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2003 BMW X5 4.6i Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle

Car Review of the 2003 BMW X5 4.6i Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle

Base MSRP Range:

Base Invoice Range: Price Quote

MSRP As Tested: Not Available

Versions: 3.0I, 4.4I, 4.6I

Vehicle Category: Full-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle, light-duty truck

Engine Location: Front Engine

Drive Wheels: Full-time All Wheel Drive

Engine As Tested: 4.6-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 32-valves, V-8 cylinder, 340 -horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 350 lb-ft torque at 3,700 rpm

Optional Engines: >3.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, Inline-6 cylinder, 225-horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 214 lb-ft torque at 3,500 rpm 4.4-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 32-valves, V-8 cylinder, 290 -horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 324 lb-ft torque at 3,600 rpm

Transmission As Tested: 5-Speed Manual or optional Automatic with manual shift function.

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 15/20

Standard Safety Features: Driver and front passenger, front and side airbags, Head-Protection System, 4-wheel disc brakes (ventilated front, solid rear), Electronic Brake Force Distribution, "> Antilock Braking System, Dynamic Brake Control, Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control, Hill Descent Control, Traction Control, front and rear anti-roll bars, Remote Keyless Entry, Daytime Running Lights, Rear Obstacle Detection System,.

Competition: Mercedes-Benz M class, Acura MDX, Infiniti FX, Lexus RX330, Volvo XC 90

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- You say that big V8 pumping the power of almost 300 horses simply isn't enough to propel a sport-utility wagon to lightning-quick speeds, so you actually want more?

You want more thrust, more torque muscle and more neck-snapping, pin-your-shoulders-to-the-seat acceleration?

Well, the Bavarian engine designers from Germany's Bayerische Motoren Werke -- which in the American market is recognized by the three initials of BMW -- have concocted a powerful solution for those among us who desire to drive a luxury-lined wagon that acts like one of the swiftest vehicles on the planet.

Their solution is called X5 4.6is.

Think of it as a raucous sports car rigged with a boxy back bay under the disguise of a sport-utility wagon.

Of course, the X5 is what happens when BMW's performance-geared designers turn their attention to a SUV.

It looks remarkably like one of BMW's big sports sedans, only jacked up with a wagon's cargo compartment attached at the tail.

It's a broad and long four-door wagon that fits in the mid-size class of SUVs with a wheelbase stretching for more than nine feet and the wheel track over five feet wide.

The whole package measures about fifteen feet long by six feet wide and rises some five and a half feet high.

An engine fits in front of the four-door cabin that holds two rows of seats for up to five riders plus a rear cargo bay accessed through a clever clamshell tailgate.

What makes BMW's SUV different from convention concerns its unitized structure and the application of performance-oriented mechanical paraphernalia.

While a typical SUV rides on the chassis of a truck with a wagon's superstructure bolted on top, the X5 by contrast carries a unitized structure like a car with chassis and frame combined into a single entity that's innately strong and rigid.

It becomes a stable foundation for mounting the mechanical devices for power, suspension, steering, brakes and traction control.

Also, all components fit aboard in such a manner that weight is distributed ideally, with half loading on the front wheels and the other half on the rear ones. This perfect balance makes X5 extremely controllable through predictable patterns.

And the use of lightweight aluminum for independent suspension links pares the unsprung mass of this vehicle, which ultimately makes it stick better on pavement and glide more uniformly over road bumps.

Similar concepts and components apply to BMW's sedans and coupes to make them such sporty performers.

The first X5 rolled out of a BMW assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a coupe of years back badged as the X5 4.4i and packing a whopper of a V8.

Its 4.4-liter engine, with BMW's Double Vanos variable camshaft controller in place, in current editions produces 290 hp at 5400 rpm plus massive torque of 324 lb-ft at 3600 rpm. And all of that muscle channels through a five-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic dual-mode controls.

Quickly following the arrival of the X5 4.4i, BMW added a six-pack powertrain option to the series with the X5 3.0i.

It carries a husky 3.0-liter straight-six that pumps up 225 hp at 2500 rpm plus 214 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm through either the Steptronic automatic or a sporty five-speed ZF Type C manual.

Now, though, the X5 4.6is emerges with a third powertrain option that offers maximum muscle plus the shoulder-pinning acceleration.

The V8 in the 4.6is measures to 4.6 liters and develops 340 hp at 5700 rpm with torque of 350 lb-ft at 3500 rpm.

Like the 4.4i, the 4.6is plant links strictly with BMW's five-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.

And it's so quick, capable of pouncing up to 60 mph in only six seconds or racing to autobahn speed at 150 mph.

We get to verify those performance numbers at a closed-loop test track pitched not far from the X5 assembly plant in Spartanburg.

The 4.6is blasts down the track's initial straightaway so quickly that we're on the big brakes to rein it before the course's first corner.

Suspension braces hold the package firmly while we move in fairly flat stance through the curve. Subsequent chicane sets don't upset it as we fly through the esses with the agility of a sportster, while on the long back straight we push it to triple-digit pace and the most powerful X5 hunkers down like a true autobahn hauler.

The pliable suspension consists of front struts with double-pivot lower arms and coil springs with twin-tube gas-pressured shocks and anti-roll bar, plus the rear aluminum integral link with lateral arms forward of the lower and rear upper lateral arms. Coil springs come on the 3.0i X5, but both V8 versions employ self-leveling air springs.

Large disc brakes mount at all posts. Brakes tie by computer link to an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and dynamic stability control for all wheels (DSC-X) with a four-wheel traction control system (TCS-X).

Another computerized electronic control distributes power to all wheels through a planetary center differential that divides the engine torque. Normally, 38 percent of the muscle goes to front wheels and the rest goes to the rear, although wheel slippage will prompt the smart system to redirect torque to other wheels that still maintain grip.

New equipment appears on X5 issues for 2003, such as BMW's brake force display that intensifies taillamps, rear-seat head protection system (HPS) air bags and an optional navigation system upgraded with a DVD database.

In addition, an available sport package for X5 3.0i and X5 4.4i includes adjustable ride height controls and speed-rated tires, while new premium leather covers all seats.

The X5 4.6is contains all optional equipment available for 3.0i and X5 4.4i, making it the X5 version with every conceivable feature plus enormous 20-inch cast alloy wheels and 275/40R20 performance tires.

BMW's line of SUVs means superior control and sports-car fun in a wagon but these machines are not pitched at driver's challenged by budgetary constraints, since price points reach from $40,195 for the X5 3.0i to $67,495 for X5 4.6is loaded with that big engine and all equipment.

Editors' Ratings

Pros: Great styling, BMW sports car performance and handling, great build quality

Cons: Not as much cargo room as other SUVs, pricey, we would hesitate to take it on any serious off road trail

Ratings (1-10)

  • Style: 8
  • Performance: 8
  • Price: 6
  • Handling: 9
  • Ride: 8
  • Comfort: 8
  • Quality: 9
  • Overall: 8

More Data

Where Built: Spartanberg South Carolina

Major Options: Cold Weather Package, Rear Climate Package, Premium Package, Sport Package, leather upholstery, larger wheels and tires, self-leveling rear axle, sport suspension calibration, adjustable ride height, Xenon headlights with auto-leveling, variety of exerio and interior trims, Park Distance Control, auto-dimming mirrors, lumbar support, heated steering wheel, on-board computer, DVD Navigation System, power Moodnroof, privacy glass, dual climate controls, upgraded audio system, retractable cargo floor, rear-door mounted side impact airbags,

Seating: 5

Number of Rows: 2

Crash Test Ratings:

  • NHTSA Frontal Impact/Driver Crash Test Rating: Not Yet Tested
  • NHTSA Frontal Impact/Passenger Crash Test Rating: Not Yet Tested
  • NHTSA Side Impact/Front Seat Crash Test Rating: Not Yet Tested
  • NHTSA Side Impact/Rear Seat Crash Test Rating: Not Yet Tested
  • NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating: Not Yet Tested

  • IIHS Frontal Offset Crash Test: Not Yet Tested

Length in Inches: 183.7

Warranties: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, X years/unlimited miles corrosion, 5 years/XX,000 mile powertrain, X years/unlimited mileage free Roadside Assistance.

Weight in Pounds: 4,533

Cargo Capacity in Pounds: Not Available

Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: Not Available

Towing Capacity in Pounds: 6,000

Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 24.3

Destination Charge: $695