The once and future king

with 20 years behind it – and 20 times the competition – can the x5 regain its place at pole position?

The fourthgen BMW X5

• ATTEMPTING TO NAME THE MOST INFLUENTIAL LUXURY SUV OF THE MODERN ERA WOULD TAKE A WHILE.

As the grandfather of the genre, the Range Rover has perhaps the most significant claim, but other OGs such as the G-Wagen have left indelible marks on the well-heeled SUV timeline. Yet, as is the case with many of Bavaria’s most respected cars – and despite the fact that some luxury brands had already started playing in the space as early as 1997 (Merc’s original ML-Class) and ’98 (Lexus’s RX300) – perhaps none was so anticipated, emulated or game-changing as much as BMW’s original 1999 X5. »

You can imagine the reactions then, especially from the motoring journalists – notoriously a tricky bunch to convert.

The performanceover-everything, ‘ultimate driving machine’-touting BMW was to release a family-friendly SUV?! Blasphemy.

Yet it came, and in classic BMW style, it set the bar for how vehicles could combine a truckinspired design with a car-born sense of athleticism.

First, BMW didn’t even call it an SUV, instead dubbing the X5 the world’s rst ‘sports activity vehicle’. And considering how the vehicle was engineered, it made sense. e X5 was one of the rst to move away from the bodyon-frame architecture employed by light trucks and SUVs of the day, and instead featured monocoque (unibody) construction. e switch spoke to the purpose to which these vehicles were engineered – not to be workhorses, regularly subject to rough o -road or other conditions, but rather as comfortable and moderately capable cruisers – and the unibody setup allows for reduced weight, better handling and ride comfort, and increased safety.

It had all the sex appeal of other BMWs (like its namesake 5 Series sedan), with a wagonlike sensibility in an attractive package – and unlike its competition at the time, it really did deliver heavily on the ‘sport’ part of the equation – so much so that other brands used it as their design and engineering inspiration when creating their SUV variants. Like its 3 Series stablemate, the X5 became the benchmark for a sporty, modern, luxurious SUV.

And it proved incredibly popular, with 2.2 million sold worldwide across its three previous generations.

But of course with more and more competition on the streets – from Porsche, reworked e orts by Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, In niti, Lexus, and a whole new range of sexy options from Land Rover – and even from within its own ranks with the X3 and the X6, the X5 soon lost its lustre. Not because it was a bad vehicle – far from it – but with competitor vehicles getting more regular and sexier design updates, new tech, or new models being introduced almost yearly, over time the gap between models in luxury positioning and driving dynamics became smaller and smaller.

For the fourth generation X5, its styling would have to be bold. Taking a note from the forthcoming X7, the X5 gets a big open-mouthed maw of a grille that speaks to its desire to once again dominate the road. at’s followed by a longer, wider wheelbase, and underlined with pared-back creases that refresh the whole look. An emphasised rear shoulder line adds a sporty touch, while minimising visual height. Overall, it feels a lot more ‘butch’ than the last generation model.

e interior nally gets a 2019worthy refresh, with a cleaned up and simpli ed instrument panel and centre console that is a lot less button heavy.

A fully digital instrument cluster is standard ( nally, BMW), and the new infotainment display uses the same graphics for a more uni ed experience.

ankfully we still get a gear lever

(we love those) but all other console controls, including the start stop button and the iDrive 7.0 Controller/Driving Experience Control switch, are grouped together for a much more elegant presentation.

On the luxe side, the new X5 gets a bigger panorama glass roof, with a ‘sky lounge’ feature that emulates a starlit sky. Ambient lighting gets smarter with dynamic interior lights that activate at certain actions like a ringing phone or open door. You can also choose an ambient air pack to infuse the environment with up to eight di erent scents, and a Bowers & Wilkins surround system takes care of the sound.

As far as utility – ahem, activity – goes, a split tailgate allows for ease of loading. And the boot cover now lowers into the compartment

oor, so you won’t have to worry about storing it outside the vehicle when it’s not needed. A third row of seats is available as an option, but if you want to put people you love back there, choose the forthcoming X7 instead.

Yet this is the X5 – so all of that has to move athletically, while also being ready for the (very) occasional rough patches. For SA, two 3.0-litre inline

it had all the sex appeal of other Bmws, with a wagonlike sensibility in an attractive package