According to a report by Autocar, BMW has announced a new, armored version of the X5 called the X5 Security Plus. It’s been beefed up to VR6 standard, a ballistics integrity qualification that means it can absorb gunfire from weapons like the 7.62mm-lobbing AK47.
To bolster the vehicle’s combat performance, BMW has upgraded all the seam joints and connecting panels on the X5, using overlapping reinforcements to keep its occupants out of harm’s way. The safety glass has also been strengthened significantly.
The X5 will be plenty capable of a quick getaway too, as it features the same 4.4-liter, 449-horsepower V8 engine from the xDrive50i. In standard guise, the car weighs a shade under 5000 pounds and sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, but it’s safe to say its performance will suffer slightly with the addition of heavy armor plating.
There isn’t a lot of aesthetic change from the normal car, but BMW claims that suspension settings and driver aids have been tweaked slightly, and there’s a new gear selector mounted to the center console for quick changes. The X5 will be built in Mexico at a devoted plant.
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When the X5 Security Plus is officially unveiled, it will enter a rapidly expanding market of ironclad commuter cars. Inkas, an armored vehicle manufacturer, unveiled a nigh-invulnerable Mercedes G63 AMG in July that can survive grenade detonations and sustained machine gun fire.
Another armored Merc, this time an S-Class modified by Transeco, made its debut last year. The bullet-deflecting luxury sedan surrounds its passengers in an armored cage and wears a reinforced bumper that’s perfect for ramming your way out of trouble.
The X5 Security Plus will make its debut next week at the Moscow Motor Show.
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