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BMW X5 4.4i - Fleet News
01.03.2001 |
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BMW’s first attempt at a 4x4 sports utility vehicle is a stormer, with dynamics, performance and build quality more akin to a conventional sports saloon. Paul Clarke reports
The second model to be built at BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina, factory after the Z3 sports car, the X5 is further proof of the remarkable resourcefulness of BMW's product planners.
Not content with producing just another 4x4, BMW wanted a car that presented no compromise to existing drivers of conventional sports saloons, with dynamic qualities undiminished from what a BMW buyer could expect from, say, the BMW 5-series saloon.
The result is the X5, BMW's unitary-bodied Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) which transcends the more traditional tagline of Sports Utility Vehicle to offer a great driving experience with the added ride height and off-road capability that a traditional 4x4 brings.
Available at launch last October in 4.4i and 4.4i Sport forms, powered by the same 286bhp V8 as found in the 740i and 540i models, the range has been supplemented since by the 231bhp 3.0i and 330i Sport models, priced from £33,000 on the road. Later this year, the 330d, powered by the acclaimed 3.0-litre common rail diesel as found in the 330d and 530d models. will complete the range with prices to be announced.
Here we drive the X5 4.4i, which costs £44,000 on the road.
Fleet appeal
BMW is a newcomer to the 4x4 market, but it has an immaculate pedigree in producing cars with top notch residual values and running costs.
The X5 is no different, with a convincing cost performance that comfortably eclipses its main rivals. At £44,000 on the road, the BMW is less expensive than the Range Rover 4.6 Vogue (£49,995) but more than the Range Rover HSE 4.0 (£42,995) and Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon 4.7 VX (£41,495) - and considerably more than the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 (£30,995).
Yet with a CAP Monitor RV prediction of £17,175, or 39% of cost new, it falls between the Land Cruiser (£14,900/36%) and Range Rover (£15,400/34%) in depreciation, losing £26,825 over three years/60,000 miles compared with £26,595 for the Toyota and £27,595 for the Range Rover.
Predictably enough, the Jeep, with its much lower price, loses the least at £18,945. the Toyota (£14,900/36%), Range Rover (£15,400/34%) and Jeep (£12,050/39%).
But on running costs, the BMW is a convincing winner against the Toyota and Range Rover, its 63.2p/mile comparing very well with the 67.6p/mile of the Toyota and 71.5p/mile of the Range Rover. It is also only just behind the Jeep (60.8p/mile) despite the price difference.
Part of this is undoubtedly down to fuel costs, where the BMW's 20.3mpg on the combined cycle is remarkable compared with the Amazon's 17.0mpg, the Range Rover's 18.5mpg and the Jeep's disastrous 13.2mpg.
Tax position
With a purchasing decision of the X5's nature, company car tax is unlikely to swing the decision: even so it is worth pointing out the X5's position.
With C02 emissions of 335g/km, the X5 4.4 will be taxed at the maximum 35% of P11D value under the new company car tax laws in 2002 - £6135 a year for a 40% tax payer, representing a rise from £4382 currently for a 40% tax payer covering between 2500 and 18,000 business miles.
Driver appeal
With this competition, there is, quite simply, no contest. The X5 beats all its rivals hands down on driver appeal. The combination of the super-stiff unitary construction bodyshell, some supremely judged suspension settings, plus steering feedback and roll control that are second to none, the X5 is not just competent on the road it is astonishingly accomplished - on a par with many sports saloons.
The drive is biased 62:38 to the rear, to give the characteristics of a rear-drive car with the security of permanent four-wheel drive.
With 286bhp on tap and the deep-chested pulling power of that silken V8, the X5's performance isn't something for the faint-hearted either. Driving through the standard 5-speed Steptronic transmission, top speed in the 4.4i is limited to 128mph (de-restricted to 143mph for the Sport, with its stiffer suspension and V-rated tyres), while the 0-62mph dash is completed in a staggering 7.5secs - quicker than the 530i Sport auto's 7.6secs.
Off-road, Hill Descent Control (HDC) detects slippage on each wheel and brakes that wheel accordingly, doing away with the need for a traditional transfer gearbox and reduction gears.
To put it into perspective, an X5 lapped the infamous Nurburgring circuit in Germany just 30 seconds slower than a BMW M3 - a remarkable feat for such a large car.
Comfort and interior
We've become used to BMW's immaculate attention to detail and solidity of construction, and the good news is that X5 is well up to standard. The seats cosset and support, while the dash is thoughtfully laid out with an interior that bears similarities, but few common parts, with other BMW models. It's restrained but stylish and beautifully put together in true BMW fashion and gives the requisite commanding view of the road.
Leather trim is standard, with power front seats, driver memory and electric steering column. The rear seats are spacious, too, and the boot area is accessed through a horizontally split tailgate, the lower half of which can take up to 200kg. Seats folded, there's 1550 litres of luggage space.
Safety and security
With HDC, ABS, Dynamic Stability Control ASC-X anti-skid control and ADB-X, a differential brake that directs power to those wheels that can readily accept it, the X5 bristles with electronic safety features.
Coupled with twin front plus side and head airbags (with rear side and head airbags optional), triple three-point seat belts in the rear and the strength of the rigid bodyshell, X5 was awarded the maximum four stars in the Euro-NCAP crash tests, making it one of the safest 4x4s on the road.
Deadlocks with rolling code immobiliser and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm with remote operation complete the package, helping to give the 4.4i an ABI insurance rating in Group 18A, with Group 19A for the higher performance 4.4i Sport.
Equipment and value
Despite its price tag, the X5 is good value for money, though it is more expensive than key rivals. With leather trim, automatic climate control, 17" alloy wheels, wood trim, power windows all round, front power seats, front and rear park distance control, metallic paint, the suite of electronics mentioned above plus the running cost advantages over its rivals, the BMW represents value in abundance, particularly in view of the performance available.
Verdict
For its first attempt at a 4x4, the X5 is a remarkable achievement. Combining the driver appeal of a good sports saloon with the lofty driving position so desirable in today's driving conditions, the BMW breaks new ground in becoming the first 4x4 that is truly rewarding to drive. That it can show all its rivals a clean pair of heels on the road is, in this context, secondary to its cost performance which places it firmly at the top of the tree, to make the X5 perhaps one of the best practical all-rounders we have ever driven.