Featuring a 10.2-inch display, the updated
iDrive module can accommodate a host of optional safety and convenience
functions such as expanded online services (social media and satellite radio),
extended head-up display with colour graphics and road-sign recognition, and
optional haptic input that allows you to scrawl the letters of phone contacts
and sat-nav locations onto the rotary controller’s top.
That’s all good and well but, with that
wondrous stretch of Canadian blacktop sitting before me, it was rendered
largely academic. The real question was whether BMW had managed to not only
maintain, but also build upon the X5’s on-road prowess.
Go
all out in Sport mode and you get less roll and pitch and quicker steering
response
The first model with which we tackled this
question was the xDrive50i, which packs a detuned version of the 4.4-litre
turbo-petrol currently serving in the M5. Packing 330 kW and 650 Nm of torque
from a low 2,000 r/min, there’s plenty of punch on offer at the dip of a loafer
and exactly what was required to despatch the Winnebagos ponderously piloted by
tourists rubber-necking the sweeping vistas.
The example we drove featured the optional
Dynamic Adaptive Suspension package that adapts the damper settings, either
automatically or via a selection module, and self-levelling air suspension at
the rear. It’s a system that serves up a settled and composed ride that’s not
far removed from those of most executive saloons.
This package included the optional Dynamic
Performance Control system that augments the updated (read lighter, more responsive)
all-wheel-drive system by apportioning torque between the rear wheels, slowing
the inside wheel and speeding up the outside to tighten its line.
Legroom
is generous in the front, but headroom is only average for a large SUV
On tighter sections, this system made a
noticeable difference; I could feel the car’s nose being pulled into the
corner, fighting both natural all-wheel-drive under steer and lending it a
surprising turn of agility despite the heavy and, at times, numb electric power
steering.
We next sampled the xDrive30d, likely to be
the volume seller in the range. Its 3.0-litre straight-six turbo diesel
underwent a series of revisions to up power by 10 kW and torque by 20 Nm (190
kW/560 Nm), while CO2 emissions were pared down by 33 g/km from 195 g/km.
Like the V8, it’s a responsive unit that
meshes well with BMW’s eight-speed ‘box. The engine’s plentiful punch
throughout the rev range makes overtaking a doddle. There’s still that
satisfying straight-six snarl under acceleration, settling down to a muted
diesel backdrop at cruising speeds. The models that will complete the X5 range
include the xDrive40d and triturbo-diesel M50d.
Plenty
of space for two passengers back here, and it's reasonable for three
Although our xDrive30d unit didn’t feature
the V8’s chassis setup, the standard configuration isn’t bad, ably soaking up
bumps. While the turn-in agility doesn’t quite equal that of the
torque-vectoring model, it’s still nimble.
The X5 being a road-goer, we weren’t
expecting great things as we turned off the highway onto a wilderness track in
the winter-sport enclave of Whistler. Carefully driven, it can negotiate small
off-road obstacles, but the road-oriented ride joggles its occupants when
tackling rocks and gullies.
Does the new X5 possess the goods to make
further inroads into the SUV segment? Admittedly, the new car doesn’t represent
a quantum leap over its forebear; rather a honing of its positive attributes.
But when viewed in the same context as its rivals, this measured approach is understandable.
Take the new Mercedes-Benz ML. The changes were extensive, no doubt, but the
overall result, while pleasing, wasn’t that far removed from the previous car.
Meanwhile, such staple opponents as the Discovery and Audi Q7 are capable but
ageing. Given this scenario, the answer is yes. The X5’s subtle evolution is
enough to give it the edge when it arrives here in January 2014.
