- BMW has formally launched its recently announced M Performance range with the unveiling of four new exceptionally frugal but fast four-wheel-drive diesel-powered models.
- New models include the M550d xDrive sedan, M550d xDrive touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d.
- This is the first time a BMW M car will be fitted with a diesel engine.
MUNICH, Germany — BMW has formally launched its recently announced M Performance range with the unveiling of four new exceptionally frugal but fast four-wheel-drive diesel-powered models: the M550d xDrive sedan, M550d xDrive touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d.
Set to go on sale in selected Europe markets later this year following a planned public debut at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show in March, the new M Performance car quartet all share an innovative tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder common-rail diesel engine — the first ever oil burner to be fitted to a car bearing the revered BMW M badge.
Developed specifically for BMW's new M Performance range, the four-valve-per-cylinder, inline configured unit is the first BMW engine to adopt a patented induction process with three variable-geometry turbochargers and a common-rail injection system working at pressures of up to 31,000 psi to produce 376 horsepower at 4,000 rpm along with 545 pound-feet of torque on a band of revs between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm.
These figures represent an 80-hp and 103-lb-ft increase on BMW's existing twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder as used by the 535d sedan and 535d touring and 74 hp and 103 lb-ft up on the same unit found in the X5 40d and X6 40d — models above which the new M550d sedan, M550d touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d are positioned in terms of performance, equipment and pricing.
The new engine is combined with a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox and BMW's xDrive four-wheel-drive system — a combination that provides the headlining M550d xDrive sedan with an official 0-62-mph time that at 4.7 seconds is just 0.3 second shy of the new M5, whose twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter gasoline V8 engine delivers 572 hp and 502 lb-ft.
However, there appears to be more to the M550d xDrive that pure out-and-out straight-line performance. Given its claimed pace and hefty 4,178-pound curb weight, it is also remarkably frugal; BMW says it returns 6.3 liters/100 km on the European test cycle.
In line with moves made with standard BMW models in recent years, all of the new M Performance diesels receive an automatic stop/start function, brake energy recuperation and selective operation of the water pump, oil pump and air-conditioning compressor.
Of the remaining M Performance diesels, the M550d xDrive, X5 M50d and X6 M50d boast official 0-62-mph times of 4.9 seconds, 5.4 seconds and 5.3 seconds, top speeds limited to 155 mph and combined fuel consumption figures on the European cycle of 6.4 liters/100 km, 7.5 liters/100 km and 7.7 liters/100 km respectively.
Together with their unique driveline, the initial four models in the new BMW M Performance lineup also receive individual chassis tuning: the M550d xDrive sedan using a conventionally sprung double wishbone and multilink suspension and the M550d xDrive touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d using a combination of steel springs up front and self-leveling air springs at the rear.
Unlike the standard 535d sedan and 535d touring — both of which use an electro-mechanical steering system, the M550d xDrive and M550d xDrive also adopt a hydraulic setup related closely to that on the new M5. The steering of the X5 M50d and X6 M50d is also based heavily on that used by the X5 M and X6 M.
Wheels are 19 inches on the M550d xDrive sedan, M550d xDrive touring and X5 M50d, with the X6 M50d receiving larger 20-inch hoops.
Inside Line says: Despite their apparent appeal, though, BMW does not plan to introduce its new M Performance diesels to the North American market, owing to what U.S.-based officials describe as the complexity and expense of engineering their new engine to accept SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology that would see it comply with emissions standards in all 50 states.
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bestjinjo says:
09:57 AM, 02/22/2012
BMW M550d xDrive 0-250 km/h Test Drive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ma-KBPcwRlc#!
Wow, I've never heard a diesel that sounds so good under acceleration. Wow, the best looking and fastest diesel car of all time? Just might be!!
josshi says:
10:43 AM, 02/04/2012
Why can't just they just start by bringing over this diesel technology like they did before with the 3 series and the X5 models and get test the waters? Or at least apply the Tri-Turbo technology with the new 4 cylinders from the 3 & the 5 series, the high performance and the effeciency gains will more than justify the price. No it wont be a sales leader, but it will give BMW a niche in already tight market with alternatively fueled models. MB, VW, and Audi are the only car makers making strides in this area....BMW can definetely get its piece of the pie.
mcd0234 says:
12:00 PM, 02/03/2012
So very, very annoying. This is almost exactly how I would want to buy my 5 series. I go out of my way to get diesel vehicles and living where I do I don't consider cars without awd and this one has both of those items but with a great engine to boot - care much less about the showy window dressing. The Europeans, or at least their US management teams, always deny us the best versions of their cars.
stonehammer says:
08:18 PM, 02/02/2012
M550d
i waant it, i waant it, i waant it, i waant it...
You caaaaan't have it!
motolust says:
02:43 AM, 01/31/2012
BMW really should be bringing more of their great diesel products to the US, but I like the sound of this new "M Performance" range!
roscoe108 says:
12:14 PM, 01/27/2012
Purists, fanboys, and plain old BMW likers can complain all they want, but this is progress, for better or worse. We've hit peak oil, since demand and consumption will skyrocket over the next few decades as 2+ billion Chinese and Indian consumers' income grows (thanks to the Western world's insatiable appetite for cheap products at Wal-Mart and the like) and they too start to purchase more and more automobiles. We will run out of oil eventually - that is nondisputable. CAFE standards are just the beginning, and no, it's not Obama's fault. It's the fault of anyone and everyone who drives an internal combustion mode of conveyance. And consumer trends trump any legislation that a government can cook up.
A move like this from BMW is in fact smart, even if it's not initially popular, since a high-performance diesel car gives you acceleration and high mileage. Have cake, will eat. The main problem of course is that a tri-turbo hi-po diesel sports car doesn't come cheap now, nor will it ever. But BMW is getting ahead of the curve by transforming itself from a renowned maker of NA I-6s to a maker of high-efficiency turbo mills across their entire global lineup.
Get used to it too, since MB and Audi will follow suit next, followed after that by the rest of the automakers (though each brand will have its own methods and approaches for achieving their goals).
blueguydotcom says:
03:51 PM, 01/26/2012
@speed12sil - do some research on BMW. There are many people available online who will order a 3 series for you for a couple hundred over invoice. with the e90 lot buying makes sense as you can get thousands below invoice as the car is no longer made. For the F30 you can easily get $500 over invoice and it hasn't even been released yet.
You're living in a different era if you think a lot car is a better deal or that you can't get BMWs for a song.
jkxjj says:
03:50 PM, 01/26/2012
NOOOOO! WHERES THE MANUAL!!!
speed12sil says:
02:59 PM, 01/26/2012
blueguydotcom:
Why buy off the lot? Because the dealer is much more willing to let you haggle the price down. Try that with ordering and see how willing they are at dropping their price.
damaje says:
12:50 PM, 01/26/2012
I say at least bring the diesel M5 wagon over here, have that engine be the only way to get the 5 series wagon. Why should the CTS-V wagon have all the fun?