New Car Profile of the 2004 BMW X5-Series Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
Description: Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $40,800-$52,100
Invoice Price Range: $37,290-$47,570
The X5 is what happens when BMW's performance-geared designers turn their attention to a sport utility vehicle. It looks remarkably like one of BMW's big sports sedans, only jacked up with a wagon's cargo compartment at the tail. Consider the X5 as a broad and long four-door wagon that stands in the mid-size class of sport utility vehicles. 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 sport utility vehicle different from convention concerns its unitized structure and the application of performance-oriented mechanical paraphernalia.
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.
For 2004 issues, X5 units display updated exteriors with reshaped sheetmetal fitting the patterns of BMW's sedans. The prow projects larger grille ports plus halo-style headlamps mounted on front corners. Internally, BMW's new 'intelligent' AWD system called xDrive has been added with locked front-to-rear traction distribution but counteractive intervention from a stability control system when the treads begin to slip. X5 divides into two different models for 2004 based on powertrain. The X5 4.4i stocks a new version of the 4.4-liter V8 with variable valve timing and output of 320 hp through the six-speed automatic shifter out of 7-Series sedans. X5 3.0i carries a 3.0-liter in-line-six worth 225 hp with Steptronic automatic or standard six-speed manual. A Bluetooth wireless (hands-free) cellular phone system will be offered as an accessory on all X5 models.
