BMW: Become M-powered

The new BMW X6M, top, and BMW X5M have been fine-tuned for driver comfort. Photo / Supplied

BMW has taken a leaf from Porsche's book, announcing high performance versions of its range-topping SUVs to be unveiled later this month. Those seeking road presence can forget the M5, however, it's not half as scary in the rear-view mirror as your typical SUV.

This is the first time BMW has taken its M-performance to the SUV line-up and it promises an "exclusive driving experience".

It could be a truly frightening one, despite the four-wheel-drive grip and BMW's deserved reputation for building driver-focused cars, for SUVs are not built with incisive handling in mind.

But BMW says it's addressed this by developing improved air suspension and self-levelling for the rear, electronically adjustable dampers and active roll control, as seen in the recently launched 7 series. BMW says this set-up guarantees a progressive build-up of lateral forces during hard cornering, when the four-wheel-drive system also gets a workout.

Fortunately, dynamic stability control is waiting in the wings should the power go to your head. Mind you, you can choose its dynamic mode to raise the threshold for brake and power intervention, and to tailor the steering to a more sporting response - BMW talks about "controlled drift under maximum load in the bend apex".

Naturally the powerplant is equally irresponsible. The 4.4-litre V8 tucks its catalytic converters and twin turbos between the two cylinder rows, and delivers a 680Nm surge of torque anywhere from 1500 to 5650rpm. That's more than enough to catapult these hefty cars into next week, even before the 408kW power peak is reached at 5750 to 6000rpm. BMW claims a zero to 100km/h time of 4.7 seconds, 0.1 faster than Porsche's Cayenne Turbo S.

Despite the obvious performance focus, BMW still boasts efficiency with brake energy regeneration and precise fuel injection, but let's face it, neither car will be frugal. Or cheap.

Quite apart from the generous specification, with park distance control, M seats and an M-specific cockpit, getting an SUV to behave like a sports car takes money - though BMW's not yet admitting how much.

The car launches here in 2010.