TEST: BMW X5 M Competition and the search for the Jerusalem MONOLIT

Unfortunately we are the most potent representative the X5 families got their hands on it at a time when crossing between municipalities was banned for no good reason, which of course completely crossed our original plans with it. After careful consideration, I decided it was best to be with BMW X5 M Competition I get to know it better by visiting more or less known parts of my home municipality, which seemed to me the most daring act in despair of the restrictions imposed on us by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Eight cylinders, power slightly below the level of Formula 1, the presence of a smaller truck and 2,3 tons of live weight - that is BMW M5 Competition. Basically, the Bavarian giant stands out in the parking lot, combined with sports bumpers, black grille, electric blue and four exhaust tailpipes, all the more so. And at first glance, it polarizes, but not in the typical sense, between beautiful and less beautiful, but above all, whether it all makes sense or not.

Pri BMW they know it all makes sense. After all, such instances of the second generation (this is the third) are in execution X5M Competition in X6M Competition sold more than 20 thousand. Bigger, faster, stronger is the tailored Olympic slogan, but it is still very relevant, especially on the other side of the Atlantic and in the Middle East, but also in Europe.

Let’s get back to the home story. As ordered during the test on Jerusalem appeared a mysterious monolith, one of many that have appeared all over the world and for which even today no one has a concrete explanation of who and why put them there. I decided to go see if the matter was still standing. The path from Ormož to Jerusalem it is not exactly long, but it is quite varied, so it has almost everything - from a straight section and smooth bends on the main road, a narrow road uphill and into the valley and even some macadam base, which further spiced up the route.

The Bavarian heavyweight really weighs 2,3 tons, and that 4,4-liter V8 engine with two turbochargers capable in the X5 M Competition 460 kW (625 HP), practically not interested. Starting from the city is the same as when you step on the gas death train at an amusement park from the highest point drop down. You can practically feel it pulling you into the seat and pressing these internal organs against your back. Everything 3,8 seconds it takes a hundred to be recorded on the digital meter in front of you.

When driving in the first faster turn the X5 M Competition seems to actually defies the law of physics. The driver with the steering wheel tells the car where he wants to go and the car goes there as if on rails, so I went to explore how BMW engineers managed to drive such a large and heavy car through a bend in style. sports car. The choice also adds to the sporty feeling sporty M-mode (actually two), which can be pre-programmed using the button on the steering wheel.

Let me tell you their secret - Unlike some competitors, they did not opt ​​for rear-wheel steering in Munich, but achieved it all with exceptional torsional body strength, additional reinforcements in between the chassis and body and almost surgical accuracy of the steering mechanism. The drivetrain is, as befits a SUV, of course, permanent four-wheel drive (xDrive), which, however, tends to supply most of the power and torque to the rear axle. The only thing the BMWs have failed to completely cover up is engine mass, when you still feel it on the steering wheel a bit when exiting a bend, and even here it might be less if it weren't for winter and it was a test X5M Competition shod in original Michelin summer tires developed especially for him.

Such uncompromising sportiness demands some tax on potholed and patched local roads, where BMW’s SUV despite air suspension it fails to completely hide its brutally sporty stance, which is at least a little familiar on comfort. It is similar on macadam, but we must be aware that the average user of such a car is usually not exactly a fan of off-road, but mostly sticks to the highway.

Technical data: BMW X5 M Competition

With all the abundance of power and superior position on the road, I almost forgot to describe it a bit comfort and prestige, which surrounds the driver and passengers in the passenger compartment. Selected materials - premium leather on the seats, a large panoramic window that surrounds it alcantara, and a state - of - the - art audio system Bowers & Wilkinsto a combination of digital gauges and a huge infotainment system screen.

If, in these closed times, you accidentally manage to drive to the border of a neighboring municipality, no worries, the last fifty meters can BMW assistant drive backwards in the same way as he drove on. I admit, despite everything to me in the end of the Jerusalem monolith however, he failed to capture the lens because he had apparently disappeared to an unknown location the night before.

Whether the price is reasonable or not is in the case of such a car, whose main competitors Audi RS Q8, AMG GLE 63 ali Aston Martin DBX, in fact pointless to speculate. If I'm being a bit rationalistic, the new BMW X5 also has diesel xDrive40d, but this is, as has already been said, above all a more rational alternative. If we take only emotions, there is no dilemma.

Gallery: BMW X5 M Competition

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