MOTORS BMW’s X5 luxury 4x4

M is for MONSTER

From carrying the kids to rugby, to dispatching the supermarket slog, to storming down the motorway, there’s little beyond the capabilities of BMW’s X5. But in £113,045 X5M Competition trim, is this SUV too hot to handle?

Words: Rob Davis.

OUTRAGEOUS is perhaps the best and only description of BMW’s new X5M in new Competition trim. True, it’s perhaps the closest thing to piloting a fighter jet down the A1, but £113,045, is a pretty hefty amount of money to pay for what is – underneath all the spoilers and carbon fibre – a family-friendly SUV you can otherwise put on your driveway for £60,000. So where does the extra cash go, and is it worth paying more for this ostentatious range-topping trim? For a start, there’s the engine. Base model X5 cars come with a 3.0V6 engine good for completing the 0-60mph dash in 6.3 seconds and achieving 38mpg. The X5 Competition meanwhile utilises a 4.4V8 engine which slashes the 0-60mph sprint to just 3.8 seconds. Fuel economy plummets accordingly, with just 21mpg possible, and the subsequent fall in economy, greater list price and higher emissions figure will also rule out running the flagship model as a company vehicle.

The standard X5 has a roster of equipment commensurate with a car of its size and class, with electric, heated leather seats as standard plus an automatic tailgate, parking assistant, auto lights & wipers and sat nav. Add to that the Driver Assistance and Parking Assistant Plus pack, perhaps two additional seats, and you’ve a respectable all-rounder as a family car.

Much of the additions to the X5M are stylistic, from larger wheels and bucket seats to a head-up display and model-specific steering wheel and gear shift. >>

>> Competition trim adds an extra 50 horsepower to the standard X5 M50, taking the car’s figures to 625hp and 750nm torque. Accordingly, the firm has upgraded the car’s cooling and oil supply systems, tuned to top-level dynamic performance and added a sports exhaust system to deliver a more stirring soundtrack. The car’s drivetrain has also enjoyed an upgrade with rear-biased all-wheel-drive, plus a model specific Active Differential and Competition active suspension, compound brakes, DSC and lighter weight alloy wheels. If all that sounds like technobabble or waffle, chances are the Competition isn’t for you. The standard X5 provides most of the performance you’d need from a large SUV, and the stylistic and dynamic changes to the car that X5 M50 or Competition trim entails a harsher ride, especially on the county’s broken road surfaces and down country lanes. Furthermore, the standard X5 provides such a good compromise between comfort and dynamism that larger wheels and stiffer dampers imperil the car’s well-considered existing setup. What’s more, at nearly double the price of the standard X5 and commanding a £30,000 premium over the existing X5 M50, it’s tricky to justify this trim. Though some will love the Competition’s style we think lesser X5 models offer a package that’s more well-rounded and practical, and with budget left over, we’d choose to add a few optional extras to increase the car’s practicality and usability day-to-day instead. If, however, outright performance remains your main interest, we’d point you in the direction of a new generation of plug-in hybrid SUVs which offer a better combination of rapid acceleration as well as fuel economy and lower emissions day to day. n

“The standard X5 provides such a good compromise between comfort and dynamism that larger wheels and stiffer dampers imperil the car’s well-considered existing setup...”

BMW X5M COMPETITION

Price: £113,045. (On sale now). Drivetrain: 4.4V8 Twin Turbo petrol, 625hp, 750 Nm torque. Eight speed automatic gearbox, all wheel drive. Performance: 0-62 mph: 3.8 seconds. Top Speed: 180mph. Economy: 21mpg, 284g/km CO2 . Equipment: Leather upholstery, heated seats, satellite navigation, climate, cruise. n

Roar by Roar: Three High Performance SUVs...

Range Rover 5.0V8 Supercharged Autobiography £105,330: A comparable budget to the X5M Competition puts a Range Rover with Solihull’s five litre supercharged engine in budget. Range topping Autobiography trim affords all of the bells and whistles you’ll ever need, and though the 0-60mph time of 5.4 is a little behind the X5M in Competition trim, the trade off is greater luxury, space and much stronger capabilities off road, making the Range Rover a more well-rounded package. n

Tesla Model X 100kWh Dual Motor £137,650: A refreshing approach to the performance SUV, Tesla’s Model X utilises dual motors to ensure full-electric driving with a range of over 300 miles, CO2 free. That’s not to say it’s a slouch, though. In fact, with 60mph reached and breached in 2.9 seconds, it’s even quicker than the X5. The interior is very minimal, with just a larger iPad-style central screen and hardly a physical button to be found. Gullwing doors add to the gratuitous uniqueness of the car too, making the Tesla the ideal car for the responsible extrovert. n

Mercedes Benz G-Class G63 £143,370: The G-Class is a motoring oddity; very old school in terms of its appearance, bluff, blocky, thuggish and yet still highly sought after. In G63 trim it’s horribly expensive, but whilst the Tesla utilises modern technology to create eco-friendly performance, the G63 uses old-fashioned brute force, from a 4.0V8 engine generating 850nm torque. 60mph is reached in 4.5 seconds but you’ll need to make friends with someone who owns a filling station, as the car achieves just 21mpg! n

HORSE POWER

What’s in a name? Plenty, it seems. If I were to tell you that Ford has released an all-new electric SUV, your eyes would probably glaze over. But if I told you that I’ve just purchased a new Mustang, that would sound a bit more impressive. Like Toyota’s Lexus, Nissan’s Infiniti or Mercedes Benz’s Maybach, posh sub-brands have become de rigueur in the motor industry, and now Ford has requisitioned the Mustang brand to adorn not the usual V8 American muscle car, but its new electric SUV. The Ford Mustang Mach-E may sport a ridiculously masculine name for a car that needs to be, in reality, frugal, family-friendly and eco-aware, but with prices starting at £40,350 and rising to £58,080, with a flagship GT version later this year raising the price even further, the Mustang ought to distance itself a little from the humdrum Ford brand.

It should also do so given the competition it’s going up against. The Mach-E is the same size and price as the Mercedes EQC and the PHEV Range Rover Evoque. So what’s it like? Well, there’s a rear wheel drive Mach-E with a standard range of 273 miles or an extended range version which can reach 379 miles on a full charge and comes with a few more bits of equipment. The extended range car, then, is the one we’d go for. Further up the range is an all-wheel drive model and a First Edition; but these sacrifice range for performance. Instead, our chosen model reaches 60mph in 6.2 seconds, achieves 111mph flat out and charges to 80% of capacity in 45 minutes...

When is a Ford not a Ford? When, instead of the blue oval logo, it has the name Mustang attached to it instead. The galloping horse sub-brand is normally associated with ‘Murican muscle cars but unusually it has been requisitioned for Ford-not-Ford’s all-new, all-electric SUV, the manly-sounding Mach-E...

Words: Rob Davis.

although that’s using a high power charger, not your 240v mains outlet. The Mach-E has five seats – no seven seat option – and boot space is somewhere between a Ford Focus and a Mondeo, at just over 400 litres. The extended range version is also very well equipped. Fitted as standard are adaptive cruise, automatic parking and parking sensors front and rear, a power tailgate, 360° camera, wireless phone charger and heated, electric memory seats. Inside, a large iPad-style tablet dominates the centre console, and supplements an additional digital screen in front of the driver. It’s all modern and intuitive. The seats have contrast stitching, too, but you don’t have to look far to find Ford switchgear borrowed from car like the Focus. The Mach-E is a great car on paper and as long as you’re happy knowing that underneath the brand it’s a posh Ford, it’ll serve you well, offering a nice looking SUV with a very modern powertrain. n

MUSTANG MACH-E

Price: £46,980 (ER, on sale now). Drivetrain: 88kWh electric with 379 mile range, rear wheel drive. Performance: 60mph in 6.2 seconds, 111mph. Equipment: Adaptive cruise, self-parking, power tailgate. n

Tesla’s Triumph

NEWCOMER TO THE MARKET IS ONE OF JUST TWO SALES FIGURE WINNERS

TESLA Just a few years ago, you “Just shy of 6,000 examples of wouldn’t have heard of Tesla. Tesla’s entry-level Model 3 EV The firm was founded in 2003 were registered in December, with Elon Musk taking over making it the best-selling car the following year, it’s still a of the month,” says Autocar young company in a market magazine’s Will Trinkwon. where some manufacturers “Its 5,798 registrations gave (e.g.: Ford) have been in the it an advantage of more market over 100 years longer. than 1,000 over the next Nevertheless, in 2020, just two most popular car, the new car makers increased their Volkswagen Golf (4,470) sales; MG (by 40%) and Tesla and more than 2,000 over (by 78% to 26,000 vehicles). the Ford Fiesta (3,367).” n

The Perfect Company Car...

STYLISH, WELL-EQUIPPED, FRUGAL AND ECO-FRIENDLY, THE MERCEDES C-CLASS NOW HAS A DIESEL/ELECTRIC HYBRID

Ford’s Transit triumphs in 2020 new van registrations...

FORD If you run a business or you’re in charge of a fleet, the Transit is perhaps already crucial in ensuring you deliver your products or services. The best selling van or commercial vehicle in the UK in 2020 was the smaller Transit Custom, of which 43,551 vehicles were registered last year. The second best selling van was Mercedes’s Sprinter, selling 23,506 examples, and Ford’s other, larger Transit, followed closely behind with 21,724 examples sold. n

MERCEDES BENZ If you’re a company driver, a fleet manager or an accountant looking to recommend a company car, look no further than the Mercedes C-Class’s new C300de model. The car has a 2.0V4 diesel engine ensuring low-cost motorway mileage, whilst a 13.5kWh battery provides low-emission urban motoring and unlocks tax savings for companies and their drivers. It’s available as a saloon or a more practical estate for those with loads to carry, plus it’s refined and well-equipped. In AMG-line trim, the C300de costs £43,715. n

MOTORING NEWS

In Brief

TOP 20 BEST SELLERS

20 IN 2020: LAST YEAR’S BEST SELLING CARS...

Last year may have seen new car sales fall to their lowest level since 1992, but still 1.6m vehicles were driven off dealers’ forecourts. For the 12th year running, Ford’s Fiesta was the UK’s best selling car... but what were the other winners?

The UK’s 20 best selling cars in 2020:

20. Range Rover Evoque, 18,509 registrations. 19. Kia Niro, 18,530 registrations. 18. Vauxhall Crossland X, 18,681 registrations. 17. Vauxhall Grandland X, 18,885 registrations. 16. Kia Sportage, 19,597 registrations. 15. Toyota Yaris, 21,209 registrations. 14. Tesla Model 3, 22,344 registrations. 13. Volkswagen Tiguan, 22,771 registrations. 12. BMW 3 Series, 23,245 registrations. 11. BMW 1 Series, 24,932 registrations. 10. Volvo XC40, 25,023 registrations. 9. Ford Puma, 26,294 registrations. 8. Volkswagen Polo, 26,965 registrations. 7. Mini Hatchback, 31,233 registrations. 6. Nissan Qashqai, 33,972 registrations. 5. Mercedes-Benz A-Class, 37,608 registrations. 4. Ford Focus, 39,372 registrations 3. VW Golf, 43,109 registrations 2. Vauxhall Corsa, 46,439 registrations 1. Ford Fiesta, 49,174 registrations. n