Highlights

Colossal torque – all 546lb ft of it!

Full service history

Striking and sought-after triple black spec

Recent oil service

Versatile 7-seater configuration,

Overview BMW’s ubiquitous X5 is a firmly established part of the automotive scenery, having been around since 1999, and has done sterling work to bring the idea of the luxury sporting SUV into the mainstream.

As is to be expected, the range at launch offered a broad spread of spec and power levels, from the utilitarian diesel base models to the surprisingly sporty petrol V8s with their goliath-like motors.

And as the models evolved across the generations, one thing came to characterise the X5’s vital ethos above all others: torque. The car we have for you here is an E70-generation M50d, a machine that serves up a frankly devastating 546lb.ft from just 2000rpm, which sounds like enough to ruck up the tarmac like a ruffled hallway carpet and perhaps even knock the Earth slightly off its axis.

How did BMW arrive at ...