Warning: Jeep lovers are hereby officially warned to avert their eyes.
Because the aptly named “Off Road” magazine has named the BMW X5 its Off-Roader of the Year in the Luxury SUV category. The catch? It’s a German publication called “Off Road,” not the hardcore American “Off-Road” buff book.
Of course, as even Jeep fans will tell you, the X5 is a very impressive performer, it’s just that the vehicle saves its best performances for the track—and BMW is planning to keep it that way. The 2011 X5 gets a revised pair of powertrains for the next model year, a 3-liter, 300-hp turbocharged straight-six and a big 4.4-liter V8 that uses two turbos to achieve 400 hp.
Mated to a cutting-edge eight-speed automatic transmission, the engines also help deliver improved efficiency to go with all that power, and BMW is expecting “up to 10 percent” better mileage ratings. That’s not the biggest bump in the world, but when you remember the most efficient gasoline-powered 2010 X5 is rated at 15 mpg city/21 highway/18 combined by the EPA, every little bit counts. (The EPA lists the diesel X5 at 19/26/22, numbers that will likely be unchanged for 2011.)
But let’s say you want a bit more out of your X5, but you don’t happen to have the $85,500 or so needed to get into the ultra-high-performance M version. Well, BMW now has a solution: The M Sports package.
Available on all 2011 X5 models, the package offers significant enhancements to the SUV’s chassis and suspension, unique 19- and 20-inch wheels, new tailpipes, and a new, more aerodynamic M body kit.
The result might not help you survive the Rubicon Trail, but it can sure get you there in a hurry.
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