When BMW first showed the X5 at the very end of the last decade, many enthusiasts thought the sky was falling. How could this sacred manufacturer of fine sporting cars even think about building big, heavy, and cumbersome SUVs? In 2001, this magazine spent a year with the first-generation X5 to see whether those doubters' worries had any merit. It turned out that most of us loved the X5's ride and handling and were impressed by its winter traction and towing ability. Still, we felt the SUV needed more cargo space, and we whined a little about its $54,500 price, deeming it too expensive considering it didn't include optional features such as heated seats and a navigation system. Overall, we enjoyed our year with that first X5, concluding that BMW had managed to combine its traditional virtues-an athletic chassis, good steering, and high-performance powertrains-with some, but not all, of the utility we expected in an SUV. Apparently, others agreed. Some 580,000 worldwide sales later, BMW released the second-generation X5.
This time, we didn't skimp on the options, outfitting our top-spec 4.8i with about $12,000 in extras. Its staggering as-tested price was $67,225, but there'd be no complaints about lack of equipment in this X5. We opted for the V-8 model rather than the base in-line six because the X5's exterior dimensions have grown, bringing along a weight increase of more than 400 pounds.... Read full article