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AUTO REVIEW
2021 BMW X5M

By Stephen Schutz, MD

In the 1950s and ‘60s sports cars with two doors like MGTDs, umm, an X5. That’s either good or bad depending on your point of
Porsche 911s, and muscle cars were all car enthusiasts wanted. Then view. If you want your neighbors to recognize instantly that you
in the ‘70s and ‘80s sports sedans such as the Mercedes 6.9, BMW spent $120,000 (and possibly more) on your hyper-SUV, then you’re
M5, and Saab 9000 turbo (remember that?) grabbed our attention. likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if understatement is
Now it’s SUVs. your thing, then you’ll like the X5M.
And why not? A Porsche Cayenne Turbo S can lap the Nurbur- There’s less understatement inside the X5M’s cabin where numer-
gring as quickly as the 1980s supercar Porsche 959, and a Lamborgh- ous M-badges and classic M blue and red accents serve as reminders
ini Urus SUV can do it even faster. The combination of that you own a special machine connected with such automotive
turbocharging, all-wheel drive, torque vectoring, and traction/sus- icons as the M1 supercar, E30 M3, and wish-I-had-one E34 M5. I
pension management software has resulted in the ability to make could do without the bold X5M badges on the seat backs (which
SUVs go really really fast. light up at night), but the two tone seating surfaces with diamond
Enter the 2021 BMW X5M, a hyper-SUV (I just made that up— stitching certainly look good.
give me credit if it catches on) which is pretty much an M5 sedan Of course, at this price point there needs to be luxury, and there's
with a higher center of gravity and more space (and weight). plenty of that. The interior materials are first rate, and there’s tech
Driving the X5M is surprisingly similar to being behind the wheel galore easily accessible via the rotary iDrive knob on the center con-
of the M5. Explosive acceleration accompanied by a raucous V8 sole. Rest assured, BMW makes sure buyers of the X5M will feel
soundtrack is what happens when you hit the gas. And be careful special when they drive it.
when you do that, not because you’re approaching the X5M’s lim- After close to 20 years of evolution the iDrive system is finally in-
its—they’re prodigious and much higher than yours—but because tuitive. Porsche and Audi have switched to touch screens, but they’re
just five or so seconds after you nail the throttle at 60mph you’ll be no better than this generation of iDrive.
going 120MPH. Like all M-vehicles, the X5M can be had as the “base” model or
Despite a curb weight of 5425lbs (!), the X5M can handle almost the X5M Competition. For an extra $12,000, choosing the Com-
as well as its M5 brother because of the aforementioned tech-en- petition version gets you 17 additional HP (for a total of 617, which
abled advancements. Cornering is neutral at any speed (at least any is probably closer to 700 since BMW famously understates their
sane speed), and the big Bimmer is very stable on the highway as power figures), blacked out badging and trim, and other enhance-
well. And thanks to a wide track and lowered suspension, the X5M ments. Frankly, the standard X5M is all you need (actually the non-
isn’t “tippy”. M X5 50i is plenty fast), but if you want bragging rights and paying
Nevertheless, that tuned suspension combined with bigger diam- rock bottom prices isn’t that important to you, the X5M Competi-
eter wheels and low profile performance tires give the X5M a tion is quite satisfactory.
“sporty” ride, which borders on harsh if the pavement’s not smooth. It’s now the ‘20s, and performance SUVs have supplanted sports
On the highway, on the other hand, everything’s wonderful. Not cars and sports sedans as “the” thing. I personally don’t like that re-
only is the ride comfortable and wind noise subdued, but the gearing ality much, but I can’t argue with the performance of vehicles like
is such that the engine is relaxed at any speed. I spent a lot of time the X5M. It’s an amazing vehicle.
between 75 and 90MPH and the X5M was quiet and very much in
its element the whole time. And all that power and torque means As always, call Phil Hornbeak, the Auto Program Manager at
that passing is a snap. In fact, the ability to pass quickly and effort- BCMS (210-301-4367), for your best deal on any new car or truck
lessly even at high speeds may be the best reason to buy an X5M (or brand. Phil can also connect you to preferred financing and lease
M5 for that matter). rates.
For the record, the X5M sprints from 0-60MPH in 3.6 seconds,
but guzzles premium gasoline at a rate of 13 MPG City/18 Highway. Stephen Schutz, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterol-
Naturally, driving the largest and heaviest BMW M-vehicle off road ogist who lived in San Antonio in the 1990s when he was
would be stupid. Would you hurt it? Probably not, but, even though stationed here in the US Air Force. He has been writing
it’s an SUV; this beast is about as much of an off-roader as a Ferrari. auto reviews for San Antonio Medicine since 1995.
It sure doesn’t look like a Ferrari though. Instead it looks like,

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