![2014 bmw x5 idrive review 2014 bmw x5 idrive review](https://car-images.bauersecure.com/upload/31414/images/480x270/01bmwx5m50d.jpg)
Even those of us who scoff at the idea of an Ultimate Driving Machine standing tall and weighing about 5,000 pounds have to concede that the X5 steers keenly and handles transitions with a poise made possible by its rear air spring, adaptive shocks and skillful chassis tuning. Normal roads? That's a different proposition. Obviously, it's not very likely we'll see anyone who coughed up nearly 70 grand for this luxury sport ute tackling goat tracks like these without the incentive of a natural catastrophe. Nonetheless, the X5 dug its way out with just a little sawing at the wheel. Still, we did manage to get our car stuck in one deep and muddy gully by going in too slowly. So, with only the occasional oblique approach to deep gullies as a sensible precaution, we managed not to scrape anything. The vehicle's approach and departure angles, along with its breakover points, are evidently well optimized and the car's underpinnings tidily integrated. Naturally, the new X5s on hand (European xDrive50i and xDrive30d models) slogged through the off-road course relatively easily, aided by the ABS-based traction control and the car's optional traction- specific program. Appropriately, the site chosen for the off-road program went right past the awe-inducing Olympic ski-jump ramp, which looks scary even without its winter coat. Accordingly, the new X5 is remarkably quiet, with well-suppressed wind and tire noise.īMW chose Vancouver as the location for the international press debut for its third-generation X5 to continue the tradition of having X5s launched in cities where Olympic Games have been staged. There are functional slots in the bodywork behind the front wheels that redirect air from the wheel wells to reduce turbulence, as well as a faired-in rear window and other tweaks to the vehicle's envelope to cut drag. This slight improvement comes by way of weight reduction, mechanical efficiencies - like auto stop/start and a new free-wheeling mechanism in BMW's eco-pro program that disengages drive while coasting at low speeds - and aerodynamic upgrades. According to BMW, the city/highway fuel consumption of the flagship xDrive50i has been improved from 14/20 to 14/22 mpg. Of course, it isn't just an appearance makeover for the 2014 X5 there are technical upgrades and refinements too, aimed primarily at reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we can advise that concerned Canadian BMW owner that the new car soon makes the old one - with its boxy profile and unfashionably chubby contours - seem curiously dated. And although the new car sits on a wheelbase the same as its predecessor's, it looks longer than the actual 2.2-inch increase in overall length suggests.
#2014 BMW X5 IDRIVE REVIEW WINDOWS#
Then there's that raked aspect to the side windows that lends a wedge shape to the X5's profile. Also, the accented lower air intakes add a sharpness to the car's face that's absent from the old one. We could appreciate how an owner of the previous model might find the aggressive new grille and wide sweep of headlight surface a little strange. Since we were as new as he was to the look of this third-generation X5 sport-activity vehicle (BMW's description), we listened to his comments with interest. A Vancouver resident inspecting the row of new BMW X5s parked outside the posh Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel confessed he wasn't sure the new look of the car was an improvement on his own second-gen X5.