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| 2001 BMW X5 Review, Ian Mitchell, From Queensland
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4.4 Litre
| | Model of the car: | 4.4 Litre | | | General comments: | City (not off-road) all-wheel drive vehicle with great vision from the elevated seat position. One of the safest vehicles ever built with multiple electronic drive assists, monocoque steel passenger shell, lots of airbags, great brakes, unique seatbelt tensioning system, antisubmarining seat design and serious BMW handling. Coded car keys automatically set up the electronic seating for each driver before you even get into the car. Parking distance sensors make it easy to avoid nudging other vehicles when parking. Rain sensors take care of the window wipers. The headlight washers keep the Xenon beam really bright, even on muddy roads. The integrated hands-free car phone is top quality (Motorola)and the dashboard display and steering wheel phone controls are incredibly convenient to use. The sound system is excellent and you have the choice of the 6-stack CD or cassette. The sunroof doesn't detract from the generous headroom but the electronically retractable side mirrors are a bit of a gimmick. The dashboard TV is handy to kill time while you're waiting in the car (obviously is inactivated whilst driving) and the optional rear DVD player and screen keeps the kids occupied on longer trips. I didn't get the SatNav system but it's available and affordable. It accelerates and handles like a sports car and rides like a 7-series BMW luxury sedan.It's the best vehicle I have ever owned and will probably hold onto it for many years (and it will probably still drive like new as have other BMW's I have owned). Main drawbacks are V8 gas consumption and limited rear seating design (maximum of 5 persons in the vehicle). | | | What things have gone wrong with the car: | The rear seating only allows 3 passengers, so when you have more than 3 kids it creates some problems. Small cargo space, although you can stack up a fair bit with the cargo net that comes standard. The options added about 20% to the base price of the car. It sucks up premiun gas. I was disappointed about the limited colour choices available in Australia - the BMW website in Germany suggests a greater array of exterior and interior colour combinations. The X5 isn't a serious offroad vehicle but it handles the muddy dirt roads around where I live a lot better than a sedan. | | | Previous car: | Comparing the ride of the X5 with the M series Mercedes is like comparing my 7 series with a skateboard. The Mercedes drives like a truck and rolls like a ship. The Mercedes does have the option of additional seating in the back and can carry more passeng |
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