M All the Things
When the BMW M division started, it was primarily focused on, well, motorsports. It didn’t start building road cars until the M1 from 1978, and that range expanded several years later with the M5, M6, and M3. Today, the reality is much different.
Of course, BMW M is still hugely successful on the world’s race tracks. However, nearly everything Bavaria offers these days has an M or M Performance version. Save for the 2 Series mini-MPV in select markets, you’re bound to encounter a high-powered version of a BMW at some point, including crossovers.
BMW
M Crossovers Through the Years
When it first launched in 1999, the BMW X5 was revolutionary in many ways. While it wasn’t the first luxury crossover (the Lexus RX came first), it offered handling previously unseen in the world of SUVs. Sure, it wasn’t as sharp to drive as an E39 5 Series, but it was genuinely great to drive despite its height.
Soon after, BMW rolled out a performance model in the form of the 4.6iS and followed up with the 4.8iS later on. However, the second-generation X5 was the first to receive the M badge. Soon after, it was complemented by the X6 M and X3 M. There’s even the XM, and while a slow-seller, it’s proof that there’s no stopping the performance crossover madness.
Will There Be Hardcore M Crossovers?
Like it or not, performance crossovers have become a massively popular and profitable market. If anything, the M crossovers are raking in serious cash for BMW, and the new X3 M50 sits at the top of the sales charts. Just imagine how much more they’ll sell if they build an all-new X3 M.
Expanding the M crossover lineup should bring in more sales, right? Well, yes, but BMW seems to be aware there is a limit to insanity. Speaking to CarExpert, M boss Frank van Meel has confirmed that they won’t be offering the X3, X5, and X6 hardcore CS versions any time soon. Ladies and gentlemen, sanity has prevailed.
CS stands for Competition Sport, and these are stripped-out, more-focused, and track-oriented versions of the already competent Competition models. It’s currently available on the M2 and M3, and we can expect the same on the all-new M5.
“Right now, we keep it with the lower cars, because it was the more logical approach, especially looking into our heritage with GTS with CSL,” said van Meel. A good answer, and besides, even Porsche doesn’t make a Cayenne or Macan GT3 RS.
A Different Approach Instead
Of course, BMW M is not closing the door on even hotter crossovers. But rather than turning its X models into track cars, they’re looking off the beaten path for inspiration. “I could imagine M on off-road products, because if you come from racing, there’s not only the WEC [World Endurance Championship] and IMSA [International Motor Sports Association] [sports car categories], but the Paris-Dakar [off-road rally],” said van Meel.
As reported a few months ago, the company is plotting a potential rival for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It’s said to replace the XM, which has struggled to find customers, and it’ll be an interesting little project for the brand. But aside from that, it does open up the idea of Raptor-like versions for its existing models. ThinkX5 Silver Anniversary Edition on steroids, and if BMW pushes through with that, we’d totally root for it.
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