Review of the new BMW X5 Range

Few cars demonstrate just how rapidly the car industry moves more clearly than the BMW X5. When it first appeared in 1999, it would be no exaggeration to say that it completely revolutionised the market for big 4x4s. Think of the sector pre-X5 and post X5 - it really was that much of a landmark vehicle. Before the BMW appeared, 4x4s were mainly big, slow and agricultural. Other manufacturers were just beginning to see that it was possible to build in a little refinement and elegance but when the X5 first appeared in 1999, it changed everybody's perception. Within four years, however, it had gone from the head of the bunch with no foreseeable rivals to lower middle order. Something needed to be done. Something has and you're looking at it right here in the shape of the second generation X5.

Clues as to the direction this vehicle would take appeared in 2004 with the launch of the BMW X3. Many potential customers groused that the X3 was almost as expensive as the X5 and couldn't see the point of the smaller car but plans for the replacement X5 were already well in hand, with the aim of pitching a much bigger car a good deal further upmarket in order to compete against the likes of the Range Rover, the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg on an equal footing. Now it all makes a good deal more sense. In the years since the X5 first appeared, much has progressed in the science of packaging a car within a given wheelbase. This much was evident when BMW let slip the fact that the X3 was actually bigger than the old X5 inside and the latest X5 is supersized compared to its predecessor.

Let's have a look at the pertinent facts. This X5 is only 19cm longer than the old model but manages to incorporate up to three rows of seats. Even with all three rows occupied, there's still 200 litres of boot space. In a more conventional five-seat configuration, the X5's boot measures 620-litres, up 155 litres on its predecessor. There's also an additional 90-litre storage compartment under the floor if you're not interested in having seven seat capacity and BMW reckons that only around 10 to 15 per cent of buyers will opt for the extra seats. This X5 is also 6cm wider than its forebear but, in another case of the engineers pulling a rabbit out of their hat, weighs no more in base specification.

The styling of the car is a good deal more conservative than many contemporary BMWs with little of the ostentatious 'flame-surfacing' seen on models such as the 5 Series and Z4. Instead, BMW has adopted a more restrained look and feel that lifts the best aspects of modern BMW design language and fuses them together in a broadly harmonious fashion. The dashboard features the same 'wing' design as many BMW saloons while the stance of the car is much like a supersized and rather chunkier X3. It's a very deft piece of styling that, in common with its predecessor, manages to disguise its bulk superbly.

"With this X5, BMW is looking to restore a hierarchy that sees it unopposed on the top step of the luxury 4x4 podium. Would you bet against it?"

One thing that BMW is keen not to alter is the X5's reputation as being the best driver's car in its class. When the model first appeared, the German company invented a new classification for it, steering away from the lumbering Sports Utility Vehicles and dubbing the X5 a Sports Activity Vehicle, marketing doublespeak for the fact that this car was aimed at on-road performance rather than off-road ruggedness.

BMW's intent is obvious when examining the finer engineering beneath the X5. Instead of a high-mounted engine that stays clear of water, much as you'd get in most serious 4x4s, BMW have gone the opposite way, mounting the engine and gearbox as low and as far back as possible for an aggressive centre of gravity to help spirited cornering.

Customers with older X5 models may well encounter a sense of deja vu when they run the rule over the available engine line up, three of the powerplants offered to UK customers being the familiar 235bhp 3.0-litre diesel, the 272bhp 3.0-litre petrol and the range-topping 355bhp 4.8-litre petrol powerplant (all carried over from the MK1 model). What's changed is the addition of a 3.0sd unit that uses twin turbochargers to boost its output to 286bhp and the mighty twin-turbo V8 in the X5 M. There's also a six-speed gearbox that shifts faster and features a smaller gearstick for space efficiency in the cabin, freeing up room for the all-important cupholders. An electronic parking brake also supplants the more traditional handbrake this time round.

A number of other innovations feature on the X5. As well as intelligent xDrive four-wheel drive, the X5 ushers in Adaptive Drive and Active Steering for the first time on a BMW X model. Adaptive Drive uses active hydraulic anti-roll bars to counteract the cornering forces of the car to keep the body from leaning too heavily and unsettling the occupants. In addition to this, Adaptive Drive incorporates an Electronic Damper Control system that uses sensors to continuously adjust the damper setting for optimum comfort. Active Steering uses an electronically operated planetary gear intersecting the steering shaft that adds more lock than that dialled in by the driver at slow speeds to make parking easier. When driving at speed the opposite occurs, offering extra reassurance and more dynamic feedback.

Other innovations include a Heads-up Display - a first for a vehicle of this ilk. For enhanced safety the system projects speed, navigation and check control messages onto the windscreen into the line of sight of the driver. Such a system allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road ahead while still being made aware of important instructions. One of the tricks behind this X5's excellent luggage space is the fact that it carries no spare, instead being fitted with run-flat tyres - again a first for a big 4x4. These tyres allow a driver to continue a journey in the event of a puncture for up to 90 miles at speeds of 50mph and also offer additional reassurance in the event of a blowout. The X5 comes as standard with 18-inch alloy wheels but if you really want to go to town, there's also the option of 19 and 20-inch rims. A full colour rear parking camera is another option that looks set to prove popular.

As stable as the X5 promises to be, there's always the safety net of the Dynamic Stability Control+ system to fall back on. Standard on all X5 models, this comes with four unique functions for added safety and comfort. Brake Pre-tensioning reduces stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes should it detect the driver lifting off the accelerator sharply in reaction to an incident ahead. Brake Drying improves braking performance in the wet by periodically applying the brake pads to scrub away the film of water that can build up on the brake discs. Hill Start Assistant allows a car to pull away smoothly on a steep gradient without rolling backwards, courtesy of the brakes being held for the short time it takes the driver to apply the accelerator after releasing the foot or handbrake. Brake Fade Compensation applies additional braking without any extra effort from the driver should sensors detect that the brake pads are starting to lose 'bite' due to heat build-up.

The BMW started out great and became merely very good. The latest vehicle may never reclaim the dominant market share its predecessor once enjoyed, but BMW will once again have the hardware to put upstarts like Volvo and Volkswagen firmly in their place and duke it out on a level playing field with the likes of Audi and Mercedes. This looks like a welcome return to form.

TOP 5 X5 DEALS

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BMW X5 xDrive30d SE 5dr Auto Diesel Estate
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