The X5M may be equipped with a much more powerful 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 pushing out 555-horses to all four corners of the car, but the fact remains that it's a tall and heavy SUV.

The M3 Coupe, on the other hand, makes up for its less potent 414-horsepower naturally aspirated 4.0L V8 by being significantly lighter and far more nimble on the road.

So if you're on a track, the answer to the question we posed in the title should be obvious. Well, at least it should be if you play a fair game. Watch the video after the break and you'll see what we mean.

We'll have the chance to see BMW's complete lineup of M Performance Parts at next month's Geneva Auto Show before the range goes on sale this Spring, but the Bavarian automaker has already kicked off a new campaign to promote its products with a new video showcasing the 1-Series hatch.

The M Performance lineup will include a variety of engine, suspension, aerodynamic, and interior components, all of which target the enthusiast market.

At first we had the M brand for BMW's thoroughbred sports cars, then came the M Sport Packages, which add styling and suspension upgrades to the firm's mainstream vehicles.

More recently, the Bavarians launched the M Performance sub-brand that offers exclusive engine variants, enhanced handling and bespoke styling treats at a lower cost than the pure M models. You see the pattern, right?

So the next step for BMW is the introduction of the M Performance Parts, that will launch in spring 2012.

It seems that BMW has entered a non-stop process either revealing completely new models or updating its existing portfolio.

Just to get an idea of what we're talking about, in the last 30 days alone, BMW has introduced these new models: 320i Turbo plus the 316d and 318d; the 125i Turbo, 125d, 116d ED and 1-Series M Sport Packages; the M550d, X5 M50d and X6 M50d; the X6 and X6M Facelift, the market launch of the ActiveHybrid 5; and of course, the M6 Coupe and Convertible.

Earlier this week, BMW blew the covers off the first models of its new M Performance sub-brand, namely the M550d, X5 M50d and X6 M50d.

But that's only the beginning as the German firm plans to expand the range to include if not all, most of its models including the 1-Series five-door hatchback, a prototype of which our scoop photographers caught while testing in Europe (albeit with a fake 118i moniker on the tailgate).

So far, the most powerful model of the new 1-Series hatch is the recently announced 125i sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that puts out 218bhp and 310Nm (228 lb-ft) propelling the five-door model to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.4 seconds and on to a maximum velocity of 245 km/h (152mph).

Following on from yesterday's official presentation, BMW has published the first video on its M Performance range that launches in Europe with the M550d xDrive Sedan and Touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d models, all powered by a new 381-horsepower, 3.0-liter tri-turbocharged straight-six diesel.

Prepared by the Bavarian firm's M division, the new M Performance models blend M Sport styling cues with M tuned engines and chassis components – and yes, we did notice that there are a lot of M's there. We'll just have to wait and see if those M's will actually make BMW buyers go mmmmm… Make the jump to view the short clip.

The first examples of BMW's newly launched M Performance Automobiles lineup were introduced today ahead of their world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show in the second week of March.

The new models are the M550d xDrive sedan, M550d xDrive Touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d, and as their names suggest, they're all powered by the same diesel engine and feature the Bavarian firm's xDrive all-wheel drive system.

And before you get your hopes high, we'd better tell you that none of them are planned for the US market.

BMW's M Performance Automobiles sub-brand was created to offer a diverse lineup of models with a wide choice of engines including diesels not only to compete with Audi's S range, but as we reckon, also to avoid further dilution of the M division.

If what they say about photography being the art of capturing the beauty of the moment and freezing it forever in time is true, then the person who took this picture of the new BMW M5 saloon's badge has accomplished the goal in the most literal sense of the phrase.

Head over the break for a high-resolution version of the image.

After a shopping spree in the 1990s, which saw the BMW Group acquire the California based industrial design studio DesignworksUSA, the British Rover Group and the rights to the Rolls Royce nameplate, the Bavarian company cooled down and focused on building up the range of its three core brands: BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce while selling off MG Rover.

Today, the BMW brand already comprises of two unique sub-brands developed under the M and the "i" monikers for its high-performance and for its electric cars, plug-in hybrids and other alternative-power vehicles respectively.

But the Bavarians aren't done yet as following the example of Audi and it's S range that slots between the regular and RS models, they are readying a third sub brand called M Performance that will be positioned under the automaker's M models.