First Drive Review
From the December 2013 Issue of Car and Driver
Blasting along the two-lane Sea-to-Sky Highway up the mountains inland from Whistler, British Columbia, we encountered a slow logging truck climbing a steep grade. No worry: Tap the paddle shifter, nail the accelerator, and sweep around . . . only to fetch up behind three motorhomes dressed in vinyl-wrap rental-agency livery, plodding bumper-to-bumper at 15 mph under the limit.
No space between, so we couldn’t pass one at a time. Perhaps they were worried about missing the photo-op suggested by the numerous “Watch Out for Bears” signs. BMW satirically offered its own protocol for bears: “Take a phone photo and post to Facebook before proceeding.” Bears are smarter than your average RV-er and snoozed—or whatever it is bears do—in the woods on B.C.’s hottest day this summer.
When sightlines opened, we took down all three lumbering giants in a single swing, not in the hottest X5, but perhaps the coolest: the xDrive35d. Had they glanced away from their phones and Tim Horton’s cups, the RV crew still probably could not have identified a new X5. More-observant types will notice the third generation’s bolder grille, more-prominent lights, and crisp characterlines that give it a more horizontal aspect. The wheelbase hasn’t changed, the car is two inches longer overall, the glassy greenhouse still offers great visibility, and BMW claims slightly more cargo room.
Bottom, left: An example of what no one will do in an X5. The X5s air breather functional fender vent is likely not breathing hard here.
This 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six isn’t the one that secured last place in our June five-way comparo of compression-ignition luxo-utilities. Supplanting that clattering concoction is a buttery-smooth, uncannily quiet new propulsion unit. Along with the can-full-of-quarters noise, it loses 10 horsepower and a dozen pound-feet of torque, now making 255 ponies and 413 units of grunt. Like all X5s, it uses the eight-speed automatic (the comparo loser had six cogs) with the familiar and ever-more-contemptible shift knob that makes paddles worthwhile even in a diesel. The tach redlines at a diesel-stratospheric 5700 rpm—senselessly, since power peaks at 4000 and thrust trails off after 4500.
It weighs about 200 pounds less than before, according to BMW. That may only equate to dropping off one of your kid’s football pals but must contribute to the nimbler feel in corners. Too bad the steering is still too heavy and numb. The weight loss and regearing led BMW to claim that this slightly less powerful diesel can hit 62 mph in 6.9 seconds, the same time we recorded for the sprint to 60 mph in that June track test. EU regulators say it’s 16 percent more efficient, which could push the U.S. highway rating to 30 mpg when EPA figures are finalized.
BMW of North America expects up to 30 percent of its American buyers will opt for the green pump. Diesel isn’t for every lifestyle trophy, though. The base X5 sDrive35i burns premium gasoline in its familiar 302-hp inline-six. This first rear-drive-only X5 model is aimed at Sunbelt pavement-pounders. An incremental EPA-combined-mileage gain (22 mpg versus 21 for the xDrive) won’t hurt BMW’s quest to meet escalating CAFE standards. The sDrive also masks serious price inflation by starting at only $53,725. The $56,025 xDrive35i costs a stout $7600 more than last year’s base model, so the $57,525 diesel shapes up as the bargain, $100 less than in ’13—more CAFE influence.
Until a new X5 M shows up, the ultimate X5 is the xDrive50i with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, now using Valvetronic and churning out 445 horsepower, up by 45. Tick the right options and you wouldn’t need an M other than for bragging rights or drubbing fellow track-dayers with what looks like your tow vehicle.
2014 BMW X5 xDrive30d (Euro-spec)
We drove a 50i ($69,125 base price) pell-mell from Whistler to suburban Vancouver, where thickening traffic suggested it was time to try the Eco Pro thrill-deadening mode. Features include stop-start, improved in all BMWs for 2014 with revised engine mounts; more-powerful starter motors; and reprogramming so the engine fires immediately rather than waiting—as before—for the crankshaft to spin to a favorable position. It works: no more disconcerting jolt.
Eco Pro being just one of the many electronic choices on tap via buttons on the console, steering wheel, and iDrive system (navigation with touchpad and 10.2-inch screen is standard), the latest X5 borders on multiple personality disorder. Yet the array of comfort/sport/sport-plus settings is small beer next to the wine list of appearance and technology options: 11 upholstery choices, three “lines” of interior design, heated rear seats that recline and slide fore-and-aft (and a foldaway third row), surround-view cameras, and lane-departure warnings that vibrate the steering wheel. Come December, the X5 can even self-park.
But we’ve been holding out on you. One small change in the X5 is undoubtedly its most significant. Instead of hiding amid other center-stack buttons, the power lock switches are on the doors, where they always belonged. So you should definitely trade in your second-gen X5 for the new one.
