BMW has never ventured into off-roaders, leaving money on the table for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender to grab. Even the original Porsche Cayenne had a low-range transfer case and a locking differential, but Munich has consistently refused to cater to the all-terrain crowd.
However, in the words of Bob Marley, the times they are a-changin. We’ve reported on the prospects of a “G74,” expected to be more capable off the beaten path than any BMW before it. While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, all signs point to a 2029 launch with three-row seating and a choice between plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrains.
Whether the so-called “Rugged” project materializes remains to be seen, but in an interesting twist, BMW M’s boss is not dismissing the idea of a performance off-roader. Frank van Meel told Australia’s Car Expert that such a model would still stay true to the M formula by maintaining a direct connection to racing.
“I could imagine M on off-road products, because if you come from racing there’s not only the WEC [World Endurance Championship] and IMSA [International Motor Sports Association] [sports car categories], but the Paris-Dakar [off-road rally]. I don’t think it’s [an off-road M model] a contradiction because, in Paris-Dakar, if you look at the race cars, they’re quite performance-driven cars as well. So, if there would be a segment like that, I wouldn’t say no.”
A BMW-powered off-roader already exists, and it’s called the Ineos Grenadier. Offered as both an SUV and a pickup truck, the workhorse comes with 3.0-liter inline-six gasoline and diesel engines from the B58 and B57 families. Additionally, the Defender mentioned earlier also has a BMW heart. It’s a twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V8 that also powers other Land Rover products such as the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
Should BMW decide to launch an off-roader of its own, an M version is unlikely to arrive from day one. With the standard G74 supposedly arriving in 2029, the hotter derivative could follow early next decade. The rumored addition to the “X” lineup is expected to be one of the six electric SUVs the company has pledged to build in Spartanburg by 2030.
While BMW traditionalists may scoff at the idea of an off-roader, stranger things have happened in the M universe. The decision to greenlight the XM immediately comes to mind. Pictured here, the wacky “Dune Taxi” didn’t go into production. However, the 2022 electric off-roader may have been an early signal. Here’s what a BMW Middle East representative said at the time:
“The Dune Taxi video by BMW Middle East at the Liwa Festival location is for entertainment purposes. It is to demonstrate what could be possible when you challenge perceptions around what sheer driving pleasure with M cars on their road to electrification can mean. We took the opportunity to collaborate with Spark Racing Technology and use their base car for the video filming. BMW Group Designworks created the great design for the chassis. The Dune Taxi symbolizes BMW’s ambition to challenge the status quo.”
Source: Car Expert
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
