Unfortunately, in the absence of
smooth-surfaced autobahns and the robust presence of incredibly badly surfaced
roads, these low-profile tyres result in a skittish ride over tarmac riddled
with potholes and ruts. It also seems to crash and thud into the deeper
potholes. Now the reason why I say “seems to” is because these thuds and
crashes are heard more than felt, unlike in the case of older BMWs where you
would have been able to feel the irregularities as well. The reason for this
oddity is that the new X5 sports a very good suspension set-up that offers a
great balance between handling and ride quality. In an ideal scenario with
wheels kitted out with 50 or 55 profile tyres the ride quality would have been pliant
over bad roads. Unfortunately, what the suspension set-up should have gained
you is somewhat squandered by those tyres over any road that is less than
perfect as the suspension has to work extra hard to keep you insulated from the
ruts and potholes. Too bad it can’t keep out the noise as well. Overall,
though, that’s a good thing then. You only have to live with the sound of the
suspension working, enough to remind you to get off the gas when there’s patchy
tarmac ahead.
Legroom
is generous in the front, but headroom is only average for a large SUV
But get a smooth patch and it’s a whole
different story. The same tyres along with the excellent suspension now provide
excellent handling. Tight twisty hairpins, long fast sweepers or arrow-straight
expressways, the X5 conquers everything in its path. There’s ample and more
grip from those fat Continental ContiSport tyres why the firm suspension keeps
body-roll in check as you push yourself to drive this SUV a little bit harder.
Add to that a steering that is accurate and feedback-rich and what you have is
a very sporty four-wheeler. What is surprising again is that unlike the older
lot of BMWs the steering unit on the X5 lightens up at low speeds while adding
weight as velocities rise, which makes driving through city traffic as easy as
driving on expressways. All of these aspects combine to inspire driver
confidence, which means you can push that much harder.
Plenty
of space for two passengers back here, and it's reasonable for three
Finally, anything that moves also needs to
stop. BMW have equipped the X5 with 332-mm x 30-mm inner vented discs up front
and 320-mm dia x 20-mm inner vented discs at the rear. Both sets are gripped by
single piston floating callipers to bring the car to a stop. The brakes function
quite well and haul the car down from all sorts of speeds without any fuss at
all. The fact that there’s a whole gamut of German technologies like ABS,
Cornering Brake Control (CB), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Dry Braking
function, Fading compensation, Automatic Differential Brake (ADB-X)....the list
goes on, gives you the feeling that you’re ensconced in the heart of the
automotive equivalent of a tank.
BMW
has worked on that lump under the stout bonnet to make it far more refined than
before. Tweaked gearbox means quicker shifts too
On the whole then, the new BMW X5 makes a
fabulous case for itself. It’s got great grunt, tremendous dynamics, enough
techy stuff to keep the IT geek in you happy and comfortable enough for the
entire family to be smiling all the way to the destination. The only let-down
in an otherwise fab package are those low-profile tyres that seem to make
little sense in an SUV going on sale in a country with perennially bad roads.
Other than that, it’s a thumbs-up from both hands as far as we are concerned.
