When BMW introduced the X5 in late 1999, they created a whole new type of vehicle – a luxury SUV that handled like a… well, BMW. With wide street tires, taught body control and sharp steering response, this SAV (sport activity vehicle in Bimmer lingo) was clearly not made for boonie-bashers. It was aimed squarely at the upwardly mobile urban trendoids who wholly embraced the concept of a pricey and rugged Euro image builder.
With the all-new 2007 X5, BMW has kicked every parameter up a notch. It’s bigger, more agile, more refined and even more luxurious. Not that you were actually slumming it in the old X5, but this edition’s interior is noticeably richer in its materials, and exudes a more modern and sumptuous ambience.
My tester was an X5 4.8i (base price $73,500), motivated by a rorty 4799 cc DOHC 32-valve V8 that generates 350 hp at 6300 r.p.m. and 350 lb.-ft. of torque at 3400 r.p.m. Mated to a slick shifting six-speed Steptronic manumatic, the V8 moves this 2420-kg ute with authority, making the most delicious noises while doing so. BMW chose to allow a fair bit of aural stimulation to enter the cabin, and even while cruising on the highway, the distant rumble of the bent-eight is a subtle reminder that you sprung for the bigger motor.
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