BMW X5M

A corner - that's all it takes. By the time you brake, turn and start on the accelerator, you realize that BMW X5 M is in fact not much cop. Oh dear.

It should not be that way. BMW M have rarely been disappointing in the past because they have always had a purity of accent - it makes you feel alive. James May would talk about his sparkling.

In the X5, there are simple laws of physics that prevent joy - for starters, it weighs about 2.4 tons. You can adjust the suspension and engine all you want, but there is away from its huge mass in the corner. Worse than that is simply not sharp enough, and does not react to the inputs on your way to a M car should. Driving a Porsche Cayenne in the same corner, and you can feel the Porsche DNA - which is like a sports car. The Cayenne is shrinking around him.

This does not happen in the X5 M. The steering is heavy and accurate, but also away from wool, and the quality of the relationship between you and the front wheels is poor. There is only minimal information. Yes, the X5 M is perfectly competent and do not feel like you're going to spit on the nearest cover, but no pleasure. There is a surprising lack of drama in the whole experience.

In addition, there is no liquid suspension. The tour looks all the time, even when you flip through the electronic records on a soft setting.

You can not fault the engine, however. On a straight road, which bi-turbo 4.4-liter V8 a great job of hiding the X5 is the waistline. The 547bhp propels you to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds, and there is a slug of the pressure dependence of torque from 1500 rpm - no turbo lag here. But what is even more impressive is the way it turns so easily. Drop it in the hand, and the needle whips around the red line as fast as you struggle to pull the paddle to second gear before hitting the limiter. Of course, it might be more noisy, but this engine is where the M badge is beginning to assert itself.

When the M3 was released, the head of the M division has said he would never allow his company applies its magic to an SUV or a turbo. He thought it would dilute the spirit of the brand. The X5 M, two of these rules are broken - you suspect more because of "greed rather than engineers, accountants desire.

So I encourage a vote of protest. Do not buy this car, so hopefully we will never see his like.

Posted in: BMW X5M