The 2014 BMW X5 is new this year, and it's still one of the benchmarks in the mid-size luxury SUV class. The South Carolina-built, German-engineered SUV is still an aesthetically pleasing off-road and on-road wagon, one with good driving feel and enough onboard technology and off-road capability to earn its place in gated-community garages everywhere.
Mild evolution has its fan base, though, especially among German automakers. It's a formula the latest X5 nails. BMW's looked for ways to make the X5 more interesting to look at, more fuel-efficient, and more comfortable, and it's found more than a few, without dropping its moderate levels of off-road capability too low, without sacrificing too much of its innate BMW feel to the electronically controlled future.The X5 hasn't dramatically changed its sheetmetal, but the cabin's reworked handsomely, if not unabashedly. The new X5 is more gracefully sculpted than its ancestors, in measurable amounts but not in any dramatic fashion. There's plenty of X3 down the sides, where the tapered roofline and lower beltline nudge it gently toward a more sport-wagon-like form. The proportions make more visual sense, though it's not a huge transformation on the order of, say, the first- and second-generation Cayenne. In the cockpit, the monolithic bulge of BMW's latest dash designs shows up in swell form, made distinctive this time with a choice of neutral and brown leathers over the standard black leatherette. It's not so broad a palette until you reach into the more extreme colors on the option list. There's even a reddish-brown.
Claimed to be aerodynamically slipperier and about 200 pounds lighter than the outgoing model, the new 2014 X5 launches with two gasoline engines: a 3.0-liter, single-turbocharged inline-six with 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque in the sDrive35i and xDrive35i, and a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 with 445 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque in the xDrive50i. BMW claims 0-to-60-mph times of 6.2 seconds for the six and 4.9 for the V-8, but they’ll likely be slightly quicker in our testing. The last six-banger X5 we tested—a heavier piece, remember—did the deed in that same 6.2 seconds. In early 2014, a 3.0-liter diesel six will return to the lineup and again be badged as the xDrive35d. It will offer 255 horsepower, 413 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-to-60 time of less than seven seconds.
For the first time in the history of the X5, and right from the market launch, BMW will also offer a rear-wheel-drive model—that’s the somewhat clumsily named sDrive35i. This version breaks with the dogma of offering only all-wheel-drive versions on the X5, as BMW seems to have realized that the off-pavement activities of most X5s are restricted to the negotiation of gravel driveways.
The new BMW X5 occupies that performance space typical of German SUVs like the Mercedes M-Class and VW Touareg and, yes we're going there, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There's diesel power available, insanely plush spin-offs with V-8 thrust, sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems that provide moderate amounts of off-road capability, and extravagant suspension systems meant to muddle the crossover roots enough to make it more than palatable on-road. The familiar 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, in-line six-cylinder engine is the base engine, good for 0-60 mph times of about 6.2 seconds. We've yet to drive it, but have spent half days in the spiffy new xDrive35d turbodiesel and the V-8-powered xDrive50i. If 0-60 mph times rule, the V-8's 4.9 seconds bests the diesel's 6.9 seconds--but in our estimation, the diesel's fuel economy and torque in-town feel more than makes up for the two seconds of slack.
Inside, the new X5’s cockpit shows only the slightest driver orientation, but expensive and pleasing shapes and materials are abundant, at least when one upgrades from the base model to one of three trim packages: xLine, Luxury Line, and M Sport. The gear selector is positioned on the center console where it belongs, and BMW offers three audio setups: the base system; the mid-level Harman/Kardon unit; and a top-of-the-line, 1200-watt, 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen system.
Outside, few will mistake the new X5 for its predecessor. It now features a huge and protruding front grille that connects visually with the xenon or LED headlights. The taillights resemble those of the X1, and the wrinkled body is littered with air vents and breathers, which BMW maintains have a positive effect on aerodynamic performance. Third-row seating is available.
The BMW X5 carries a base price of nearly $53,000, in line with other European-badged luxury SUVs. At the price, it's still without a few features we think should be standard--and are standard on some mass-market utes. A rearview camera is a $400 option; any color other than flat white or flat black brings a $550 upcharge; and leather upholstery costs $1,400 at minimum. Navigation is standard equipment on most versions; it comes with the iDrive controller with its new touch-write surface, and BMW Apps, a connectivity suite that runs via an iPhone app. (Android users: give it a few months.) If you want all-wheel drive, you'll need to step up into the X5 xDrive35i, which is priced from just over $56,000. In the $70,000 and up range, the X5 V-8 can be trimmed out with Dakota leather, Bang & Olufsen audio, a rear-seat entertainment system, and more. Our pick? Probably the winning turbodiesel five-seat model, lightly equipped with surround-view cameras and navigation, for the best long-term value of the lineup.
source : www.caranddriver.com, www.thecarconnection.com
