And that was before the winter tires were mounted. With the addition of Dunlop Grandtrek WT M3 rubber, the X5 was unstoppable, even if we weren't driving like hooligans. "I drove down roads covered with sixteen-inch drifts, and the BMW clawed its way through everything," noted copy editor Rusty Blackwell after a giant New Year's Eve snow dump. "You think you're stuck? No, you're not. Just add more throttle and let xDrive juggle the torque to pull the beast out of the white stuff."
Unfortunately, all that power and weight resulted in typical SUV fuel economy. Our average for the year was 16 mpg, which is equal to the 2008 EPA combined rating. The six-cylinder X5 3.0si model isn't rated much higher, at 18 mpg. (If you're looking for a more efficient X5, BMW will soon launch a twin-turbo-diesel version that should average more than 20 mpg while still offering plenty of power.)
And you need a good amount of grunt in a vehicle with seven seats. In some competitors, such as the Audi Q7, the third row is really only for small children. Others, like the Land Rover LR3, can easily accommodate a pair of adults. Many of us thought the optional third-row seats in the X5 were virtually unusable, but Cammisa loaded up seven adults and claimed that there were no complaints about room. Everyone else who spent any time back there, save small kids, found it less than comfortable. Overall, the BMW is much closer to the Q7 than the LR3 in terms of third-row comfort. Cargo space, on the other hand, is plentiful. Weekend getaways with four or even five people aboard barely taxed the X5. This was a welcome improvement over the previous version.
There were other changes inside, but some of them weren't crowd-pleasers. While the overall interior design is successful, the quality of the materials failed to impress. Smith commented, "What bothers me is the rattly, tinny interior. Feel the center console, the base of the shift knob, and the glove box, and you'll see what I mean-never mind the creaks and groans coming from the back."
We had few reliability troubles with the last-generation X5, but that definitely wasn't the case with this vehicle. To start, delivery was delayed because of a malfunctioning backup camera. And although the camera was operable when the X5 arrived, it never worked well. "It's a cruel joke," noted executive editor Joe DeMatio. "You've reversed all the way down a 50-foot driveway before the rearview camera decides to engage. That's not very helpful." ...next page >>