All three X5 engines deliver plenty of usable torque for good acceleration. The gasoline engines also feature turbine-like smoothness. The 4.8-liter V8 in the xDrive48i is the chest-beater, but the inline six-cylinder in the xDrive30i still delivers the kind of response we expect in a sports sedan, and it shouldn't leave owners pining for the V8.
The X5 is styled in obvious BMW fashion, only taller, with traditional Bimmer cues like the twin-kidney grille and dual-beam headlight clusters. Inside, it offers plenty of room for five, with a nice, rich finish and nearly all the bells and whistles one expects in a high-line luxury sedan. The back seat is more than roomy enough for two adults, three in a pinch, and there's enough cargo space in back for a two-day family outing. The X5 can expand to seven-passenger capacity with an optional third-row seat, but that third seat won't look particularly inviting to anyone asked to ride in it, and it wipes out the cargo space.
The X5 is not a traditional SUV. BMW shuns the SUV tag entirely, describing the X5 with it own copyrighted label: Sport Activity Vehicle, or SAV. With all seats lowered for maximum cargo capacity, it offers less space than do most competitors, from Acura to Volvo. The gas-powered models aren't class leaders in fuel economy. And Sport in the X5 context does not mean off-road capability. The xDrive all-wheel-drive system was developed for slippery roads and sporty driving characteristics rather than sand dunes and rutted hillsides. Indeed, the X5's strength is its ability to get down the road in the step-on-the gas, shove-through-corners fashion of a genuine sports sedan.
Yet the X5 can tow a substantial 6,000 pounds, and the all-wheel-drive can be a great friend in a blizzard. Those sound like the credentials of an SUV.
The X5 gets high marks for safety. It performs well in both government and insurance industry crash tests, and it has been designated one of the Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Next Page