Why is it so fun to configure cars I can’t afford on online configurators? Now that the BMW X5 M Competition LCI is here, the online configurator for the UK market is live and of course it’s taken up quite a bit of my day, despite the fact that I neither can afford it, nor live in the UK. However, there are plenty of readers that are based in the UK, so I’m doing something useful, right?
Here’s how this is going to work: I’m going to give you my ideal BMW X5 M Competition
Exterior
In the UK, the BMW X5 M Competition starts at £126,610 and for that you get a bunch of free paint colors, Merino leather interior, and of course the full-fat M Division powertrain. As for paint, only Dravit Grey and Frozen Pure Grey are optional extras and there are quite a few good paint colors already included. However, there’s really only one chose, isn’t there—Isle of Man Green. First introduced on the G80 M3, Isle of Man Green is looking its best on the X5 M, especially at the front, where it meets contrasting gloss black. It also looks better on the style 818 wheels.
Interior
As for the interior, I don’t really like any of the color options, especially in combination with Isle of Man Green. So I just stuck with black. It’s hard to go wrong with a black interior and I actually dig the combination of green paint and black cabin. For the most part, when you see a green car, its interior is usually some sort of tan, brown, or beige because those colors pair really well with green. But I like when people mix it up a bit and pair it with black, so that’s what I’m going for here. However, I am going to use the £560 ash wood trim because it brightens up the dark cabin a bit and I don’t think interior trim should be anything other than wood or metal, so no carbon fiber or piano black for me, thank you.
Options
I’m also going to forgo the optional £1,550 carbon fiber pack because I’m not spending all of that money to replace plastic trim with fancier plastic trim. I’m also going to skip the £2,400 M Driver’s Pack, because I would never take an X5 M Competition to 180 mph, so I don’t need a higher top speed limiter.
That brings my total to £127,170, with the only optional extra being the ash wood trim. And that wasn’t me trying to be a cheapskate (although I am), it was just me choosing the options that matter to me, regardless of price. After all, I’m playing with hypothetical money, here. The BMW X5 M Competition doesn’t really need many options, though, as it comes quite loaded from the beginning. So if you’re looking to buy one, know that you don’t really need to spend much more, if any at all, than the base price.
[Source: BMW UK]
