2005 BMW X5 Preview

Hot Handler

Like its competitors the Acura MDX and the Lexus RX 300, BMW's X5 signals the arrival of a new breed of car.

From The Driver's Seat

One of the first things you notice when you drive the X5 is how quiet it is. There's none of the typical SUV wind noise, the cockpit doesn't squeak or rattle, and the suspension -- which has self-leveling air springs -- is also smooth and quiet.

Stomp on the accelerator, though, and the exhaust note of a 282-horsepower V-8 -- funneled through a crisp-shifting five-speed automatic -- wakes you up, and you know that serious performance is readily at hand. BMW cites 0-60 times of 7.5 seconds, and the car might just be a little quicker than that. You can also shift the X5 manually, which is of great use before entering a sharp turn or when you want added control in the wet.

Just in case, there's also traction and directional control to keep the X5 going where you aim it. The only thing we don't like about the handling is that in city driving the steering feels a bit overboosted and numb. Set the X5 free on a winding back road, and that quality suddenly vanishes.

The X5 feels so tight because it's built not on a truck platform but on a unit-body, like a car, and it has a fully independent suspension, also like all BMWs.

BMW didn't miss a mark on the high quality of the interior, either. Among the superficial things we cooed about are stretches of drawing-room quality trim across the dash and doors; head restraints that are actually comfortable rather than painful; leather seats that adjust up, down and sideways (actually, in 16 different directions); and aluminum bezels that outline the metal door levers.

BMW did blow one thing. Not only is there not enough cargo room, as we indicated above, but the rear hatch splits, with the lower half folding down and the deck lid lifting overhead. This means you have to stretch out to load even small groceries, just to get around the tailgate. A single tailgate would have been more logical, and while BMW's at it, it could make the accordion-like "security" cover (that hides valuables so burglars know for certain that they should bust a window) more readily removable.