BMW made its foray into the SUV space for the first time with the X5. This model codenamed E53 was launched in 1999 and was produced till 2006. The second generation E70 followed and was made till 2013. The X5 has always been a sporty SUV and was the first to have a monocoque construction. The X5 has been quite popular in our country and one will find quite a few of the earlier gen models on our roads. The new third generation X5 (codenamed F15) is now in India. The new X5 will now be locally assembled at the BMW Chennai plant instead of importing it as a CBU from BMW’s plant in the U.S.A. This move makes the X5 cheaper too.
The new X5 seems more of an evolution of the outgoing model but easily the best looking so far in my opinion. The trademark BMW kidney grille is more prominent and wider than before and has a titanium finish. There are new headlights which are slimmer and stretch up to the grille. Fog lamps are integrated into the front bumper and are positioned just below the headlights. There are titanium finished inserts in the bumper as well. The turn indicators move to the ORVMs from the front fender. You also notice an air dam on the front fender. The side is pretty clean to look at and there is a prominent crease line that runs from the air dam on the front fender right up to the tail end of the SUV. There are all new LED tail lamps with XL size LED strips inside them. Twin exhaust pipes complete the rear. The rear end doesn’t look too different from the outgoing model. The new X5 comes with 18 inch alloys as standard and rides on 255/55 R18 rubber. The alloy design is not to my liking however. You also have the option of ordering 21 inch alloys which look really stunning but are not recommended for our roads. The new X5 is 29 mm longer and 5 mm wider than its predecessor.
The cabin of the X5 has a very airy feel to it and is quite spacious. The dashboard is familiar BMW territory and fit and finish is top notch. There is a high quality wood strip that runs across the dash and also finds place on the door pads and the centre console around the gear lever. There is a high definition 10.25 inch screen that sits in the centre on the dash and is used to display info from the iDrive controller. The iDrive controller now gets a scratch pad too which is very easy to use. The BMW Apps option includes a web radio function and offers a customised music programme compiled by the Tunein Radio, as well as in car Facebook and Twitter access. New apps are being added to this service all the time. The gear lever is the standard one which you find across all BMW models. The multifunction steering wheel has good grip and has paddle shifters mounted behind it. The glove box gets felt lining and is just big enough to hold your vehicle documents, nothing more. Other equipment includes a Harman Kardon sound system with 16 speakers and has excellent sound quality. Outlets for USB and Aux are found in the driver armrest in the centre. The four zone auto climate control works well and cooled the cabin effortlessly on a hot day. There are AC vents on the B pillar as well. The X5 comes with a large panoramic roof too.
The new X5 is sold in two variants: the Design Pure Experience which is available in 5 and 7 seater configurations and the Expedition which is only sold as a 5 seater. We had the Design Pure Experience 5 seater variant for this review. The front seats are large, comfortable and have good lumbar support. Both gets electric adjust but only the driver’s seat gets memory function. Ingress and egress at the rear is easy. The rear seats are comfy and there is ample legroom for passengers. They come with a 40:20:40 split and can be dropped to accommodate extra luggage when needed. A flat floor ensures that 3 people can sit comfortably in the rear. The tail gate opens in a split fashion. The upper part can be operated electrically while the lower part opens manually. Standard luggage space is 650 litres that can go up to a whopping 1,870 litres with the second row of seats dropped down. The X5 does not get a spare tyre, not even a space saver.
The new X5 comes with a 2993cc twin turbo in line six cylinder diesel engine and this is the only motor on offer unlike the previous gen which had a petrol engine option too. This oil burner puts out 258 horsepower at 4000 rpm with max torque of 560 Nm coming between 1500 to 3000 rpm. The engine is mated to an 8 speed ZF automatic gearbox. 0 to 100 kph comes up in 6.9 seconds and it goes to a top speed of 230 kph. The engine is not particularly quiet and the clatter is quite audible at idle. Noise aside, the engine is fantastic and has enough power on tap. It has a strong mid range and overtaking on the highway is a breeze. Special mention to the gearbox which is quick to respond when you want to downshift . The motor is fairly quiet at moderate city driving speeds. It however does get noisy and coarse when driving at higher rpms. There are 4 drive modes: ECO PRO, COMFORT, SPORT & SPORT+. The X5 comes with the Auto Start/Stop function which is automatically activated in the ECO PRO mode. Auto Start/Stop certainly does not feel practical in our frequent bumper to bumper traffic situations. The X5 comes with electric power steering. While it feels vague in normal driving scenarios, it does get heavier in SPORT and SPORT+ modes. The X5 is fun to drive in the mentioned two modes. It very easily revs to the redline without breaking into a sweat making the X5 fun to drive. It comes with the adaptive suspension package which goes a long way in adding sporty dynamics to this huge SUV. There is noticeable body roll but it is well controlled thanks to a stiffer suspension setup in SPORT and SPORT+. Ride quality is good in COMFORT mode but will get stiffer once you change to SPORT or SPORT+.
The new X5 comes loaded to the brim with safety features. It gets dual airbags for the driver and co-driver, front and rear head airbags and side airbags for the driver a co-driver. Additional features include ABS with Brake Assist, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Electronic Parking Brake with Auto Hold, Hill Descent Control, ISOFIX child seat mounting, pyrotechnic belt tensioners and belt force limiters at the front and Run Flat Indicator.
The new X5 is better than ever before. It is apt for someone who likes to drive himself/herself. It comes loaded with tech and features and also has the perfect combination of drivability, handling and comfort. Then you have the 3.0 diesel motor which is one of the best around and combined with the 8 speed ZF gearbox, it is an unbeatable combination. It has enough juice for the enthusiast in you and at the same time can be driven around sedately as well. However, the engine still lacks the refinement expected of a vehicle in this segment. Apart from this, there is very little to fault in this BMW. And the fact that it is now locally assembled, the cheaper price tag makes it a great SUV to buy.
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