Introduction

The BMW X5 puts emphasis on the sport half of the sport-utility equation. While it offers more utility than ever, it comes up short in cargo-passenger flexibility compared to many luxury SUVs. As opposed to hauling acres of equipment and gear, the X5 provides the essential equipment enthusiast drivers expect when they want to enjoy the art of driving as much as they're able. Indeed, BMW shuns the SUV tag entirely, describing the X5 with it own copyrighted label: Sport Activity Vehicle, or SAV. This may be a tacit acknowledgement that the X5 can't tow or carry as much stuff as some of its competitors, or it may simply highlight the X5's strength. That strength is its ability to get down the road in the step-on-the gas, shove-through-corners fashion of a genuine sport sedan. BMW focused on improving utility for 2007, when a redesign stretched the X5 by seven full inches and delivered a substantial increase in rear seat legroom. For 2008, X5 upgrades have re-focused on sport. Both the six-cylinder and V8 engines are new, with a revised six-speed automatic transmission. The V8 in the BMW X5 4.8i increases in displacement, while the 3.0-liter inline six is an all-new design, with a substantial increase in power. These are BMW engines, which means plenty of usable torque and turbine-like smoothest. The 4.8i might be the chest-beater, but the BMW X5 3.0si still delivers the kind of response we expect in a sport sedan, and it shouldn't leave owners pining for the V8. The X5 is styled in obvious BMW fashion, only taller, with traditional Bimmer cues like the twin-kidney grille and dual-beam headlight clusters. Like it or not, its look and badges are often enough to get the X5 one of the high-profile valet spots at a trendy club. Inside, the X5 offers plenty of room for five, with a nice, rich finish and nearly all the bells and whistles one expects in a high-line luxury sedan. The back seat is more than roomy enough for two adults, three in a pinch, and there's enough cargo space in back for a two-day family outing. The X5 can expand to seven-passenger capacity with an optional third-row seat. Of course, that third seat won't look particularly inviting to anyone asked to ride in it, and it pretty much wrecks the cargo space. With all seats lowered for maximum cargo capacity, the X5 offers less space than virtually every competitor, from Acura to Volvo. It's not a class leader in fuel economy, either. Sport in the X5 context does not mean off-roading. Its all-wheel-drive system was developed for slippery roads and sporty driving characteristics, rather than sand dunes or steep, rutted hillsides. Yet It can tow a substantial 6,000 pounds, and the all-wheel-drive can be a great friend in a blizzard. The X5 gets high marks for safety. It performs well in both government and insurance industry crash tests, and it has been designated one of the Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Besides the full complement of front, side and head protection airbags, the X5 offers some of the most advanced active safety systems available. These include anti-lock brakes that periodically sweep the discs dry in rainstorms and electronic stability control that works with the all-wheel drive system and even to steering to manage skids. Still, the X5's calling card is its driving dynamics. It's not quite as refined or holistic as BMW's best sedans, but the comparison is generally on the mark. Think of the X5 as a 5 Series sedan with more headroom and a bit more cargo space.

Walkaround

From its twin-kidney grille to the clamshell hatch in back, the X5 sport-utility vehicle screams BMW. On the road, that means an emphasis on sporty driving dynamics, even if it comes at the expense of utility. Sitting still, it means the X5 looks like a taller, ganglier BMW sedan. It also increases the odds the X5 will get one of the high-profile valet spots near the entrance to a trendy restaurant. BMW tried to increase the X5's utility when it redesigned its so-called Sport Activity Vehicle for 2007, stretching it seven inches to add rear legroom and cargo space. By wheelbase and overall length, the X5 now sits mid-pack among key competitors: Slightly larger than the Acura MDX, Land Rover LR2, Mercedes M-Class and Volvo XC90, and quite a bit smaller than the Audi Q7, Cadillac SRX, and Lexus LX570. There's no mistaking the X5's classic BMW look. It starts in front, with that trademark grille and familiar dual-dual lamp clusters. Its super-bright adaptive xenon headlights come standard. On the X5, they're ringed with LED circles that serve as the daytime running lights (and look really cool). These headlights level themselves when the X5 bounces over bumps, and turn slightly with the steering wheel. The standard fog lights also work as cornering lamps, lighting when the corresponding directional signal is selected. In profile, the X5's big wheels and short overhangs promote an agile look, while the roof and taillights trail into a slightly flanged lip. These so-called separation edges smooth air as it rushes over the back of the vehicle. That means a slight improvement in fuel economy, and probably more significantly, less wind noise inside the X5. Indeed, with a drag coefficient of 0.34, the X5 is an aerodynamically efficient vehicle, as tall, boxy SUVs go. Its underbody is smoothed with various fairing devices. The front spoiler directs air around the front tires, reducing resistance as the X5 punches a substantial hole in the air. That clamshell tailgate is a mixed bag, in our view. The lower third drops down, once the upper portion has been lifted up. The split design is handy for dropping smaller packages in the back, and the lower portion provides a nice (if slightly high) bench for changing shoes or just resting a moment. The problem is that the upper portion includes not only the glass, but also half the metal that comprises the rear of the vehicle. In other words, it's the heavier, more substantial portion of the gate. It takes more effort to operate than it would if only the glass opened up and down. The optional automatic gate might help in this respect, but we haven't had a chance to test it. On the plus side, the little tailgate keeps items from falling out when you open the hatch, a problem on some SUVs.

Interior Features

Nothing inside the BMW X5 makes it feel like an SUV, beyond its relatively high seating position. The interior design and appointments will look familiar to BMW sedan owners. Measured by overall fit and finish, the X5 compares favorably to luxury brands such as Infiniti and Mercedes. Panels and pieces inside the X5 fit impeccably. Most surfaces have a luxurious feel, and the seats are perforated to enable the active ventilation option. Every X5 is available with one of three wood-trim packages: dark-stained bamboo (almost black), dark-stained poplar (the most traditional), and light-stained poplar (essentially blond). The vinyl dash and door panels in our test X5 were a single, dark tone, rather than the two-step dark/light treatment increasingly common in BMWs and European brands in general. We liked the overall appearance, though the monotone creates a serious, no-frills ambience. The dashboard applies a taller variant of BMW's stepped or stacked design, and it looks tidy in the X5. It certainly isn't cluttered, as it can be in some vehicles in this class, thanks partly to BMW's point-and-click i-Drive control (which, going on a decade after its introduction, we still don't care for). From the aesthetic perspective, we like the dash layout. We also like BMW's elongated navigation screen, which sits high in the center of dash. It allows you to keep the map showing on the right third of the screen, regardless of what's displayed on the primary portion. The front seats are excellent: comfortable and exceptionally supportive, once they're tailored to whoever is sitting on them. The optional Comfort Seats have a lot of side bolstering for this type of vehicle, and that's a double-edge sword. It's great for drivers about to take a spirited run through the canyon, but less so for passengers, and particularly the elderly, who have to climb up into the X5 and then slide over the bolsters into a front seat. Seat adjustment comes via BMW's usual extensive array of controls, including double-hinged, articulated seat backs and various bolsters that can be squeezed or pumped up. They all work well, but there are so many adjustments that fine tuning takes time and some trial and error. The memory feature, which comes standard, is handy once the driver has found a comfortable position. Measured by its basic ergonomic packaging, the X5 is very good. Forward visibility is excellent; armrest height and window-switch placement are just as we like them. Everything, including the mirrors, can be adjusted with the driver in driving position, meaning back against the seat rather than leaned forward to reach a switch or the rearview. The switches generally have a nice, precise feel. Our only gripe with the packaging relates to the fat rear roof pillars. They limit visibility just behind the vehicle, and demand an extra dose of caution when the X5 is backing up. The available rearview camera helps, though perspective and image quality are lacking, compared to the best rearview cameras from other manufacturers. We also found the camera is slow to turn off once you've started forward again. One of the best things about the i-Drive-equipped X5 is that it has conventional switches for temperature adjustment, fan speed and airflow, and for some audio functions, with a genuine volume control. In other words, you can make these frequent adjustments easily without fishing through i-Drive. There are also phone and redundant audio controls on the steering wheel spokes. Cruise-control functions are located on a third stalk on the steering column, with wipers on the conventional, right stalk and a trip computer button on the left, turn-signal stalk. We find BMW's electronic turn signals among the most cumbersome in any luxury brand, to the point where you're tempted to do the wrong thing and switch lanes without using them. Unfortunately, there are still too many things you can't adjust without delving into the i-Drive menus. Audio tone, for example. The optional premium stereo sounds fantastic, but we were discouraged from taking full advantage of its sound processing features because of the tedious, distracting i-Drive sequence required to set them. Those who frequently switch between talk radio and music will find this inconvenient. The i-Drive is the computer interface that manages nearly every system in the X5. The master control is a big aluminum knob on the center console between the seats, easy to locate from the driver's seat without a glance. The driver (or preferably the front passenger) turns and presses the knob to wade through menus and sub-menus on the display screen, and finally set whatever needs to be adjusted. BMW has tried to simplify i-Drive over the years (primarily by adding more shortcut buttons), but we've never grown to like it. More accurately, we've become resigned to its existence. The center console is wide, almost massive. Besides the i-Drive controls, it sprouts BMW's video-game-style, electronic gear selector and a hand brake. A sliding plastic blind exposes an ashtray and the cupholders. Those cupholders aren't terribly deep, though they do have little tension devices that snug around the bottom of a cup. The console box opens down the middle, clamshell style, and it measures about six-by-six-by-ten inches, lined with a rubber mat. Its houses a power point and headphone-type auxiliary jack, but no USB port. Storage options inside the X5 are fair: Much better than the typical European vehicle a few years ago, but not up to the best in this class. The glovebox opens with a remote switch in the center stack, closer to the driver, and it's large enough to hold small items beyond the extra-thick portfolio for owner's documents. The door bins are molded into the door panels, and split into two compartments. They're wide and deep, so anything you put here is likely to stay when you open or slam the door, and lined with rubber so contents aren't prone to sliding and making noise. When BMW stretched the X5 seven inches (starting with the 2007 models), it did wonders for rear passenger room. Space is now competitive with the roomiest mid-sized luxury SUVs. A five-foot, nine-inch rear passenger has inches of headroom to spare, and enough legroom to stretch feet up under the front seat (assuming the driver is six feet or less). There's a reasonable array of accoutrements for rear passengers, too, including vents, a power point and small storage bin on the back of the center console. There's also temperature control and a fan switch on models so equipped. The dropdown center rear armrest offers no cupholders or storage, but it reveals the optional, locking pass-through port for long items such as skis or fly rods. Cargo space ranks at or near the bottom of the class, in spite of the fact that the current X5 is longer than pre-2007 models. There is nearly 22 cubic feet for stuff behind the second seat: about the same as a the trunk in a large sedan, though the space is tipped up on its end, with a much smaller load floor. Adding the optional third-row seat expands passenger capacity to seven, but it also eliminates most of that cargo space. BMW claims adults up to five-feet, four-inches tall will be comfortable in the third row, though we can't verify that from experience. A standard cargo blind opens and retracts over the carpeted area behind the second seat, which features several tie-down points and a rail system that accommodates slide-out accessories offered by BMW dealers. The rear seat backs fold forward easily, but not completely flat, so there a slight change in the angle of the load floor created. The bottom cushion for the rear seats can be removed completely, as a single piece. That levels the load floor, but then you have to find a place for the seat bottom. Even with cargo space maximized, the X5 offers less capacity than nearly every competitor. With 61.8 cubic feet available, it's surpassed by the Acura MDX (83.5), the Mercedes M-Class (72.4), the Volvo XC90 (93.2) and a host of others. There is some additional storage under the X5's load floor, enough for a tool kit or a six pack, in the bin with the temporary spare.