Refresh of BMW X5 focuses on stingier engines

JIM KENZIE/FOR THE TORONTO STAR

The 2011 X5 comes with three engine flavours: 3 L gas, 3 L diesel and 4.4 L V8.

Jim Kenzie

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

MIAMI, FLA.—Almost 1 million customers have bought the BMW X5 “Sports Activity Vehicle” since the 1999 launch.

That’s a million who have ignored the 5-series wagon, which offers better ride, better handling, better safety, better looks, and more useable space.

What’s not to like?

Now we see a mid-cycle refresh of the second generation X5, which came out in 2005.

The new 2011 models go on sale later this spring; prices have not yet been announced, but given recent trends, they should be around the current range of $58,800 to $72,100.

A mild face-lift front and rear will show sharp-eyed neighbours that you have indeed bought a new one — bigger front air intakes, repositioned headlights and fog lamps, new tail lights — while the interior remains essentially the same apart from a few extra trim and colour choices.

The biggest news is that the engine program has been brought into line with recent developments from BMW’s engineers.

The 3.0 L turbodiesel (officially, using BMW’s increasingly unfathomable nomenclature, “X5 Advanced Diesel xDrive35d”) with a six-speed automatic continues. It’s starting to gain traction even in these United States, as about 30 per cent of customers are abandoning their prejudices and falling in love with the massive bottom-end torque and fantastic fuel economy a modern diesel offers.

The 3.0 L six-cylinder gasoline option (X5 xDrive35i), expected to account for about half of X5 sales, is now a single, twin-scroll turbo, which generates 300 hp and (an equal number of) 300 lb.-ft. of torque, compared to 260 and 225 respectively in the old twin-turbo six.

A new eight-speed automatic helps this engine achieve improved fuel consumption, but until either the U.S. EPA or Transport Canada publishes the numbers, we can’t quantify it.

A third model, X5 xDrive50i, borrows a slightly-detuned twin-turbo 4.4 L V8 from the X6 and, now, the 7-series, replacing the 4.8 L naturally-aspirated V8. The new mill yields 400 hp and 450 lb.-ft., up from 350 and 350 each in the old V8.

Again, an improved if unquantified improvement in fuel consumption, and again largely enabled by the new eight-speed autobox.

Given the X5’s claimed prowess on- and off-road, the choice of Miami as a test venue was a bit surprising. It would appear that Florida law bans corners in roads, and if you stand on your tippy-toes, you’re probably automatically the highest point in the state, so driving entertainment isn’t a big part of motoring in that state.

But this was an international launch, and Europeans have a fascination with Miami — Miami Vice, CSI, Gianni Versace, all that.

You can cruise Ocean Blvd. in South Beach, which is entertainment of another fashion.

Or, head for the Everglades and look for gators.

I did both.

Only the new single-turbo inline-6 was available for test; the V8 arrives in a couple of months. It is as quick from 0 to 100 km/h as the old V8, with lots of mid-range torque and that lovely BMW six-cylinder smoothness.

Frankly, I wonder if perhaps the new six’s increased performance and improved economy versus the new V8 might skew the six/eight sales ratio, although BMW remains confident that a lot of their customers will always want the fastest version available.

The eight-speed transmission shifts almost imperceptibly; if you don’t like the ratio it has chosen, you can flick the shift lever and instantly pick your own.

With no changes in the chassis, you wouldn’t expect any changes in ride and handling, nor will you find any.

Especially since the introduction of BMW’s Active Steering, I have always found the X5 not as nimble or confident as every other tester seems to, as the big wheels and tires tend to follow longitudinal ridges in the road surface.

As with all SUVs, the X5’s height makes me feel like I’m driving an office building from the second floor. It does get around corners remarkably well given its bulk.

The ride is okay — again, given the genre.

Interior room was enlarged with the second-gen X5, although the relative shortness of the cargo room means some bulky objects might not fit.

BMW’s interiors have improved considerably in materials, fit and finish in recent years, especially with the South Carolina-built X5.

A couple of features new to the X5 add some value. The back-up camera now generates a simulated overhead view of the car and surroundings so you can see whose bike you’re about to run over.

A lane departure warning system, also used on a couple of other European high-end cars, senses the lane markings on the highway, and if the car starts to cross a line without the turn signal on, the steering wheel vibrates to wake you up.

Much more subtle than a buzzer or warning light, which everyone else in the car can also hear and see, to your embarrassment.

Wide-angle cameras in the front fenders (again, borrowed from the 7-series) allow you to almost stick your nose out to see around corners. Works surprisingly well.

The X5 is clearly a type of vehicle that is hardly my cup of tea.

But if it is yours, I can at least confirm that the new X5 has been upgraded in a number of valuable ways.

Just do me (and yourself) a favour: when you go in to buy one, take a peek at the 5-series wagon.

You’ll thank me some sweet day.

Travel was provided to freelance auto reviewer Jim Kenzie by the automaker.

jim@jimkenzie.com

2011 BMW X5 xDrive35

PRICE: est. $60,000.

ENGINE: 3.0 L inline-6, single twin-scroll turbo

POWER/TORQUE: , horsepower / lb.-ft: 300 / 300.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: n/a

COMPETITION: Audi Q7, Lexus RX 350, Mercedes-Benz ML350, Porsche Cayenne V6