Ah! I guess there are questions whose answers will always evade us. Getting back to cars, or rather a car icon as big as the BMW X5, a closer inspection is surely called for. The X5 can make a case study on Chris Bangle’s famous flame design philosophy. It's a fine blend of panache, gorgeous looks and inventive technology and personally speaking it can’t get any better than this!
Design
When it comes to looks, the X5 has always been a stunner, the kind that makes it immensely desirable. The characteristic Chris Bangle design of the X5 radiates the kind of appeal, which is hard to find in other cars.
Though the X5 has been re-sculpted, it’s exterior styling remains familiar. The updated look is most pronounced up front. At the rear, L-shaped LED taillight clusters wrap around and into the tailgate and a roof-mounted spoiler completes the picture. The front of the SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle, as BMW calls it) is accentuated by trademark BMW chrome-plated split radiator grille, twin cat’s eye headlamps and an imposing front bumper with an incorporated bumper overrider and fog lamps. The sideline of the X5 with it’s slim body strips, flared wheel arches, discreet side stepper, a combination of fine subtle curves and lines and short overhangs makes the X5 appear elegantly sporty in nature. The standard 18inch alloy wheel package also goes beautifully with the rest of the car and is quite a sight in itself.
The sloping derriere of the X5 is more akin to a sports car and doesn't have that sawed-off appearance which adorns most of the SUV's today. The L-shaped LED taillight clusters would look equally at home on a sedan or coupe and the roof-mounted spoiler combined with the roof-rails makes the X5 look like a steroid-injected sports car. Over all the shape of BMW X5 is one of the most recognizable on the road today.
The X5 comes in some interesting colours but looks better in brighter hues.
The interior of the car is an exquisite blend of leather, wood and metal. Only the highest quality of materials has been chosen to adorn the X5’s cabin. The beautifully sculpted dashboard is a treat to behold, using colour contrasting soft-touch materials and a polished wooden strip running across it. The dash houses the centre console, which incorporates controls for the four-zone air conditioner, a premium Hi-Fi audio unit with 16 optimised speakers and an information display which is connected to the iDrive system and helps to keep the driver up-to-date with all the information s/he might need while driving.
The centre column below the console accommodates the iDrive system, which basically controls everything in the car from the stereo to the air-conditioning. Apart from that there are two cup holders and a superbly designed gear selector. The gear selector looks quite unique actually; in fact it wouldn’t look out of place even inside a fighter plane! It works on drive-by-wire technology, whereby there are no physical connections between the gear selector and the engine. The gear selector is connected to a microprocessor, which communicates to the engine electronically, making it much faster than the conventional mechanical method.
Moving to the hooded instrument cluster, your eyes will come to rest on one of the clearest set of dials in the business. Neat executed and very easy to read, they are typical to a BMW. However, as an option there is also a very cool Heads-up Display system, which displays critical information like the vehicle’s speed and direction of travel onto the windshield, keeping the driver informed without forcing him to take his eyes off the road.With the increase in size the new X5 has graduated to a seven-seater, though the 3rd row of seats is really meant for children. One good thing about the 3rd row of seats though, is that it’s removable. You can stow it away and plonk it right back again when needed. On the other hand, the 1st and the 2nd row of seats have nothing to complain about, as they offer sublime amounts of comfort and more than make up the deficit of the 3rd row.
Comfort
Like all BMWs it is very easy to succumb to the charms of the X5. For example, on the handling front it is surprising to discover that the X5 has almost no body-roll whatsoever. This can be credited to the new double-wishbone front axle, which has bestowed the car with outstanding handling and improved stability while cornering. The X5 literally corners on rails and trust me not many cars can boast of that, leave alone SUVs. This can also be credited in part to the X5’s longer wheelbase, wider tracks and 15% stiffer chassis. The new front axle has also helped to reduce vibration in the steering column; giving a smoother ride and drive-quality that’s hard to match.
There is also an optional Active Steering control on offer, which works closely with the cars stability control to keep its handling razor sharp at all times. The Active Steering system adapts to the driving situation and accordingly regulates the steering angle. This means as the vehicle speed drops, the steering becomes more & more precise, allowing a more intense connection with the road.
Also on offer is an intelligent all-wheel drive system called the xDrive. This helps the X5 maintain traction on a whole range of road conditions. Using Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) sensors, the xDrive system detects early signs of instability and reacts by distributing engine power flexibly and variably between each axle. I.e. the axle with the greatest traction receives the most power, thus delivering optimum road-holding capability to the X5.
One interesting fact about the X5 is that, it doesn't come without a spare-wheel! Sounds bizarre I know, but there is a perfectly logical explanation to it. The X5 comes equipped with run-flat tyres, which give the car the ability to be driven for 150km under speeds of 80kmph even after a puncture. These tyres do have a flip side to them, however. Because of the tyres’ hard sidewalls, they do make the car’s ride a tad harsh, as they don’t soak up bumps as well as conventional tyres do. But BMW has a remedy to all the problems. Enter the Adaptive Drive system, which promises to offer an outstandingly dynamic drive, optimum cornering and smooth load balancing, all at the touch of a button. Adaptive Drive with a combination of chassis and suspension setups is capable of providing excellent handling for the driver while offering noticeably higher levels of comfort for the rear-seat passengers.
However the X5 remains as comfortable to be in as it is fun to drive. To keep you company on your long drives, the X5 comes fitted with a standard 9-channel Hi-Fi Professional system, mated to subwoofers and 16 speakers, and it ensures a truly exceptional listening experience. The system can be operated via the iDrive or with the help of steering mounted controls. The X5 is kitted with a two-part panoramic glass roof to enable you to enjoy the weather if need be, and if it gets unbearable outside then there is always the four-zone climate control with air quality sensor to keep each passenger in his/her comfort zone.
Driving the X5 is quite an engaging experience, but only for the driver. What about the rear passengers then? Well, BMW didn’t overlook rear passenger comfort, therefore as an option on offer is a rear-seat entertainment system.
It’s an eight-inch colour monitor attached to a DVD player to play all your audio, VCDs and DVDs and you can enjoy them without disturbing the driver with the help of infrared headphones! Each row of seats has also been given two cup-holders each, so that everyone can carry their drinks in style without spilling them on either the exquisite leather seats or the beige fabric carpets.Talking of seats, the X5’s front seats are equipped with heating and massaging facility. So no matter how long the journey, you can be sure to reach your destination as fresh as when you started.
Engine, Transmission and Performance
The BMW X5 can be bought either with a 4,799cc V8 petrol engine or a 2,993cc in-line six diesel engine. The massive V8 petrol produces a staggering 355PS of power and displaces an earth-shattering 475Nm of torque, while the straight 6 diesel makes a more imaginable 221PS of power but churns out an even greater, 480Nm of torque, simply stupendous!
Such power confidently shows in the performance figures for both the engines. Both variants of the X5 can better 200kmph with ease. While the diesel X5 takes 8.3 seconds to reach 100kmph from a standstill, the petrol version takes only 6.5 seconds! That’s faster than most sedans in our country! All this performance isn’t at the cost of economy however, as both engines are extraordinarily fuel-efficient.
Aided by technical refinements like BMW’s Valvetronic system (Variable Value Timing system) and Double Vanos (Double Overhead Camshafts), the petrol X5 is capable of returning 9.6kmpl in the city and 17.5kmpl on the highway. While the diesel X5 using Common Rail technology (CRDi) along with Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT), can manage to post 7.2kmpl for the city and 11.3kmpl for the highway.To conclude, it is safe to say that both the engines are highly refined and provides superlative levels of performance and efficiency thus helping the X5 set benchmarks for responsiveness, power and sophistication in its segment.
Safety
BMW has clearly left no stone unturned in ensuring that the X5 is one of the safest cars on the road today. The X5’s interior is like a safe cocoon for its passengers to shield them from the harsh world outside. To start with the interior of the X5 is made safer with liberal use of soft-touch materials. It also has crash activated headrests, which in the advent of a collision move forward instantly by up to 69mm and upwards by 40mm, to minimize the gap between headrest and the occupants head. Then there are the height adjustable seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, tons and tons of airbags – front airbags and side curtain airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control, Hill Descent control and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), it has got it all. There is an additional but optional kit available, but its quite pointless in India, that being the Adaptive Cruise Control. This can adjust the speed of the vehicle according to the traffic conditions.
They say that India has come of age as far as SUVs are concerned and that the market has been split wide open and there is a massive influx of products and demand. Priced in between Rs. 62,90,000 and Rs. 79,00,000 (ex-showroom Delhi), for the straight-six diesel and the V8 petrol respectively, it is one of the most expensive SUVs in the Indian market today.
The only question is, are we Indians willing to dish out more than half a crore for an SUV? Let's wait and watch…