SPYSHOTS: Next BMW X5 M spotted winter testing

Here’s another sighting of the next-generation BMW X5, this time in full-blown M guise, and in the frigid surroundings of Sweden for cold-weather testing. The upcoming X5 will be underpinned by the BMW Group’s CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform, which also serves as the basis for upcoming models such as the BMW X7 and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

This particular model will be the sportiest of the Group’s SUV lot, with its clear performance slant given its M division roots. Starting from the front, tell-tale bodywork comprises air inlets in the front bumper which are larger than on the test mule for the regular model, flanked by pumped-up wheel arches compared to the regular X5.

These house larger wheel-and-tyre sets, which in turn are home to M-specific brake kits. Though details are yet to surface, complementing the rolling stock will be a set of X5 M-specific suspension settings in order to make the best use of its contact patches – handy when chasing the all-important Nordschleife lap time, even if it may be a family car in this case. Quad tailpipes round off the performance intent of the X5 M.

Propulsion for all that mass can be expected to come from the 4.4 litre biturbo petrol V8 which currently serves in the F90 M5. In the super-sedan, the mill produces 600 hp from 5,600 to 6,700 rpm and 750 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 5,600 rpm, but these could be tweaked for use in the SUV.

When the G05-generation X5 arrives (tipped to be at the end of 2018), it could be supplemented with an M Performance model in the mould of the M550i xDrive as a performance stop-gap before the full-on X5 M arrives.

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