BMW X5 M5Od

In twenty years of road testing all manner of vehicles, I have been fortunate to have driven some of the world's most powerful cars, including the supercharged Jaguar XK8, Audi R8, V10 VW Touareg, and BMW 645i.
The latest powerhouse to grace my garage is the BMW X5 M50d.
What a remarkable vehicle it is. Just when you thought car makers couldn't pull any more horsepower from a smaller engine, this one takes the cake.
The five litre twin turbo diesel V10 of the old VW Touareg for example, produced 750nm of torque. The M50d is a three litre in line six, putting out 280 kw and a staggering 740nm. The gargantuan grunt developed with the help of not one or two, but three turbochargers. Floor the throttle and prepare for liftoff Houston!

Despite weighing just over two tonnes the X5 M50d races to 100 kilometres an hour, in an almost face distorting five seconds.
The burble from the silky smooth diesel as it rockets away is unlike any other diesel I've heard, refined and bit gruff, it lets you know what a great job it's doing. There's no V8 growl from the exhaust, but who cares when you have this kind of urge?
Even better, the average city/ highway fuel consumption for the X5 M50d, is just under 7 litres per 100 kilometres. I averaged around nine in mainly city driving. There's an 85 litre fuel tank, so expect some decent mileage!
Cornering at speed is effortless, thanks to the X5's monster 20 inch wheel and 315/35 series tyres on the rear and 275/40/20 on the front axles and well sorted suspension. Flung into a number of tight corners with abandon, the 2.2 tonne weight of the X5 seems to vanish. It's almost like you're driving a sports car. In Sport plus mode, the tenacious grip is amazing. The car sits flat and sure, with no hint of body roll or weight transfer. The paddle steering wheel shifters blast you instantly through the gears with each upshift and a huge surge or power, without hesitation.It is truly thrilling.

Steering input is just about perfect. It's very precise, tactile and well weighted both for high speed work and tootling around the "burbs.  The only issue is the fat tyres exhibit some tramlining on certain uneven road surfaces. The 8 speed automatic gearbox is a gem, whether left to its own devices, or with driver input from console lever or steering wheel paddles. Park is selected by pushing a button on top of the console lever, the electronic handbrake button is just behind the gearshift.
BMW has endowed the X5 M50d with enormous brakes. The front pair, the size of a regular car wheel, inside the 20" alloys. Curiously the disc rotors aren't drilled for ventilation. Nevertheless they are very capable when hauling the X5 down from speed.
The X5 has fully adjustable suspension, from comfort to sport. Comfort glides you over bumps, while Sport gives you all the firm control you need to keep the car sitting flat in tight corners.
You'd expect an upmarket performance SUV to have all the luxury trimmings and there are plenty of those in the X5 M50d.

Starting with a fixed 10.25 inch screen in the central dashboard that displays all your audio, navigation, car setup info, as well as a comprehensive owner's handbook. Some of the car's features, like a demo of how the X5's lane departure system works, (it vibrates the steering wheel) are animated and spoken on screen. The "mouse" for the I drive system, and function selections, also has a touch sensitive  pad on top for "swipe" mode adjustment, just like a regular laptop pad. Write the first letter of what you're after with your finger and the choices appear. Other features include a heads up display showing speed and cruise settings on the windscreen in front of the driver and active cruise control that keeps a set distance to the car in front, even slowing the car down to a stop without braking, if the car in front does the same. 
I had never heard digital radio before testing this car.
The X5 M50d has it as standard ,with a nine speaker Harmon-Kardon sound system.
There are about thirty stations to choose from and in the enclosed environment of a car, the experience is gobsmacking. The quality, richness, clarity and crispness of the sound, even when cranked up to almost maximum, will astonish you. It makes regular FM transmissions sound like they're muffled by cotton wool.The 205W digital amplifier system is quite simply the best I have ever heard in a car. 

When parking, cameras mounted in the wing mirrors, magically give you a panoramic overhead view of the car and its immediate surroundings, ably assisted by a quality reversing camera.
It's a brilliant safety combo.
You can even adjust the opening height of the two piece power tailgate.

At night, dashboard and doors are highlighted with pale blue ambient lighting strips. Other control buttons glow in red.
There's also a full length opening glass moon/sun roof and powerful bi-xenon headlights.
The equipment list goes on and on and on.

At just under 150K, the BMW X5 M50d is expensive, but considering what you get in the way of outstanding performance and equipment and you can afford the price of admission, you will not be disappointed.
Peter Sellen