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Car Advice, and Australian publication, did a test drive and compared the new 2015 BMW X5 M against the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Both cars compete at the high-end of the SUV market and they both offer impressive thrills from behind the wheel. The X5 M is powered by a reworked M TwinPower Turbo engine, a V8 that provides more power and torque, and better power delivery than the previous engine generation. Here is an excerpt from their review:
By the seat of the pants, though, both are similarly and ferociously quick. Any suggestion the extra 90 kilograms of heft the 2275-kilogram X5 M carries over the Porsche levels the performance playing field are pure semantics. Both SUVs have on-tap potency of such eye-opening magnitude that, when fully uncorked, sensible and responsible on-road application evaporates. It’s a very short and close race to the foul dark side of any Australian speed limit.
There are greater differences in character and drivability in urban driving situations, though neither seems to need much beyond 2000rpm for the bulk of commuting, 3000rpm is ample for urgent transit, while swinging tacho needles north of four grand with regularity can be downright antisocial.
While both SUVs offer ample breadth of drive mode selection to sharpen or soften reflexes, it’s the BMW that offers the most bipolar Jeckyl and Hyde-like character transitions with no more than a squeeze of the throttle.
The X5 M is quite eager off the mark and its V8 is slightly laggy to initial throttle application, demanding concentrated driver effort to prevent it lunging in bumper-to-bumper traffic. In every other driving situation, particularly on the move, it’s extremely linear in torque delivery mid-range and revs with urgency, complete with satisfying howl to redline.
The Cayenne Turbo, however, is a little more benign under the right foot in its default ‘comfort’ drive setting. It’s easier to maneuver at low speed, smoother of the mark and more relaxed in peak hour traffic. It becomes markedly sharper in Sport mode, while the degree of man-the-battleships aggression when Sport + – exclusive to the Sport Chrono option – is selected is, frankly, alarming in the most positive sense.
