BMW X5 Protection VR6 puts lots of armor between good guys and bad

BMW made its first armored vehicle in 1978 with the 733i High Security. The automaker’s been in the personal protection business ever since, bringing ballistic plate to the X5 in 2004. The latest, fourth-generation SAV takes its turn in the firing line with the X5 Protection VR6, nearly identical to the series production X5 but with plenty of steel plate and composites to protect occupants. The VR6 rating means protection from 7.62×39 (AK-47) ammunition and 30.06 armor-piercing and Penetrator rounds, a passenger cell that can withstand lateral blasts from 72 pounds of TNT at a distance of 39 feet. Layered side glass 1.3 inches thick contains an internal polycarbonate layer for extra splinter protection, and is found around the vehicle as well as between the passenger cell and luggage compartment. The standard aluminum underbody shield and floor plating repel the force of a German military-issue DM51 hand grenade, and the fuel tank is self-sealing.

With 40 years of experience in designing a lightly armored personnel carrier, BMW doesn’t skimp on the details. The high-strength steel plate surrounds the entire cabin, including the front bulkhead, with the plate overlapping in any sensitive area like panel gaps. Only the driver’s side windows are power operated as standard, but electric windows can be ordered for the passenger’s side, and all windows can be limited to a four-inch opening. When it’s not safe to open the windows, an intercom system allows occupants to speak to those outside the X5, while an “attack alarm” lets anyone nearby know things have gone pear-shaped. When the action starts, all the windows roll up, “Post Blast Protective Technology” keeps all the windows in place to ward off secondary attacks, and the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 stays running even after a collision and continues to power the cabin. The only weak spot, the roof, can be upgraded with armor, too, able to withstand 7 ounces of C4 explosive.

Because people with assets will buy these, BMW has made Live Cockpit Professional displays, four-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, and Automatic Soft Close for the doors standard equipment. A touch of luxury for the driver comes in the M leather steering wheel.

The engine has the same output as in the X5 M50i: 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. The additional weight slows proceedings some, the normal X5 M50i gunning from zero to 62 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds, and the X5 Protection VR6 needing 5.9 seconds for the feat. An adaptive suspension with reinforced steel springs, sport brakes, active roll stabilization, four-wheel steering, and 20-inch light alloy wheels on run-flat tires with reinforced sidewalls try to keep the drive tied down when the bad guys arrive to blow it up.