BMW's X5 4x4 has been given the M Sport treatment, and the uprated car will go on sale from ??53,440.

The X5's sporty kit includes 19-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, body styling, sports seats, roof rails and a leather steering wheel. Larger 20-inch alloy wheels are an option.

The car's 4.8-litre V8 engine produces 355bhp , enough to power the car from 0-62mph in 6.5secs and on to a top speed of 150mph.

Running costs won't be cheap, though - although better than rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 for fuel economy and emissions, the M Sport only manages an average fuel consumption of 22.6mpg.

Company car drivers will pay a hefty amount, too, as carbon dioxide emissions are 299g/km, putting the car in the 35% top tax bracket.

The X5 M Sport is on sale now, with M Sport variants of the 3.0d and 3.0si models expected to be launched later this year.

Source: [url=http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=225929]News - What Car?[/url]