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Better Late and Great
"A little late to the party, eh?" one might ask BMW as they now
hop on the SUV bandwagon. After all, Mercedes-Benz has been selling its
M-class here for two years now, and even back then many of their customers
had already traded in their sedans for Tahoes, Grand Cherokees, and Land
Cruisers. Why has BMW been conspicuously absent from the booming SUV
market?
"To get it right," they tell us. For starters, they eschew the
SUV label in favor of "SAV," or Sports Activity Vehicle -
coining the term, and as BMW would have it, creating a new type of
automobile. Rather than trying to "civilize" a truck or
"toughen" a car (with attendant compromises in both on- and
off-road performance) BMW chose instead to build a ground-up vehicle which
met its legendary performance expectations while providing the ride
height, cargo room, and all-weather, all-road capability they believe its
customers are looking for. Thus, the X5 is first and foremost a supremely
capable if not downright entertaining road car - one with exceptional
utility and versatility to boot.
All New, Yet Proven
Though its exterior dimensions slot the X5 in the middle of the BMW range,
and some mechanical bits and pieces (including the lively and lovely
4.4-liter V8) are pulled from the corporate parts bin, the Sport Activity
Vehicle's chassis is very much an all-new creation. Passenger-style
unit-body construction (as opposed to the more primitive but forgiving
body-on-frame design used in most SUVs) places torsional stiffness and
strength in the same league as BMW sedans; like those vault-tight cars,
the X5 feels as if it was machined from a single billet of steel.
We think the exterior design is attractive and appropriate but perhaps a
scooch too conservative. With the double-kidney grille and quad headlamps
, there's no mistaking this beast (it is larger in person than it appears
in photos) for a BMW. But the X5 blends in almost too well, looking at
first glance like a lifted 3- or 5-Series wagon - good looking cars both,
mind you. Still, it would have been sweet if the Bavarians had spread the
"creative license" of those funky Z3 roadsters around a bit!
Aside from the tall seating position so popularized today, the driver's
seat feel is 100 percent Bimmer as is the quality of its interior.
Unlike those of its primary competitor, the materials look, feel, and
smell right. Turn the key, and it sounds right too - like the company's
best sedans, there's the 4.4-liter V8 under the hood. Variable-valve
timing, all-aluminum construction, and sophisticated engine management
aside, the silky 282-horse engine outright shames most SUV powerplants and
rivals the very best from Toyota/Lexus, Benz, and Ford. Expect the sprint
to 60 mph to take a thrilling 7.5 seconds or so. And, just as good is its
stopping power. Our 60 to zero haulting distance was pegged at an
impressive 107 feet.
Mechancals and Magic
Step on the clutch and .... wait, where's the clutch? Though rumors of a
manual-shift X5 ran rampant we are sad to report that at least for the
near future we won't be enjoying a manual gearbox in this BMW. The
Steptronic automatic is one of the finest autoboxes in the business,
however, with five forward speeds chosen either by an adaptive computer
algorithm or by the driver via a special +/- shift gate.
A planetary center differential splits torque approximately 38%/62%
between the front and rear axles. What's worth noting here is that while
most "all-wheel drive systems are derived from front-wheel drive
platforms (e.g. Audi, Subaru) the rear-drive characteristics (neutral
handling, directional stability, absence of torque steer) essential to the
character of a BMW are retained. The differentials front and rear are of
the "mechanically open" type; like the systems used by
Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover, the electronic wizardry of AST (all-season
traction) applies individual wheel brakes to ensure progress over the most
slippery, uneven surfaces.
Independently suspended at all four wheels, the X5 has virtually flawless
road manners. Up front, BMW's double-pivot MacPherson strut setup
(borrowed from the similarly heavy 750iL) is mounted via a
hydraulically-damped subframe. The rear multilink design is also similar
to that of the flagship sedan, though self-leveling air springs have been
chosen to minimize ride height changes under varying loads. The X5 handles
with typical Teutonic composure and comfort; for those who desire crisper
response, a firmer sport suspension option is available.
Alphabet Soup of Technology
Naturally-good handling is enhanced by an electronic Big Brother known as
Dynamic Stability Control, or DSC. Really an extension of the same
hardware that provides anti-lock braking and all-season traction, DSC
compares the inputs of the driver with the true course of the vehicle and
makes instantaneous corrections to help maintain control. On dry pavement,
the system operates only during emergency maneuvers, whereas on slippery
ground it may kick in more often. For deep snow and sand, or on the
Nürburgring, where such electronic corrections can be counter-productive,
the system can be set by push-button to a higher threshold of slip.
Braking is among the best of any SUV, thanks to gigantic 13-inch discs at
all four corners, electronic brake proportioning, and a new system called
Dynamic Brake Control, which detects panic braking and reinforces the
driver's pedal effort. Another computerized braking trick is Hill Descent
Control, a switch-activated system which automatically maintains a
straight, stable, 6-8 mph creep down steep declines. Trick technology, for
sure.
In the safety arena, the X5 is tops. It has five three-point seat belts,
and dual front and side airbags. Impressively, the restraint system is
"smart," meaning that it tailors its response to crash severity,
belt usage, and occupancy, i.e. if the passenger seat is empty its airbag
will not deploy - saving precious money for the body shop bill. What's
more, the X5 also offers the inflatable Head Protection system - the first
such application in a "light truck".
Traditional luxury items and clever touches abound inside. Equipped much
like a 5-Series sedan, the SAV comes standard with a power tilt/telescopic
leather-wrapped steering wheel, 1-touch window and moonroof controls,
8-way memory driver and passenger seats, leather upholstery and wood trim,
excellent interior lighting, a 10-speaker audio system and automatic dual
zone climate control. Keyless entry includes Key Memory, a feature which
lets individual drivers return to their seat, mirror, and climate control
settings each time they enter the vehicle.
The two-piece tailgate opens by remote, from within the vehicle, or at the
rear. To help fill the 55 cubic feet of luggage space (with the 60/4 0
split rear seat folded, a retractable load floor is an option. While the
X5 ’s cargo space is ample, we were disappointed that the load floor is
not flat when rear seats are folded.
Full Option Range
Other options include a wheel and tire upgrade, (to 19-inch from 18-)
sport front seats, an activity package, (headlight washers, rain-sensing
windshield wipers, heated front seats, and ski sack) xexon headlamps,
ultrasonic parking assistance, moonroof, on-board navigation, a trip
computer, integrated phone, roof rack system, audio upgrades and various
trim doodads.
Go easy on the options list, though. When it goes on sale in December, the
South Carolina-built SAV is likely to fetch significantly more than its
$49,970 base price. At fifty grand, the Bimmer is vastly more expensive
than Jeep's Grand Cherokee, significantly more than Mercedes' ML430 and
nearly as costly as the much larger Lexus LX470 and Range Rover. Still,
the BMW does what it is meant to - a tall task indeed - and is an
impressive but not necessarily value-packed addition to a market that
needs more of its kind.
By Sue Mead
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