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The X5 is a luxurious SUV sold by BMW. It is based on the E39 BMW 5-Series, and features all wheel drive and a line of strong straight-6 and V8 engines. While a diesel X5 is not offered in the US, the Company sells a 3.0L diesel in Europe and other countries. The X5 has been criticized for having low interior volume considering its size. In fact, the smaller BMW X3 has greater interior volume, while the 5-Series touring has more.
In the late 1990s, BMW decided it wanted a piece of the growing SUV market. What followed was a project which raised many eyebrows and skepticism. Chris Bangle drew the first of his X5 sketches from his Designworks studio in California which in many ways resemble the current ongoing car today. The takeover of Rover proved to be very beneficial for BMW in the development of the X5. BMW engineers were able to look and use Range Rover technology and parts in the development of the X5 - one such example would be Hill Descent Control. In many respects the X5 was also influenced designwise from its British counterpart - in this case the X5 got the 2 piece tailgate straight from Range Rover. Many parts and electronics were also shared directly from the E39 parts bin to save costs and for the simple reason that they just worked.
BMW decided early on that this car had to be a BMW through and through. This led the X5's lines to be obviously characterized as a sporting car - a polar opposite from the Range Rover. BMW also went through great deals to make sure that it was branded as an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) instead of an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle).
Even though the X5 was a four wheel drive vehicle, BMW chose from the start to route 60% of the engine's torque to the rear wheels, making it feel as close as possible to the company's rear wheel drive sedan. The X5 is credited as being the first SUV that didn't drive like a typical SUV/SAV truck. Many reviewers commented on its road and track 'feeling', and as time passed many other manufactures have caught onto this breed of SUV (e.g Porsche Cayenne).
For 2004 the X5 was refreshed with new headlights, a few new exterior colors, a whole new 4-wheel drive system and upgraded engines. The exterior touches kept it fresh and give the X5 a more aggressive look. The kidney grills were enlarged, as well as they actual slats modified in a 'flame surfaced' style. In keeping with the E39 refresh of 2001, the 2004 X5's headlights got angel-eyes (rings or halo's around all front headlamps). Rear headlights also got a E39 refresh treatment, with the exterior glass going from a 'dotted' pattern to a cleaner one of 'lines'. BMW invented a whole new 4-wheel drive system dubbed "xDrive" shared both in the X5 and X3 in 2004. Instead of using the previous X5 system which consisted of power being split 60-40 (rear wheels/front wheels) and DSC to brake wheels losing traction, xDrive could variably cut of power to the front or rear axles in a matter of seconds, allowing the vehicle to regain traction quickly.
In terms of engines, the X5 got the new 4.4i engine which debuted in the 2002 7-Series. This raised output from 275 to 325 horsepower (205 to 242 kW). Also from April production, a new X5 4.8is was offered, giving the driver 265 kW (355 hp) and making it the 2nd fastest SUV behind the Porsche Cayenne.
Several new extras were added to the 2004 X5 such as:
- Soft-boot close feature (the top part of the trunk pulls itself closed)
- Trailer Stabilization Control
- Adaptive Headlights (only available with xenons, swivel with the direction of the car)
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