too. From 500 lb-ft to 516. G-Power claims the 0-62 mph dash is lowered to 4.5 seconds, too. One issue with that, however: Inside Line ripped off a 4.3 second 0-60 mph blast in a stock X6 M, meaning this here Typhoon should be three flavors of bonkers.
Then there's the matter of looks, always a sticking point when discussing modern Bimmers. Here's what we recommend. Go down to your friendly neighborhood BMW dealer with a folding chair. Locate an X6. Sit down in front of it and start staring. Meditate, let everything else you've ever known or thought about cars and car design melt out of your mind. This should take between five and seven hours. The salespeople won't mind -- honest. When you snap out of your trance with your doors of perception suddenly nailed open, the X6 will appear to you as it truly is -- pretty okay-looking.
The Ford SVT Raptor and the BMW X6 M are alike in that both vehicles represent the most extreme versions of their base forms. The Raptor, with its the triple-bypass Fox shocks and 35-inch tires, is a Baja-ready version of the F-150 right off the showroom floor. Meanwhile, the BMW X6 M is the 550-horsepower speed-demon version of the mild-mannered X6 luxury crossover. The two rides have little in common other than their extreme, top-tier positioning, yet 0-60 Magazine has found a way to put the two together for its Winter 2010 issue.
We don't know what the gang at 0-60 actually did with the Raptor and the X6 M, but the magazine has managed to slap together a teaser video to whet the palette. Hit the jump to watch 0-60 have a bit of fun with the X6 M and the SVT Raptor. And if you're not a big fan of the vid, you can simply sit back and enjoy the 1:21-minute excerpt of Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" that sets the aural backdrop to the onscreen mayhem.
Hardcore drag racers take their expensive hobby very seriously. Some drag owners cut into their 401k just to knock a couple tenths off of their quarter mile times, while others spend every possible spare moment of their lives holed up in a garage, perfecting their hot rod for just a few chances to take that magical run down the track. Keep that in mind, if you will, as we explain to you why the owner of an altered wheelbase 1963 Chevy II is angry over an apparently Photoshopped photo of its run against Car and Driver magazine's BMW X6 M.
Car and Driver took the 550 hp X6 M to Milan Dragway in Milan, MI as part of an article which featured the beastly Bimmer on the track, off-road, and at the dragway. One of the runs the X6 M took was against said Chevy, which reportedly runs the quarter mile in the high 9's, reaching a scorching 135 mph in the process. The X6 M is no pushover either, as it can hit a sports car like 12.8 seconds at 110 mph. At no time did CD claim that they bested the heavily modded Chevy (nor did they mention the hot rod at all), but what they did do was publish a photo of the Bimmer and the Bow Tie'd bandit battling nose to nose down the dragway. Actually, judging purely by the CD photo, it appears that the X6 M may even have a bit of an edge in the high horsepower battle.
After seeing the photo, the owner of the Chevy II is apparently hopping mad. "Rotten Johnny" on the H.A.M.B forums claims to be the owner of the dragster in question, and he was less than thrilled with what he called a Photoshopped pic that deceives the public.
"Alls I can say is the mag,editors and writers are LAIRS,CHEATERS and WANNA BE SCAMMERS. Bring that ol BMW out, title fer title and write an article bout that.I'll be driven around in a little red suv. No wonder the only time i see that mag is in the doctors office, makes me sick."
We can definitely see where Rotten Johnny would be upset over the photo (he says he was actually doing a burnout in the altered pic), but we can also see where it was necessary to bust out Photoshop to get both vehicles into a tight frame. After all, who wants to read a feature of the X6 M with a lead photo of a 1963 Chevy II with a spec of a BMW SUV off in the distance? Then again, was the image really necessary to support the story to begin with?
In any case, CD has issued a reply that includes a heaping helping of the sort of snark made famous by the mysterious "Ed." in the magazine's monthly reader mail section. To wit:
"John Phillips became so attached to the BMW X6M that it - appropriately enough - triggered many irrational responses. One of these was his insistence that we photoshop the BMW beating the clearly superior Chevy Nova. Any attempt to dissuade him - by telling him, for instance, that only an idiot would believe a BMW SUV could beat a purpose-built drag car - just resulted in heated calls to the suicide hotline and even more foaming at the mouth than usual."
Let us know what your thoughts on the matter are in 'Comments.' Hat tip to Justin E!
The teaser site's tag line reads, "M. Welcome to the next chapter." The now official X5 M and X6 M will certainly be something we've never read in the book of BMW high performance vehicles. Recent chapters have featured high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive cars like the M3, M5 and M6 as their main protagonist, but these new Ms will be big, weigh over 5,000 lbs apiece and use all-wheel drive. In addition to the new teaser site that rounds up all available info on the two newest Ms, BMW has released a first official teaser video in which the M division's Bernd Limmer reveals that the X5 M and X6 M will be powered by versions of the existing twin-turbo 4.4L V8, likely tuned to around 500 horsepower. Being an M car has always required more than just high horses, however, and we can expect the X vehicles to feature heavily tuned suspensions and all-wheel-drive systems with a rear bias for better handling. Throw in better brakes, bigger wheels and tires and subtly revised styling, and consider the next chapter of M read until the official reveal takes place in early April. Follow the jump to watch BMW's official teaser for the X5 M and X6 M.
You can see all sorts of things in Manhattan's boroughs, but camouflaged automaker mules aren't common. At least BMW's crazy whirl-filled disguise stands a chance of escaping notice in the hustle and bustle. GMInsideNews forum member GeneralMischief didn't walk by this extra-sinister X6 without realizing that something wicked is going on. Cameraphone shots of the exterior are all we have to go on at this point, but the conspicuous location of camo – on the front and rear fascias and on the front quarter panels - hints that an X6-M is in store.
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The CEO of BMW M GmbH, Ludwig Willisch, spilled his guts to Auto-Motor-und-Sport in a recent interview about the future of BMW's high-performance M division. The news was good, bad, and downright dumbfounding. For the good, Willish mentioned that future M-models will include high-revving turbocharged engines, and offer ceramic brakes. The bad news is that there will be no E91 M3 Touring, E92 M3 CSL, or M1 Concept. Apparently, BMW doesn't feel there is enough of a market to support those vehicles. The perplexing news is that BMW is currently working on M-versions of the X5 and X6 (apparently to answer a question that enthusiasts have yet to ask). While we cannot control the electrochemical signals being sent between neurons within BMW's think tank, we can continue to hope that BMW doesn't dilute the M-brand the way Mercedes-Benz has with AMG.
BMW has its own grammar rules. For instance, M and X cannot appear in the same car name. So while a BMW sport-ute/crossover (or whatever they want to call it) can for all intents and purposes be an M vehicle – that is, top-of-the-line sport model with all the go-fast components and power to spare – it can never wear the vaunted M badge. That is, for the most part, just semantics. BMW's solution for the 'Ring-running versions of its taller vehicles is to slap an S on there instead.
With those rules laid down, we bring you these spy shots of a BMW X6 M 5.0iS. While the name might have you thinking that BMW has shoehorned in the M division's highly praised 5-liter V10 to the X6, sources suggest otherwise: the same twin-turbo version of Munich's 4.4-liter V8 producing in excess of 500 hp is expected to feature in the next M5. Information indicates a release in about a year from now, complete with all the extra dressings you've come to expect from a performance-oriented Bimmer. You didn't think Bavaria would pass up the opportunity to create a high-performance version of the strangest segment-buster yet, did you? Certainly not when the opportunity to further confuse us with its nomenclature is just so tempting.
