BMW X5 Security Plus SUV withstands AK-47 attacks

April 15, 2009

Working a security detail where a prince wants to go skiing in the mountains of Afghanistan or taking a warlord off-roading in Somalia? Then you need BMW's newest security and executive protection vehicle: The BMW X5 Security Plus.

This is a top-shelf SUV capable of carrying 5 persons and all their skis, jewels, leather briefcases and secret documents, and doing it in a manner so safe and secure, you'd think you were driving a Volvo to soccer practice.

Highlights of the X5 Security Plus model include a security glass laminate (3 centimeters thick) to bulletproof and shatterproof your windows, a high-strength steel cage, and armoring at window and door joints to ensure that "neither bullets nor shrapnel can penetrate the passenger compartment." BMW even tested it against the ever-popular AK-47, a favorite tool of terrorist radicals and small-time militias everywhere.

The chassis is beefed up and tuned to give you the same sporty ride of non-security X5s so it can deal with the extra weight that comes from armoring, and the vehicle features BMW's "X-drive" all-wheel-drive system so you can keep moving no matter whether you're traveling over IED-cracked pavement or slippery mud. You get run-flat tires, of course, and I don't think they charge you extra for a leather interior. You do, however, have to pay extra for options like an LED lightbar, a rear signaling device, and front and rear video cameras, but the prince is worth it, right?

If the X5 Security Plus is too much, check out the normal X5 Security model, or if you'd rather not have SUV styling, check out the BMW 5-series security sedans or wait for the super luxurious 7-series security sedans which are coming out this autumn.

I'll provide a more complete review if the accounting department gives the OK for me to head over to the BMW dealership.

Ok, enough text; you may now start drooling:

-Geoff