Tame the wild in a civilized manner
Sporty X5 proves unstoppable in tough conditions
Oh, the weather outside was frightful — the test car’s body was caked in 15 millimetres of rock-solid ice after a horrendous storm that left many without power. But inside the BMW X5, it was so delightful, with the steering wheel afire and my buns being gently toasted on the Dakota leather comfort seat.
As that timely song goes, so did the test drive in BMW’s largest Sport Activity Vehicle — a name I have never fully understood. Yes, it is certainly the sportiest of the bunch, feeling more like a mildly elevated 5-Series wagon than a tall-riding SUV, but come on.
For 2014, the third-generation X5 has been massaged to keep it contemporary. The facelift is very much an evolutionary affair (nobody will mistake it for anything other than an X5), but there is enough change to make a difference. It has a broader stance, meaning it has lost much of its tall, narrow look. From the front, the kidney grille is more prominent and, on the tester, there were swanky LED headlights — great on a dark and dank night.
Inside, the changes are substantial. The materials are exquisite and the instrumentation is clean and clear, if somewhat mind-boggling. Along with a comprehensive set of gauges, the top of the centre stack houses a large screen. It displays the phone, navigation and vehicle settings, along with a plethora of other functions. It also hosts ConnectedDrive — it can do just about anything a smartphone can, including connecting to the Internet.
As for the rest of it, the seating is supreme, regardless of position, there’s a ton of rear-seat leg space and plenty of cargo capacity, which is accessed through a split, powered tailgate. The back seat now folds in a 40/20/40 configuration, which brings better flexibility. With the seat upright the X5 has 677 litres of cargo space, and 1,869 L with the lot folded flat.
The M Sport Line package is aimed at the enthusiast and, at $4,000, it’s a steal. Along with an aero body kit, high-gloss roof rails and 20-inch wheels comes an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, M Sport steering wheel (it’s chunky and hand-filling) and the aforementioned comfort seats. The more significant upgrade is found in the adaptive M suspension. The base car is pretty adroit at carving a fast on-ramp; the adaptive M suspension dials out all body roll — it felt almost eerie hooning through a corner with no body roll given the ride height and seating position. Remarkably, while the M suspenders are noticeably firmer, the ride is still compliantly comfortable.
This boils down to a button. It allows the driver to select Eco Pro (it is aimed at those with less urgency in life), Comfort (ideal for around town), and Sport, which was my favourite position because it amped everything up (steering feel, suspension and throttle response, as well as sharpening the shifts) while keeping all of the electronic aids active. Sport+ does the same while disengaging the traction control system. In an empty parking lot covered in snow with the stability control muted, the X5 drifted with remarkable aplomb.
The xDrive50i gets its power from a honking 4.4-litre V-8 with two turbochargers. This thing really does pass muster. The 445 horsepower is rewarding. But where this engine really hits home is in the torque department. It twists out 479 poundfeet at just 2,000 r.p.m. and it keeps going right to 4,500 r.p.m., which is where the stallions start to switch from a canter to a gallop. Needless to say, it makes this heavy vehicle (all 2,336 kilograms of it!) very quick. It takes just 5.2 seconds to rip from rest to 100 km/h and it does the more important 80 to 120 km/h passing move in 3.6 seconds.
The eight-speed manumatic transmission helps enormously. The first six gears focus on performance with the top two gears bringing comfortable highway cruising and some semblance of fuel economy — the X5 tended to get a bit thirsty when used to its considerable potential. I averaged 15.6 litres per 100 kilometres.
The xDrive all-wheel-drive system powers the rear wheels under normal circumstances. However, by monitoring a number of inputs, it instantly and seamlessly shuttles the power to the axle and wheel(s) with the best traction. Throw on a good set of winter wellies and the X5 proved to be all but unstoppable.
The ice storm that had entombed the X5 left the roads in a treacherous condition — part ice covered, part snow packed and all very slippery. The system remained unfazed by the conditions as it shuttled the power around to great effect. Only when taking liberties (goosing the gas on a takeoff) did I feel the wheels break traction momentarily before hooking up as the X5 blasted forth.
Big SUVs — pardon me, Sport Activity Vehicles — typically do not turn my crank. Most are ponderous, and that’s being kind. The X5, especially when equipped with the M package, is something I could learn to live with very easily. It does all of the things a sports ute should, but it also does so much more. It toed the line very nicely when this driver booted it, yet it remained entirely civilized in an icy urban environment. At last Dr. Jekyll has managed to tame his wild side without killing the fun in the process.