,000 to ,000 Mid
Sized SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle)
Who should buy
this car:
A person looking for a
vehicle that looks and performs like an
off-road SUV, but handles like an on-road sports car.
Comparable cars in this class:
Infiniti FX45, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus GX470, Mercedes
Benz M-Class, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg
When BMW announced that it
was getting into the sport utility market, everyone wondered just what that
vehicle would be like. The original 4.4-liter V8-powered X5 did not
disappoint. It proved to retain BMW's sporting heritage and character,
while providing all the amenities and capabilities of a top-of-the-line SUV.
BMW went so far as to create their own classification for this vehicle, calling
it a "Sports Activity Vehicle"
The X5 4.4i now has two brothers, a six-cylinder-powered X5 3.0i, and the
"super performance" X5 4.6is, with a 340-horsepower DOHC V8. The
prices range from a low of ,000 for the X5 3.0i to a lofty ,000 for the
rocket sled X5 4.6is with a 0 to 60 time of 6.2 secs. and a top speed of 150
MPH.
Our tester is the original X5 4.4I, powered by a 4.4-liter DOHC V8 that
delivers 290 horsepower and 324 lbs. ft. of torque, which is more than enough
for any normal driving condition. This combination will do the 0 to 60
blast in a respectable 7.5 seconds. In fact,
we often found ourselves chirping the tires, even on dry roads, when we
accelerated away from stop signs.
The
engine connects to the drive wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.
The gearbox has a manual Sport mode, which allows the driver to shift manually.
However, there's enough power to make the manual shifter unnecessary. I believe
that manual-mode automatics are most useful in lower-powered cars, where you have
a greater need to shift more often, but hey, but what do I know.
The X5 is a BMW through and through. There's beautiful burled wood trim
on the console, dash and wrapping around the doors and
includes a wood trim-covered door over the CD insertion slot. The paneling was
in a light color and looked rich and inviting.
One feature I especially liked about the X5 was the abundance of storage
areas throughout the cabin. Inside the glove box is a CD with operating
instructions on how to use the features of the vehicle. In the driver's door was
the standard owner's manual. There were cupholders, storage compartments and two
storage areas in the center console armrest. There were also power outlets all over the place to power cell phones and
other 12-volt accessories.
Rear seat
legroom is excellent, which is nice when you have oversized passengers to carry. There's a
power outlet in the rear as well as an arm rest that serves as a
push-through if you want to carry skis or other long objects without having to
fold the seat down. The rear seat does
fold flat to create a large cargo area.
On one trip, I used the X5 to pick up pizza. Normally, this isn't a newsworthy event, but
there are two elastic straps on the floor of the cargo area that are excellent
for holding a pizza box in place. I'm sure they are there for other more serious
reasons, but holding a pizza box can be serious, too.
As with all BMWs, the X5 has a dual kidney-shaped grille and looks extremely
aerodynamic. I liked the headlight washers that popping out of the front bumpers
to send a high pressure spray in order to clean the optional Xenon lights.
Cargo capacity is measured at 23.8 cubic feet to 54.4 cubic feet, depending
on how you shift the seats. Our tester had a shade over the rear storage compartment
that sometimes made it difficult to put objects in there, but we coped. An
optional
retractable load floor, that allows the carpeted floor panel to roll out on
ball-bearing rails to facilitate loading objects is a nice
feature.
The
rear hatch is a two-piece affair. The window glass lifts separately from the
lower section, which drops down. This arrangement makes it possible to have a
choice in how you load the back. Of course, with the shade pulled all the way
back you can't load with just the window open.
Driving the X5 is a pleasure, as is driving most BMWs. The ride is extremely
comfortable. My wife liked it because of the relatively high riding position.
She doesn't like cars that ride close to the highway. If there's a choice of
vehicles, we often have a "discussion" as to which car we take. She also likes SUVs because I tend to drive them less vigorously than
sportier vehicles, whether they have sport shift or not.
The winter
has finally left us so I didn't have an opportunity to test the four-wheel drive
capabilities of the X5 in the white stuff, and I didn't go looking for trouble, as I might have in
warmer weather. My associate, Charles Ofria, did have an opportunity to
drive an X5 off-road and he reports that this Bimmer was quite capable in the
rough. He was particularly impressed by the new Hill Decent Control that
allowed the driver to negotiate down a steep hill with his foot completely off
the brake and gas. The computer kept the X5 to a speed of below 5 mph and
made sure, by applying individual wheel brakes, that it followed the path he was
steering toward, automatically correcting for sideways slips and slides along
the way.
The BMW X5 is a true Bimmer in that it delivers comfort, luxury,
performance and, most importantly, is fun to drive. Only this time, BMW did it in a sport utility (or sport activity)
vehicle.
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The
engine connects to the drive wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.
The gearbox has a manual Sport mode, which allows the driver to shift manually.
However, there's enough power to make the manual shifter unnecessary. I believe
that manual-mode automatics are most useful in lower-powered cars, where you have
a greater need to shift more often, but hey, but what do I know.
Rear seat
legroom is excellent, which is nice when you have oversized passengers to carry. There's a
power outlet in the rear as well as an arm rest that serves as a
push-through if you want to carry skis or other long objects without having to
fold the seat down. The rear seat does
fold flat to create a large cargo area.
The
rear hatch is a two-piece affair. The window glass lifts separately from the
lower section, which drops down. This arrangement makes it possible to have a
choice in how you load the back. Of course, with the shade pulled all the way
back you can't load with just the window open.
