BMW X5 Reviews

"...manual gearbox, lightweight six-cylinder, and tush-friendly suspension made the test vehicle pretty close to wonderful."

"Keeping this hot-rodded X5 [4.6i] glued to the ground is a sport suspension with... exclusive 20-inch alloy wheels."

"Crash-testing of the X5 has allowed it to set new standards in front- and side-impact protection."

"It may be the best-handling SUV on the road. It almost feels like an oversized rally car."

"...the X5 can handle anything a graded surface can throw at it...including" a severe case of red clay mud."

"At highway speeds... a tiny poke at the accelerator seems to levitate the X5 above and beyond fellow travelers."

"The X5 wants to be driven like a sports car. The five-speed Steptronic transmission can be easily used like a stick, downshifting with a snick or two of the lever for turns, sometimes instead of braking."

"...this isn't what we'd call a highly capable off-road vehicle. And cargo capacity isn't a strong point."

"Four-wheel drive: Inferior to less-sophisticated, conventional systems in snow and ice."

"...a full-size spare tire... was an 18-inch Michelin in our X5 that was shod with the 19-inch Bridgestones."

"...a jarring ride on all but the smoothest blacktop..."

"Compared to the Mercedes ML430, the X5's track is one inch wider and it rides 2.2 inches lower."

"If the AMG Benz is for horsepower extremists, the X5 [4.4i] is still a power hitter-the Sammy Sosa to Mark McGuire of SUVs, maybe."

"...looks like a 540i wagon on steroids..."

"The X5 doesn't just ferry occupants through the urban jungle; it exempts them from it."