KEY POINTS:
BMW is not expected to offer its xDrive system as an option on right-hand-drive examples of the new 5-Series sedan and wagon line-up, despite the company becoming the leading maker of all-wheel-drive systems in the premium segment.
The company built 320,900 four-paw vehicles last year, made up of sedans, station wagons and sports utility vehicles, to outdo rival Audi's quattro production by around 4500 units.
BMW offers xDrive as an option on most of its left-hand-drive models but has limited its application in right-hand-drive markets in recent years to the X3 and X5 SUVs.
However, its new X6, due in New Zealand in July/August, will also come with xDrive.
The X6 "sports activity vehicle" (BMW claims a new segment here) will be available with three twin-turbocharged engines: 4.4-litre V8 and 3-litre six-cylinder petrol units and a 3-litre turbodiesel, all of which meet future Euro5 emission limits.
BMW says the all-alloy unit is the world's first V8 petrol engine with the turbochargers and catalytic converters housed in between the two rows of cylinders.
Each of the two turbochargers supplies compressed air to four cylinders at a time, reducing the turbo lag typical of a large turbocharged engine with conventional technology, says the carmaker.
The V8 produces 300kW (407bhp) between 5500-6400rpm and maximum torque of 600Nm between 1750-4500rpm.
The 3-litre petrol unit develops 225kW (306bhp) between 5800-6250rpm and 400Nm from 1300rpm through to 5000rpm.
The 3-litre turbodiesel - which BMW says is 50kg lighter than the petrol V8 - puts out 210kW (286bhp) at 4400rpm and 580Nm between 1750-2250rpm.
The same engines are likely to find their way under the bonnet of the new 5-Series sedan, pictured here exclusively for the NZ Herald testing in the Scandinavian snow.
This spy shot of the 2009 model represents the clearest look yet at the future design direction of the sedan, which moves away from the controversial shape of the current E60 model.
Codenamed F10, the new 5-Series has softer lines and offers more conventional-looking headlights and a cleaner front-end design.
The classic twin-kidney grille remains, despite talk that new European pedestrian safety standards would affect the car's front-end look. BMW, in fact, has reduced the length of the front overhang. The high-performance M5 variant is expected to get an even more powerful version of the company's race-bred V10 engine.
