Sometimes it’s a struggle to get one’s head around the messages car companies send with their products, and the BMW X5 M Competition is a perfect case in point.
Here we have a 617 horsepower, twin-turbocharged V8 missile that can easily be hurtled around a racetrack as eagerly as any track-day sports car with a beautifully rear-wheel biased, all-wheel drive system. Yet it’s being pitched to us as an all-road family SUV made for the school run.
Make no mistake, the X5 M Competition is bred for hot laps. But you might have a boot full of football kit or shopping rolling around the back, and there may be a booster seat — hopefully empty — plugged into the rear Isofix restraint as you hurtle past 100 kilometres per hour in 3.7 seconds, vainly chasing down a top speed of 285kph.
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
So it’s an easy car to love and ticks all the right boxes. While the neighbours may carry a Lamborghini badge on their family SUV, you can rest assured they won’t be getting away from the lights much quicker than your subtle, yet muscular-looking X5.
A shiny black diffuser at the rear that envelops the quad exhaust tips, a black kidney grille at the nose and blacked-out X5 M Competition badges — all these elements tell this apart from a regular X5 and give it an almost sinister stance.
As if the 600hp X5 M weren’t a decent unit on its own, adding the Competition package brings an extra 17hp, a slightly wilder exhaust in Sports mode, an added Track mode, an engine strut tower brace for added rigidity and larger 22-inch diameter rear wheels to offset the 21-inch rims on the front.
On the comfort side, you get a premium leather fit-out. From first-hand experience, the additional padding on the sides of the centre console really does stop bruising to the knee during vigorous cornering.
The variable all-wheel-drive system lets you choose between maximum traction on all four wheels or go full rear-biased for the track. On this test drive, I kept with the surety of having power and grip on each wheel and, with that, the cornering grip and stopping power were phenomenal thanks to 396mm discs on the front and 386mm brakes on the rear.
Seeing is believing or, in this case, experiencing, because its tall ride height and family-sized configuration undersell the car’s performance capabilities. Have enough faith to throw it into a corner and it rewards with prodigious grip, giving you the confidence to let it run through a mountain pass as though it were a vehicle a quarter of its size and weight. Once you’ve settled into a rhythm, it inspires confidence and is an exceptionally easy car to manage even when near the limit.
A 12.3-inch digital display sits behind the leather-wrapped sports wheel. This houses the M Drive mode buttons that are anodised red, tempting you to set up your own bespoke sports settings.
The infotainment system features BMW’s iDrive software that can also be controlled by hand gestures, voice commands and a rotary controller on the centre console. While Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a Harman/Kardon audio system are standard, The National’s test car featured the outstanding Bowers & Wilkins optional sound system.
Ambient interior lighting, a large head-up display and cooled seats are all standard, and there’s no shortage of passenger space in the rear even with a sizeable cargo area behind the back seats.
There is no reasonable justification to own the BMW X5 M Competition, yet that’s where its allure lies, in that it is such an insanely over-the-top solution in a fairly modest shape.
It comes at the expense of its pay-to-play fuel consumption that drops dramatically the harder you press the gas pedal yet, despite this, it is now logged as one of the most desirable cars I’ve driven in 2022. As unlikely as it looks, it provided a truly inspiring drive.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A