BMW X5
The sports car among sport utilities |
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By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: All the bells and whistles. Literally. I had trouble figuring out what half of the beeps and chimes were trying to tell me. That's a hallmark of BMW, which expects drivers to spend a couple of weeks learning how to drive its cars.
G-FORCES: The standard 225-horsepower 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine was zippy, but it didn't quite meet the performance standards established by the rest of the vehicle. The optional 4.4-liter V-8, which produces 290 horsepower, would solve that problem.
GIZMOLOGY: Nothing's easy on a BMW. Gauges are laid out cleanly, but controls are complex. The radio was integrated into the optional $1,800 navigation system, which meant hunting through menus to do something as simple as programming a radio station. Multiple controls for the climate system–digital settings on the center console and a rotary hot-and-cold dial near the vents–were confusing. And I simply ran out of patience trying to figure out how to set some of the parameters in the onboard computer, such as the speed at which you want the car to remind you with a helpful chime that you've hit your predetermined limit.
KID MARKS: The exterior door handles open upward, which is a problem if you're shorter than the handles; my 3-year-old couldn't open the doors by himself. Space in the rear seat is just right for kids in car seats, although they can't reach the cup holders, which are lodged behind the front-seat center armrest. The cargo area is a convenient height for stashing a stroller, and the split tailgate lets you reach inside from the top while the bottom half keeps stuff from rolling out.
HOT OR NOT? Hot. The sloping hood evokes a sports car, while the raised haunches suggest ruggedness. The look matches the feel.
ENVIROMETER: One to three stars, out of five, on the EPA's "green vehicle" ratings scale. Mileage ranges from 12 mpg city to 21 mpg highway, depending on the engine. Info: http://www.epa.gov/
autoemissions/E-BMW-X5-02.htm
CRASH COURSE: Not crash tested by the government. Rated "good," the highest of four ratings, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. See http://www.iihs.org/
vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00023.htm
PRICE POINTS: Base price is $39,545. Price as tested: $50,070. (Prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: http://www.bmwusa.com
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Model year tested: 2002
Automotive engineers try mightily to defy physics. Mostly they fail, but occasionally they come close. One of the most daring efforts to overtake Newton is the X5. In name and appearance it is an SUV, yet it behaves with a touch of the supernatural. Like other light trucks it is a high vehicle that offers a commanding view of the road. But the high center of gravity that by definition accompanies a high perch and on curves gives most SUVs the stability of a bobblehead doll seems to lie lower in the X5, as if there's a lead weight on the undercarriage. It feels like something other than the tires is anchoring the vehicle to the road.
BMW accomplishes this with "roll stabilization" technology and other expensive engineering that keeps the body stiff when inertia wants to twist and shove it. But what you notice in the driver's seat is a joie de drive that is rare in SUVs. In most of them, you might look around for a trail to sample or a stream to ford, but on the blacktop you'd go out of your way to avoid aggressive curves. In the X5 you want to seek them out. Tight steering helps you feel the road the way you would in a sports car, and for the most part the vehicle rises to the occasion when you challenge its ability to hold the road. As I got comfortable with this odd sensation and pushed harder, I did provoke a few tire squeals, which proves that the X5 isn't a Corvette. But it comes closer than a lot of vehicles that have a head start because they sit lower.
One side effect of the tight, performance handling is a slightly rougher ride, since you feel more of the road. That should be no big deal in a category designed, in theory, for off-road use, yet most competitors choose softer tuning that provides a plusher feel on the highway. That's because SUVs, as everyone knows by now, are rarely used as backwoods buggies and have instead become the modern version of the station wagon. So while the idea of a performance SUV might seem self-contradictory, it fits with the way drivers actually use sport utes. As for the X5's off-road capabilities, I have no idea and it seems irrelevant. Who would risk dinging a BMW on rocks and branches?
Inside, the X5 delivers all the styling and gewgaws you'd expect from a BMW. The mere shape of the interior is elegant, with door panels that bow outward in a graceful, subtle swoop incorporating the armrests and door handles. There are numerous storage trays and compartments that are overengineered (one is designed specifically to hold pens) but still come in handy. The climate system is so precise you could store the Mona Lisa inside. All-wheel drive is standard, as is a stability-control system designed to help keep the vehicle on the road in slippery conditions. But there are still plenty of ways to trick up the X5, BMW style. A $1,200 "adjustable ride height" option, for example, lets you lower or raise the vehicle, for easier entry and exit or for higher clearance. After all, you might want an elevated view of the S curves in your rear-view mirror.
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