BMW Debuts Tri-Turbo Diesel in Quartet of M Performance Cars

Rumors have been circulating about a diesel M car for a while now. We even posted a video of BMW teasing a diesel X6M, but this news came out of no where. BMW has announced a line of four M Performance models. All of them are exclusively available with BMW's new tri-turbo, 3.0 liter, inline six-cylinder diesel engine with 381hp (280kW) and 546lb-ft (740Nm) of torque. Maximum torque is available from 2,000rpm all the way up to the 5,400rpm redline. The models are the M550d xDrive Sedan, Touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d.

The 5-series M Performance cars have fantastic performance, diesel or not. The M550d Sedan is capable of sprints to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, and the wagon can do it in 4.9 seconds. The sedan uses 6.3l/100km of diesel and 6.4l/100km for the wagon. As far as emissions, the sedan produces 165g/km of CO2 and the Touring creates 169g/km. The cars conform to EU6 standards. 

The cars are more than just an advanced engine in the same old chassis. Both come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, all-wheel drive and an aerodynamically tweaked exterior. The M Division has also tweaked the suspension. The Touring model comes with an air suspension in the rear. They both come standard with 19in, and there is a 20in wheel option. 

The interior has Alcantara and Nappa leather seats and steering wheel. The gearshift is decorated with the M logo.

The X5 M50d and X6 M50d are similarly exclusive in terms of equipment and performance. The X6 is slightly faster being capable of getting to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds compared to the X5's 5.4 seconds. The X5, though, uses less fuel at 7.5l/100km of diesel and has lower emissions at 199g/km of CO2, compared to the X6's 7.7l/100km fuel consumption and 204g/km of CO2 emissions. They conform to EU5 standards. 

The the 5-series M Performance cars, the X5 and X6 get the eight-speed automatic transmission, but there are some differences between them and their car-based counterparts. Both come with standard rear air suspension, and the X6 gets standard Adaptive Drive. The X5 and X6 both come with standard 20in wheels.  Both cars also get the same interior upgrades as the 5-series M Performance cars. 

There is no word on the price of these models, but they will be out later this year, at first in Germany. There are no plans to sell them in the US as of right now.