Overall Rating |  |
The X5 excels on the road, where it is the best-handling, most rewarding 4x4. It's not bad off-road, either at least within the demands of its fashion-conscious owners. It's still the ultimate urban poser.
For
- 4x4 presence meets executive class refinement and performance
- A sportier drive than most 4x4s; outstanding turbodiesel
- Comfortable cabin is generously equipped
Against
- Petrol models are rather thirsty
- High prices, new and used
- Extras push up prices rapidly
Road Test
It may lack the old-money pedigree of the Range Rover, but the X5 makes a pretty strong statement of wealth and status much-loved by gangstas and footballers wives alike, it packs plenty of flash for the large cash outlay it demands. It's also a decent drive: in fact, it's uncompromisingly sporting, unlike wallowy 4x4s of old, with well-controlled body roll, tidy cornering ability and plenty of power from all its engines. The xDrive permanent four-wheel drive system gives it all the off-road capability its owners are ever likely to need.
Coming with six-cylinder 3.0-litre petrol and diesels, a choice of petrol V8s or the Alpina-developed 4.8-litre (361 bhp), the X5 is not cheap, but high secondhand demand keeps depreciation right down. Ride is hard and unforgiving, especially with the optional sports suspension, but it is roomy, well-equipped and, since recent upgrades, well-finished with a high-quality cabin and more user-friendly controls.
Need To Know
NCAP: 4
Best Models: 3.0 diesel
Worst Models: None
Replacement: 2007
Alternatives
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Star Ratings
Handling  Comfort  Quality & Reliability Performance Roominess Running Costs Value for Money Stereo/Sat Nav |
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