So, what can we say? BMW X5M for sale? BMW X6M for sale? Well, almost, but not quite.

The M versions of BMW’s SUVs (or SAVs, as BMW insist on calling them) have been coming for some time. And, considering the current state of the economy, many thought they may be binned altogether. But no, BMW, who had intended revealing the cars at the end of this week at the New York Motor Show, had their hand forced by leaked images, and have decided to let us have all the information ahead of the official reveal.

So what do these big, powerful 4×4s offer? Quite a bit it would seem. Utilising the BMW 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8, these monsters manage to produce 550bhp and a whopping great lump of torque – 500lb/ft. But that torque, although not massively up on the standard car, is delivered in a wave from around 1500rpm, meaning incredible on-road performance and shove.

Top speed is limited to 155mph (but 171mph if you opt for the M Drivers package) and 0-60mph will take around 4.5 seconds. And with a sophisticated air suspension system, together with a very dexterous 4 wheel drive system, it is pretty clear that the hugely powerful BMW (well, both BMWs actually, but they are the same under the skin) will not only be great in a straight line, but also on the twisty stuff.

BMW has lost a lot of the plastic-panel look of the standard offering, and the new M versions look very chunky and purposeful. These are cars aimed straight in the face of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and they seem to come very close, and in some areas better. They certainly won’t compete with the Cayenne off-road, but in truth very few cars of this type ever get close to the real muddy stuff, so the point is almost academic.

There won’t be a huge market for these big M BMW 4×4s in the current market, but they will find a place. A great ‘compromise’ car (with this much space and this much power they can double up as the weekend fun car and the daily drive), and at around £75,000 when they arrive in the UK in the Autumn they do offer a lot of bang for your money.

When we first saw the pictures of the current BMW 7 series for sale we had to conclude the designer had lost his way half way through. But he hadn’t (apparantly), because the ‘afterthought’ boot found its way on to other BMWs. It certainly helped the aerodynamics, but it didn’t help the aesthetics one bit! And then there was the i-drive. A good idea in concept, but it really was poorly executed. Far too fiddly and long-winded, especially as Audi’s MMI showed how it should be done.  All of which was a real shame, because the 7 series BMW was, and is, a very good car.

BMW is due to unveil the all new 7 series in September, but the first pictures have now been released. And it seemd they listened to all who complained with the last 7 series. The ‘add-on’ boot has gone, and the i-drive gets a new interface. All good news. The 7 series is, if you enjoy driving, much better than the S class, but it’s always lost out in the perception of class stakes; never perceived as the ultimate luxury transport. But that could change with this new 7 series and with the rise of the Chinese market, which seems to have a preference for the 7 series over the S class. Maybe they enjoy driving more than their European and North American counterparts. But it will have to be special to overtake the S class. I ran a 740 for a couple of years, but ended up in S classes for 4 or 5 years after. Yes, the BMW was the better drive, but the S class really did have more class. It would be interesting to see the new 7 series turn the tables.

So, apart from the styling changes and i-drive revisions, what will the new 7 series offer? It would seem there will be a 4 wheel drive version (to take on the A8) and the introduction of BMWs new 8 speed box. The current diesel will be dropped in favour of the more modern twin-turbo 6 cylinder engines that you find in the X5 and X6, and there will still be a range-topping V12 and undoubtedly a hybrid of some description.

Lots to look forward to.

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Now it’s fair to say that I’m not the biggest BMW fan in the world. I’ve done the BMW bit, and they are, on the whole, very well-sorted drivers cars. But they’re a bit lacking in soul. And they do unfortunately attract a certain amount of hostility in the general public. But some of it is justified when you come across the morons in their M3s driving as if the road was their own personal Fiefdom. But BMW are pretty good at niches, and the new BMW X6 on sale at the end of May, does fill a niche. Very well.

I wrote about the X6 a while ago when it first became public. To recap -

Although based on the underpinnings of the hugely successful X5, the X6 is radically different. In pictures it seems to be quite a dinky 4×4, but don’t be fooled. This car is big. It’s longer, wider and lower than the X5, but you still sit up high, so the 4×4 view out is still there. And it has some very interesting detailing, not least the dramatically sloping roofline and massive rear tailgate. This really is a very different looking car. The interior is beautifully finished but, unlike its sibling the X5, there is no seven seat option. In fact, the X6 has just four seats. This isn’t a multi-people, all purpose 4×4. It’s a big, bold coupe on stilts.

Now I actually like this car. It’s big, it’s well finished and it handles. There’s a good range of engines, and the range-topping 4.8 twin turbo is a good performer, managing the 0-60 sprint in not much more than 5 seconds.

This is a good alternative to the Range Rover Sport or Cayenne. Capable. Worth having.

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The whole 4×4 bandwagon rolls on, with a new, different player, in the guise of the BMW X6. So much for the ‘Green Police’ assertion that 4×4s are dinosaurs and due to die a timely death at any time.

The BMW X6 really is a new slant on the 4×4 / SUV sector. BMW call it an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill SUV. Is that just marketing hype, or is this really a new take on the 4×4? Well actually, it really is very different to most of what’s out there at the moment.

Although based on the underpinnings of the hugely successful X5, the X6 is radically different. In pictures it seems to be quite a dinky 4×4, but don’t be fooled. This car is big. It’s longer, wider and lower than the X5, but you still sit up high, so the 4×4 view out is still there. And it has some very interesting detailing, not least the dramatically sloping roofline and massive rear tailgate. This really is a very different looking car. The interior is beautifully finished but, unlike its sibling the X5, there is no seven seat option. In fact, the X6 has just four seats. This isn’t a multi-people, all purpose 4×4. It’s a big, bold coupe on stilts.

The X6 has a fairly predictable set of engine choices, including a twin-turbo straight six putting out 300php, and a couple of diesels. But the peach is the 400bhp version of the 4.8 out of the X5. That should be very quick! And it gets the BMW Dynamic Performance Control, a very clever system that actually sends more power to the wheel with more grip. With a widened track and 20in wheels you can expect this to handle very well indeed.

In many ways I think this is the car Porsche tried to make with the Cayenne. It’s a really good looking car, something, despite all the tweaks, Porsche have still not managed with the Cayenne. Will it be as nice to drive as the Cayenne? It looks likely. But will it be as good off-road as the Cayenne, which is second only to the Range Rover when the going gets rough? In all likelihood, no. But that really isn’t what people buy these cars for. It’s the looks, the performance and the high seating. And the BMW seems to have those in spades.

So if you’re looking for a very stylish, quick and different 4×4, then you can find the BMW X6 for sale in the UK from April next year.

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