It besets all of us, really. I wish I was the same weight that I was ten years ago - before I started a life in automotive journalism, spending a lot of time on planes, a lot of time sitting in cars and the rest of the time sitting in presentations or at dinner listening to marketing executives talk. But it's not just us car scribes; people in general are bigger than they used to be, too - which means that, in order to meet the demands of customers, cars have gotten bigger.
So, like almost every other new car being introduced these days, the X5 is bigger than its predecessor. It has a longer wheelbase - long enough to liberate room for a third row of seats for occasional or kiddie-size use. With the third row up, there's not a lot of room for cargo in the rear but with it folded (you can also order an X5 with just two rows), there's a lot more space than in the last X5 and it's easier to access thanks to a lower lift-over height. The convenient split tailgate is here, but the opening is wider, making it easier to load bulky objects. There's more space up front, as well: more headroom and legroom in the second row and seemingly more width up front thanks to a slightly narrower centre console and less intrusive door panels.
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