BMW X5 Protection Doesn’t Mind Taking A Bullet In New Ad

How often do you see an ad for an armored car? We'd guess it's not a thing most people stumble across with any regularity. But it seems BMW is changing things up, unveiling a new commercial for the BMW X5 Protection VR6.

The 75-second spot features the X5 Protection VR6 in "THE RACE", accelerating along a dusty trail before hitting paved roads as a gunshot rings out. Yes, the race is between the armored X5 and a bullet.

In reality, there's no way the BMW wins this race. The Protection VR6 can handle impacts from the 7.62-millimeter round of an AK-47, a weapon that spits lead with a muzzle velocity of 715 meters per second, or just a hair under 1,600 miles per hour. This armored SUV, meanwhile, has an electronically limited top speed of 131 mph. It's really no contest.

But the X5 doesn't need to outrun the unidentified bullet in this race. As the VIP sits comfortably in the Protection VR6's second row, the driver executes some evasive maneuvers before turning head-on to face the bullet. BMW doesn't show us the impact of this computer-generated round hitting the X5, but the aftermath is clear as the bullet, mushroomed by the impact, bounces harmlessly to the ground.

For those that need a refresher, the X5 Protection VR6 starts life as an X5 M50i, packing a twin-turbocharged 4.4-lifter V8 with 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. The VR6 in the Protection's name indicates its level of armor, which is also capable of shrugging off a close-by blast (just 13 feet away) from 33 pounds of TNT. While we can see the impact of the armor on the X5 Protection's handling in the ad, the additional weight has just a minor impact on straight-line performance. This armored SUV can still sprint to 62 in just 5.9 seconds, or 1.6 seconds behind the standard M50i.

Check out the full ad up top.