Good one, BMW.
BMW has only built a handful of trucks over the years, with the most recent one being the X7 luxury pickup unveiled back in July. All workhorses carrying the roundel have been strictly one-off projects, and the chances of seeing a BMW with a bed in the back are slim as the German marque claims there’s no business case for it.
That means the Bavarians are highly unlikely to come out with something along the lines of a Cybertruck competitor, but that didn’t stop BMW’s social media team from having some innocent fun on Twitter. Highlighting the new X5 Protection VR6, the tweet mentions the armored SUV’s bulletproof windows and “splinter protection in case it gets hit by a metal ball.” It’s obviously a reference to the Armor Glass test with a steel ball that didn’t go as planned during Tesla’s reveal of the Cybertruck in L.A.
Aside from both having four wheels, the two vehicles couldn’t be any more different, so it’s interesting BMW decided to ride on the Tesla Cybertruck’s wave of popularity to highlight its X5 Protection VR6. The former is an electric pickup truck that starts off at $39,900 and tops out at $69,900 while the latter is a 523-horsepower luxury SUV that has a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine from the $82,150 X5 M50i. Being an armored version that can take bullets shot from an AK-47, it obviously costs a lot more than that, likely with six figures.
BMW has a long history of building armored cars that started off with the 733i High Security back in 1978. Its latest one is even ready for a drone attack provided the X5 is fitted with the optional armored roof that can withstand up to 200 grams (0.44 pounds) of C4 explosive. Since that Twitter post is about the windows, it’s worth mentioning the SUV’s 33-mm (1.3-inch) thick side glass boasts an internal polycarbonate layer for extra splinter protection.
Gallery: BMW X5 Protection VR6 (2019)
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