It’s been a long time coming. The new G05-generation BMW X5 has been on sale for about a year now and, since its debut, fans have been waiting quite impatiently for the 2020 BMW X5 M to arrive. Now, it’s finally here and it’s as big, brash and brutish as we expected it to be. Welcome the latest addition to the M Division family — the 2020 BMW X5 M.

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Brute Force

Before we talk about the X5 M’s looks, technology or interior, let’s get right to the meat and potatoes of it — power. The 2020 BMW X5 M is all about brute force and its engine provides plenty of it. Under the hood of the BMW X5 M is a familiar 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that makes a 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque in standard guise. However, the X5 M Competition makes a whopping 625 hp (617 hp in the US) and the same 553 lb-ft. That makes it the most powerful M product in the lineup and the most powerful production BMW in history. In fact, the only production BMW engine to ever make more power was the McLaren F1’s V12, which made 627 hp.

According to BMW, the standard car can get from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, with the BMW X5 M Competition hitting the same sprint in 3.8 seconds. That’s seriously fast for a massive SUV and makes it faster than the previous F80 BMW M3.

Paired to that monster V8 is an eight-speed automatic gearbox and xDrive all-wheel drive. Much like the X3 M, the BMW X5 M gets two all-wheel drive modes; 4WD and 4WD Sport. However, unlike the BMW M5, there’s no rear-wheel drive mode in the X5 M. That’s probably for the best in an SUV as dense as a dying star. There is an Active M Differential at the rear axle, though, so that should help keep the rear end planted and stable through corners.

BMW X5 M- Exterior Design

Brutish Looks for Brutish Force

When you look at the BMW X5 M, you don’t exactly think of corner-carving, though. It’s far more of a straight-line bruiser and it looks it. Don’t take that as a bad thing. The new BMW X5 M has a delightfully brutish charm. The standard X5 on which its based is already a very handsome SUV. Add a more aggressive front bumper, M-style mirrors, a rear roof spoiler and quad exhausts and you have an SUV that’s simply badass. It looks like it wants to punch you in the face and that’s exactly how it should look.

On the inside, it looks very much like a standard car, just with some M Division bits thrown in. For instance, the BMW X5 M gets seats that look like they’ve been pulled straight from an M5. That’s a welcome addition, as the M5’s thrones are superb. It also gets the same new M-style shift lever that’s found in the BMW M8, which is much nicer than the plastic Transformer-Leg shift lever of cars like the M5 and X3 M. Of course, there’s some carbon fiber trim and an M steering wheel with two red “M1” and “M2” buttons.

There is also a choice of ROAD and SPORT settings, plus TRACK in the Competition models.

Not Just a Straight-Line Bruiser

To make the BMW X5 M handle better than the standard car, it gets a comprehensive chassis and suspension overhaul. It’s not just some shorter springs and stiffer shocks. M-specific kinematics, even more rigid mountings for the suspension and subframes, higher negative camber and increased torsional stiffness all add up to make the X5 M much sharper than the standard car.

BMW X5 M- Interior Design

The new BMW X5 M also features a new adaptive suspension setup that’s unique to both it and its X6 M sibling. It features electromagnetic valves to adjust the damping force for each wheel, using an array for sensors and data from the road. It can change its suspension damping in just a few milliseconds. So it can go from ultra stiff, for more precise driving, to soft and comfortable.

On top of the new suspension, the BMW X5 M gets new M Servotronic variable steering, which is designed to be sportier and more precise than the standard car. Its ratio is variable based on steering angle, so the more steering lock you add the sharper it gets. The weight of the steering is variable and speed sensitive, so at super low speeds — such as parking lot speeds — it’s nice and light. But at higher speeds, the weight builds to make it less nervous.

Stopping the big Bavarian brute are massive 395 millimeter discs with six-piston calipers at the front and 380 millimeter discs with single-piston rotors at the rear. So it should stop as well as it goes.

Aside from all of the go fast, and stop fast, bits, the BMW X5 M is still an X5 at heart. So it’s every bit as luxurious and practical as the standard car. Its back seat is spacious even for large adults, its trunk is capacious and should perfectly handle school runs with kids and it comes with all the same great luxury tech. For instance, heated and cooled cupholders, Bowers & Wilkins surround sound and laser lights are all optional, just as they are on the pedestrian X5. Though, there is some new M-specific content in the new digital instrument panel.

We Can’t Wait for it to Arrive

The last-gen BMW X5 M was a hilariously overpowered SUV that was far more capable on track than any SUV had the right to be. It was also more fun to drive than you’d expect from such a big, heavy car. This new one should be even better. Its monster power, especially in Competition-spec, sharper suspension and handling and awesome looks should make for the most exciting SUV on the planet. We can’t wait to drive it.

The show premiere is scheduled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The new BMW X5 M, new BMW X6 M and Competition models will be launched together in April 2020.

Pricing begins at $105,100 for X5 M and $114,100 for X5 M Competition plus $995 Dest.

BMW X5 M – Highlights