Edmunds.com's Inside Line - First Drive Review
 

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http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...leId=117313#18


A more soothing and powerful SAV for what ails you



By Daniel Pund
Date posted: 10-31-2006


BMW of North America head honcho Tom Purves doesn't like when you call the 2007 BMW X5 a sport-utility vehicle.

We're not sure that we even finished pronouncing the "U" in SUV before Purves piped in, "S-A-V!" All right sure, it's a "Sport Activity Vehicle."

We didn't mean anything by it. It's just that, like its predecessor, the new X5 is one of those vehicles that's kind of tall, has four side doors, all-wheel drive and other, you know, SUV-like characteristics. We call the "four-door coupe" Mercedes CLS a sedan, too. We're just like that.

However fine a hair BMW might be splitting with its alternative acronym, the original X5's combination of sporty handling and limited utility made it distinctly different from any other SUV of the time. Thanks largely to the X5's success, that's certainly less true today. The list of vehicles that BMW might describe as SAVs is getting long and includes the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Cadillac SRX, Infiniti FX, Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.

The shape of things
The handsome new X5 is an evolution of that original, um, SAV concept. Its look is familiar. The little ducktail detail on the tailgate remains, as do the tailpipes that exit from the rear bumper cover.

But now sharp creases break the flow of the X5's curved panels in a curiously pleasant way. This surface drama also gives the X5 more than a passing resemblance to a tomatillo with its husk still intact. The new X5 has grown slightly taller and wider, but it's really only the stretched overall length that changes the look of the thing. It is 7.4 inches longer than the outgoing model, with 4.5 inches of that increase given to the wheelbase. The result is a more planted, station-wagonlike appearance compared to the tall-and-tippy look of the original X5.

This subtly more stable look accurately telegraphs the evolutionary changes of the X5's driving behavior.

Ride, handling, whip and whoa
If the original X5 had a major fault, it was its sometimes flinty ride. But the '07 model barrels down the highway with the stability and serenity of a large luxury sedan. This is particularly impressive given that the standard wheels on all X5s (3.0 and 4.8 alike) are 18-inchers, wearing run-flat tires.

And it hasn't traded any of its signature handling prowess for this improved comfort. In fact, the X5 handles brilliantly. The narrow, rain-soaked roads we drove should have made driving this 5335-pound SUV feel like riding a pig wearing roller blades. Yet, even without the optional sport package (electronically adjustable dampers, trick antiroll bars, 19-inch wheels), we could place the X5 with surprising accuracy. The front end bites with unexpected tenacity and will hold its line without correction. It's easy to flow smoothly through transitions without the disconcerting weight transfers normally associated with SUVs. How much of this can be attributed to the new double-wishbone front suspension (the first non-strut front on a BMW since 1961), we cannot say.

Although a new 260-horsepower 3.0-liter inline-6 is the new X5's base motor, BMW had only V8s available for testing. The new 4.8-liter makes an impressive 350 hp and 350 pound-feet of torque (an increase of 35 hp and 26 lb-ft compared to the outgoing 4.4-liter). Paired with the new quick-shifting six-speed automatic, the X5 4.8 should be able to reach 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. That's almost a half-second quicker than the old V8 model despite a weight increase of 408 pounds.

As we've come to expect from the X5, and from BMW in general, braking performance is excellent. To compensate for its increased heft, the company has enlarged the new model's brake discs, by about half an inch up front and almost a full inch in the rear.

More utility ability
And hey, the cargo hold of the X5 is now larger than that of the 5 Series wagon, something that could not be said of the original. So there is a little "U" in this SAV. Into this slightly larger rear, the company will install what it calls a "third row of seats." They — two mini-seats separated by cupholders — could be straight outta Gitmo. Even BMW doesn't recommend that anyone taller than 5 feet, 5 inches sit back there. In truth, no human should be forced to. And without LATCH attachments they aren't ideal for safety-seat-bound toddlers either. They are useless, but at $1,200, they are not cheap. Unless you regularly carry 1:18-scale adult passengers or have children badly in need of punishment, forget them.

The interior is a new design and is handsome and comfortable, with a particularly nice driving position — halfway between a Land Rover LR3 and a BMW sedan. The materials are of excellent quality and the craftsmanship is top-notch. Rear-seat legroom is excellent.

Ay-yi-iDrive
The only sour notes in the interior are on the center console, where both an iDrive knob and a heavily designed electronic shifter have found a home. Despite half a decade on the market, iDrive is no more intuitive than it was at introduction. In our test vehicle, which had neither a navigation system nor a rearview camera (both are part of an option package that adds $2,600 to the V8's $55,195 base price), the iDrive was simply an unnecessarily complicated way to change the radio station.

The shifter, which is roughly the shape of a New York strip steak, operates something like the little spring-loaded stalk shifter of the 7 Series. You toggle forward for Reverse, backward for Drive and push a button on top for Park. BMW says that the shifter's oddness allows for more center console space, compared to a conventional automatic shifter. The company says this made room for two sizable cupholders. Indeed there are two cupholders. They are not, however, as large as those in many vehicles with conventional shifters. And they are not, as the company claims, Big Gulp-ready.

But as Tom Purves would surely point out, utility was never really the point of the X5. It still isn't. The goal was to build a premium SUV-like thing that handles like a BMW. With more luxury, surer handling and just a pinch of additional utility, the new X5 remains atop that niche — whatever you call it.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

Why is no one talking about the lack of airbags for even the second row of passengers? Where are those airbags?

excellent point. i would like BMWNA to address this airbag issue too.

and their marketing folks are driving me nuts with this SAV stuff.... it's an SUV and should STRIVE to be an SUV! IS SPORT and UTILITY together a bad thing... no!

Reading the official E70 brochure again, I see it uses exactly the same wording around airbags as in the E53 brochure. It clearly states "Front- and rear-compartment Head Protection System (HPS) with front side-impact airbags" - so that would suggest that it is an identical set-up to currently.

However - whether that is enough or not is an entirely different question and of course doesn't answer the third row question.

Go to BMWUSA and experience their broadband X5. Click on safety. It clearly says "smart front dual airbags and front side airbags" no mention of second row airbags at all. And definitely none for the third row. We know that for sure. And I'm not so sure that 'head protection system' is an airbag system at all, I think it refers to the headrests, not airbags.

HPS is described here. My reading of this is airbag - but I do admit the language is not 100% clear. It is decidedly vague on how it affects 2nd row passengers.
http://www.bmwusa.com/Vehicles/3/328...tail.htm?id=17

However looking around a bit more it seems that this is the same as in the 5-series where side airbags are only an option. That would suggest BMW would offer the side airbags as an option for rear-seat passengers in-line with other models - but as yet they have not stated it anywhere (I personally think they should be mandatory). And, as before, clearly not applicable to 3rd row. Whatever I have now come to the conclusion also that BMW definitely need to clarify the situation.

I read recently in some BMW literature (can't remember where exactly) that rear side airbags were not necessary in this vehicle due to the construction of the doors, etc. As for curtain airbags for the third row, perhaps the passengers sit sufficiently inboard to not require them. Also, the D-pillar offers structural support to reduce intrusion into the passenger space.

They said it now looks more like a station wagon.

hmmm..

Curtis

the head protection system may reach into the second row... but that's for the head... and was already offered in previous x5's... but the SIDE airbags have always been an option for 2nd row passengers.... and they are NOT shown to be offered in the new model. i don't understand why. anyone who says it's because of a stronger frame is full of &#*@. That's like saying we don't need airbags at all.... because the front of the car is certainly more protective than the side.

side airbags should be offered... i would like bmwna to address this as well and plan to inquire further.

I found the BMW public relations info I mentioned above, at the Autospies website: "The X5’s new body structure makes the previously available rear side-impact airbags unnecessary." Here's a bit more on the safety aspects:

"Passive safety features: much more than airbags:
When many consumers think about vehicle safety, their first thought is airbags. As critical as these safety features are, there are far more considerations involved in occupant safety. As the latest BMW SAV, the new X5 sets a new standard for the class in this regard, just as it does in active safety.

In developing the all-new X5 structure, BMW set out to exceed the demands of the world’s most stringent governmental safety regulations, by minimizing impact loads on the occupants and by keeping the passenger space as intact as possible in many severe crash scenarios. Among the specific goals were –
• Achieving excellent results in the Euro-NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) offset frontal crash test, in which 40% of the vehicle’s width impacts a fixed barrier at 40 mph.
• Meeting the recently introduced U.S. FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) 301, which specifies a brutal 50-mph rear-end offset crash. This impact is taken by 70% of the test vehicle’s width; not only must stringent injury criteria be met, but the fuel system must remain free of leaks. With or without the available 3rd-row seating, the new X5 Series meets this extremely demanding safety standard.
• Meeting the also relatively new IIHS “SUV side-impact” test, in which an impact from a tall vehicle at 50 km/h (31.1 mph) is simulated.
• Withstanding the Euro-NCAP side-impact test, in which a vertical pole is pushed into the vehicle side at 29 km/h (about 18 mph); this test simulates a vehicle sliding sideways into a tree or telephone pole.

Reaching those goals required diligent efforts in designing the new X5 body structure, with particular emphasis on overall structural rigidity of the passenger compartment; selection of materials such as aluminum or high-strength steel; energy absorption and deformation paths; and component placement—including engine and transmission. Even such elements as wheels and tires were considered for their energy absorption capability. In addition, specific considerations and testing included both 5- and 7-passenger configurations of the X5. The results affected everything from the overall body structure to the design of an all-new steering column.

Rollover Sensor:
The system featured on the X5 is an outgrowth of BMW’s work in designing roll-over protection systems for its convertibles. In the X5, the Rollover Sensor is networked with the vehicle’s Dynamic Stability Control, which delivers data on lateral acceleration (“cornering”) and any possible skidding. The Rollover Sensor measures the body’s angle along its longitudinal axis, and the rate at which that angle is changing. Additionally, acceleration data in two directions are measured to test the plausibility of a rollover. On the basis of these measurements, an algorithm determines if the vehicle is about to roll over. If this is the case, the front and rear Head Protection System is deployed on both sides, and all safety belts with tensioners are tensioned.

Safety belts & airbags:
As with all BMWs, 3-point safety belts are supplied for all seating positions, including the optional 3rd row. Likewise, all positions include force limiters, as well as adjustable head restraints. Front seats also include belt tensioners, along with dual-stage front airbags and seat-mounted (instead of the previous door-mounted) side-impact airbags. BMW’s curtain-type Head Protection System covers front and 2nd-row seats. Front airbags are newly configured to optimize their 2-stage, accident-severity-dependent deployment characteristics, inflated shape, and interaction with surrounding surfaces and components."


http://www.autospies.com/news/2007-B...Overview-9340/