"Popular Mechanics:: EXCLUSIVE FIRST DRIVE: 2007 BMW X5

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Caught this first-drive review blurb on-line @popularmechanics.com: http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4199866.html

October 17, 2006

EXCLUSIVE FIRST DRIVE: 2007 BMW X5

GREENVILLE, South Carolina – It’s mid-October and the leaves here are already turning to various shades of red and gold. And thanks to the driving rain that’s been falling since last night, many of those leaves are scattered across the twisting, narrow roads that lead out of town. Those that aren’t yet sticking to the macadam are blowing across the road, compliments of the raw, 50-degree winds.

In other words, it’s a beautiful day to sit inside, gazing into a crackling fireplace sipping any one of several different warming liquids that come to mind. It’s also a perfect day to test drive BMW’s second-generation large crossover: the X5.
I’m serious: Sloppy, raw weather and unknown—and in some cases unforgiving—country roads instantly reveal the essence of the newest Bimmer. This area also is an ideal location, since every single X5 sold in the world (as well as every BMW M Roadster) is built at the company’s sprawling complex between Greenville and Spartanburg, S.C. And I don’t think it’s merely coincidence that much of the countryside is reminiscent of Bavaria, sans the Alps.

The 2007 X5 is pretty much all-new, beginning with a body structure that has 15 percent more torsional stiffness than the original. The stronger body structure allows the engineers to better tune the suspension, for both ride and handling. And since one of the prevalent complaints with the original X5 was its somewhat unforgiving nature, it’s no surprise that BMW put a suspension expert in charge of this project. The result is an SUV (though BMW would rather call their truck an SAV—Sport Activity Vehicle) with excellent road manners.

Our test drive up into North Carolina, mostly all on small county roads, proved the X5 to be extremely well mannered, providing tremendous levels of grip on the rain-slicked roads without spilling the Starbucks. Which reminds me: the X5 now sports real cupholders.

Though both a 3.0-liter Six and 4.8-liter V8 will be available—both all-wheel drive with six-speed automatic—only V8s were available this time around. And just as the new X5 is larger in every dimension than its predecessor, its engines are more powerful. The V8 boasts 350 hp and 350 lb.-ft. while the Six has 260 hp and 225 lb.-ft. This rig is no lightweight, especially when fully optioned with BMW’s active steering and suspension, so that Six might feel overwhelmed by its task. The V8 had no such problems and, when you put your foot in it, sounded a lot like a Nextel Cup car that had graduated finishing school.

Since the new X5 measures 7.4 inches longer than the old one, lies on a wheelbase that’s 4.5 inches longer and has run-flat tires and no spare, other options this year include that third-row seat that’s now de rigeur in this class. The interior is superbly finished, and, along with those cupholders (front and rear), there’s a nice-sized glove box and deep storage well in the center console. Of course, there are even more confusing features for the “simplified” iDrive system that controls audio, heating and… someday I’ll figure out whatever else. Yet for all the technological wonder—and don’t get me wrong, this is a rolling technological wonder—the folks at BMW haven’t figured out how to put a CD changer in the dash without filling the otherwise useful glove box. The owner’s manual? Why that’s handy in a pouch in the rear cargo area.

This truck borrows heavily from the company’s top-of-the-line 7 Series sedans, with available features like adaptive steering, which changes the steering ratio depending on speed, and active suspension, which flattens the body going through corners—most welcome on a tallish SUV. Other features include Valvetronic engine tech—there are no throttle butterflies, with engine speed regulated through the intake-valve openings—and head-up display.

The price for the six-cylinder BMW X5 3.0si is $46, 595, and the V8-powered X5 4.8si carries a base of $55,195, both including destination. —Don Chaikin