BMW is skipping the standard X5 and X6 M models this time and will only offer the higher performance Competition versions.

There are also sports seats and the same carbon fiber trim usually reserved for the X5 M Competition ... features that make the BMW SUV more capable in some mild off-road scenarios.

If you cross out the (gargantuan) 2475kg weight figure, the spec sheet of the new BMW X5 M reads very similar to that of an F90 M5 Competition ... It thumps over road imperfections, the tyres ...

And for the first-generation BMW ... X5 has all but abandoned that mud-splattered heritage in favor of sporting aspirations and more than a little grandeur. Trying to channel the early X5's off ...

and does it so unapologetically that you almost admire the bravado of BMW’s engineers for signing off such a thing. The X5 M Competition’s powertrain is one we’ve seen before ...

BMW's X5 offers seating for seven with high-tech on- and off-road capabilities. With great styling as well as a host of refinements throughout its development, the package is hard to ignore. Although ...

BMW's X5 offers seating for seven with high-tech on- and off-road capabilities. With great styling as well as a host of refinements throughout its development, the package is hard to ignore. Although ...