New car news

06 April 2009 - 10:00

BMW's 408kW X6 M for Oz

Like it or not, it was always going to happen: BMW has given its X6 and X5 SUV-things the M-division treatment to create the X6 M and X5 M.

If you're currently attempting to remove your eyeballs from your head with the aid of a vacuum cleaner and screaming ‘why, why for the love of God', you're not alone. But you can't help but admire BMW's sheer chutzpah in unveiling a pair of 408kW beasts on to the world. Especially a pair of 408kW beasts that look like this.

Yes, 408kW. Twice. That's courtesy of a twin-turbocharged version of the X6's 4.4-litre V8, which also puts out a whopping 678Nm from 1,500rpm to 5,650rpm.

BMW Australia has confirmed that the X6 M will be sold here starting in the final quarter of this year. No plans though to introduce the X5 M. Expect to pay a hefty premium above the regular X6. 

All that lovely power and torque will hustle the X6M to 100km/h in - ready for this? - just 4.7 seconds, making it as quick as the current M3 Coupe. That's seriously, seriously quick. Oh, and BMW has hinted that the cX6 M should be able to get sideways in the right conditions. Are the conditions ever truly right for getting a two-tonne SUV sideways?

Top speed is limited to 250km/h, but opting for the ‘M' driver's package destricts the the X6 M to a more generous 275km/h... at which speed you won't be likely to get near the quoted economy of 13.9L/100km, a figure that in any case seems way too thrifty to be treated seriously.

We won't dwell too long on the, er, striking visuals (feel free to add your forthright opinion in the comment boxes below) - save to point out the gills on the front wings and the quad exhausts round the back. In the cabin there's plenty of leather and M-branding, though sadly there's no factory option to remove the rear seats and replace them with a full roll cage.

Just one question: why couldn't they call them the MX5 and MX6? Oh...