I am anxiously awaiting this top of the range iS model. Any idea when it will be unveiled?

Yeah, when is the X5 beast coming?

BMW is working flat-out to prep its new X5 performance flagship – expected to debut at the Geneva motor show early in 2009 – which borrows the X6’s muscular 408bhp twin-turbo V8 for a 155mph punch. It’s a step closer to the full-blown Motorsport X5 that BMW had vowed it would never build.

While there’s nothing exactly sluggish about the current topdog X5 – the 4.8i is powered by a 355bhp 4.8-litre V8 that will rocket the BMW to 60mph in 6.5 seconds and on to 152mph – the addition of the X6’s blown 4.4-litre V8 to the range will make the X5 as quick as a Porsche Cayman S. Expect it to hit 60mph in just 5.5 seconds and be electronically reined in at 155mph. That’s pretty brisk for an thick-ankled off-roader that weighs the wrong side of two tonnes...

Hmm…I'm thinking about the fuel bills in this BMW X5

Well, with an estimated price tag nudging £60,000 it seems unlikely that most buyers will be concerned with a car that barely manages 23mpg on the combined cycle and has a CO2 posting of around 300g/km.

You’ll be able to spot it when it looms in your mirrors though – like the X6, the hottest X5 will have a revised nose housing much larger air intakes to feed the blown engine, as well as a more profiled bonnet. It will, in short, look like a right beast. Expect the suspension and brakes to undergo the necessary upgrades, too.


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M

Spy Shots: BMW X5 xDrive50i
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Currently sitting atop BMW’s X5 range is the 4.8is but if these latest spy shots are anything to go by there may be a new top dog in the X5 lineup - just don’t call it an M car. A performance SUV doesn’t suit the M philosophy of increased performance through reduced weight, but demand for a more powerful version of the X5 will see BMW introduce a new twin-turbo V8 model.

These latest spy shots show the car’s new front cowling, revealing much larger intakes than any previous X5 model plus a slightly revised grille.
After witnessing Porsche and AMG rack up thousands of sales with their respective Cayenne and ML models, BMW is now primed to launch its own high-performance version of the X5 SUV. We now have images of a prototype version with its engine bay completely revealed.
According to the photographer the engine featured a pair of turbochargers, which suggests this prototype is powered by BMW’s new 4.4L V8 twin-turbo engine developing maximum output of 400hp (298kW) from 5,500-6,400 rpm and 450lb-ft (600Nm) of torque between 1,800-4,500rpm.
Though no final name has been confirmed, the new SUV will probably be called the xDrive50i like the new X6 range topper. Expect similar performance with 0-60mph times of 5.3 seconds and en electronically limited top speed of 155mph.
BMW X5 xDrive50i spy shots June 08
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I heard that the V8 TT in X5 is tuned differently and HP is little higher than X6 XDrive50i.

I doubt X5 with same engine is getting more power than X6.
X6 is BMw sportiest SUV. And why would X5 get more power, makes no sense?

There is also probably an X6 IS with the same or even more power coming.

It is amazing how deep the V8 sits inside the engine bay.



BTW looks like that is an RS6 behind the X5.

Oooh Fep!!!!

how does a top range suv fit into the effiecientdynamics philosophie ?

Efficiency dynamics isn't a philosophy but really just a marketing term for a bunch of technological features conserving energy in BMW's latest cars, such as stop-n-go and brake regeneration. It's has zero to do with their cars being fuel efficient like a Smart or having a high efficiency in getting all the engine power to the ground. Therefor I advise you not to eat too much into the phrase since it doesn't mean too much in the real world.