After almost 5 months of waiting till its first unveiling and scheduled world premiere, May is finally here and also the happy news of official launch of the BMW’s one of the most sought after SUVs, the new, periodically face lifted and revised BMW X5. And today, right after its launch in the nation officially, we bring you an insight into the details of the car, what’s new, what’s not and what still needs to be improved.
Prices
Talking straight forwardly, this big mad BMW is a luxury dipped box. And with such on and off-board features with new elementary touches all around, this hefty little machine comes with an even fancier price tag. While the outgoing X5 30d cost around 62.25 lakhs on- road, this new version will be more expensive with the pricing going up as high as 9 lakhs something which now costs around 71 lakhs with no petrol model upgrades on card. Customization and optional accessories upgrades are on extra cost if you thought that’s still all.
Engine Details
Talking about the heart of this big SUV, the new version still gets the same 3.0 ltr 6-Cyl diesel engine which is also shared by a number of other BMWs including the X3 and GT5 which now sounds and performs madly. The engine might seem same, but there is actually power integration in it with the figures going up by 10Bhp and 20Nm in the diesel engine making it now a whopping 258Bhp and 560Nm fuel burner. Apart from looking pretty, the engine now revs quick, loud and all the way past 5500rpm. Even after being a diesel mill.
And just like the outgoing X5, it also gets an 8-speed gearbox to transmit power to all the four wheels, which is still a gem to operate.
Space
This one SUV is big, was already. But people at BMW still thought that’s not enough and hence they make this car huger than before with total dimension figures now to be 4886 x 1938 x 1762 mm. Still, the car arrived looks subtle and classy in its body blend. Inside, the space gets more roomier in the 2nd row, thanks to the slightly longer dimensions and the same row now gets an optional entertainment package (of course at extra bucks). But the third row still remains tight for many and hence, BMW should have taken care of that.
Exterior
To begin with, you’ll have to agree that the new BMW X5 looks cooler than ever or before at least. The car looks more edgy and sleek in profile despite of its huge size and dimensions. With sculpted bonnet, more pronounced shoulder-line, a new and unslabby tailgate and new and stylish wraparound tail-lamps like the current X3, the car looks really impressive. While some of the main highlighted features remain-
- Bumpers front/rear with moulding in titanium look
- Decorative moulding side frame and window recess covers in satinated Aluminum
- Override guards in stainless steel in front, side and rear
- Remote control key with buttons in chrome
- Tailpipe finishers in matte-chrome
But the trademark Corona rings in the headlamps remain same and untouched but a chiseled and sharp edge could not be remain unmentioned, so as the large BMW signature kidney grille which now gets a little flat-bottom like a brow with some of already existing features like
- Lights including auto high beam assistance and cornering
- Aerodynamic package including Air Breathers, Air Curtains, Aero Blades and Air vent control
- LED fog lights
- Headlight washer system
- Heat protection glazing
- Front kidney grille bars, titanium finish
- Exterior mirrors, electrically foldable, with automatic anti-dazzle function
- Mirror heating, memory and integrated LED turn indicators
- Rain sensor and automatic driving lights
- Roof rails, aluminum satinated
- Two part tail gate
In totality, the car looks classy, new and appealing in its new body with a wide range of metallic color options to choose from like
- Black Sapphire metallic
- Mineral Silver metallic
- Space Grey metallic
- Glacier Silver metallic
- Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect
- Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect
- Mineral White metallic
- Sparkling Brown Brilliant Effect
- Alpine White uni
- Black uni
to woo the customers in a professionally intuitive way.
Interiors
By any chance if you were waiting to hear this, then yes the interior gets a much required makeover too with no boring black interior but a blend of more rocking Fine-wood trim Fine-line Pure textured on the dashboard and a beige underline to compliment that. Apart from that, when you are on driver’s seat in this new car, you realize that all the amenities are now more focused towards the driver, altering the general and old position of the cabin. Apart from that, the Cab-in also sports some of the market leading inputs like
- Automatic air conditioning with 4-zone control and extended rear air vents in second row seats
- Comfort seats in 2nd row with comfort optimized upholstery, 80mm fore and aft movement and 10 degree adjustment of backrest
- Electric steering column adjustment
- Floor mats in velour
- Gear shift paddles
- Seat adjustment electrical for driver & passenger with memory function for driver
- Seat Lumbar support electric for driver and front passenger
- Smokers package
- Start/Stop button
- Storage compartment package including sunglass holder and additional 12 volt power sockets
- Third row seats, folding down full into the luggage compartment floor
- Third row heating/ventilation console with integrated cup-holders
There is also an option to choose from BMW’s customized upholstery trims with ‘Dakota Leather’ in a variety of black, Canberra beige, ivory white, mocha and terra colors.
The steering wheel and dials look similar to the former version though, but the controls and buttons look more clean and crispier now with a curvy looking dash which looks appealing. X5 now uses a HARMON KARDON audio system and the screen is now larger and thinner removing the old and boxy unit as before, which is 26’’ iDrive touch with handwriting recognition color display with a rear view camera and PDC ( Park Distance Control) in it. Welcome tailgate freshness which still remains split-style but now is power operated. And hence, the car on a whole looks calm and soothing from the inside with much less dramatic funkiness and aesthetically appealing molding of things.
Drivability And Handling
With all round freshness, this car is a very new and exciting package in the top-end SUV market. With the new engine treatment, the performance figures of the car go up and now the diesel engine is said to roar loud with acceleration to 100 in just 6.9 sec with a top speed of around 250 KMPH (electronically restricted). And to handle such great performance, BMW is a way ahead in putting technologies like
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Brake Assist
- Airbags:
- Airbags for driver and front passenger
- Head airbags front and rear
- Side airbags for driver and front passenger
- Ornering Brake Control (CBC)
- BMW Condition Based Service
- (Intelligent maintenance system)
- Automatic Start/Stop function
- Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)
- Brake Energy Regeneration
- Electric parking brake with auto hold
- Electronic vehicle immobiliser and crash sensor
- Run flat indicator
- Hill Descent Control
- ISOFIX child seat mounting
- Three-point seat belts at all seats, including pyrotechnic belt tensioners at front and belt force limiters at front
- Runflat tyres with reinforced side walls
- Side-impact protection etc.
Also, there is an integrated drive select system which lets you choose the riding methods according to your mood and according to the mood of terrains and circumstances. The car comes equipped with a speed sensitive steering wheel which increases the tightness and softness according to the need. There could bit body roll in this car and which is actually fair too for this size, but mind you, this is a BMW product and with that, you can never go wrong and hence, BMW’s integrated x-Drive info-screen lets you know of the amount of body roll so you can hit the next corner even harder than before. Apart from that, a drive selector is always there for your mood and for our tree hugging generation, there is a newly incorporated and smarter ‘Eco Pro’ mode for more efficiency for your wallet and for nature as well. And the biggest reason to chill around drivability is its reduced weight, which is marginal only but still combining with a well-balanced chassis and grip of fat tyres, which are low in profile and yet comfortable for the Indian road conditions, this car is really a true blue BMW gene keeping par with the Ultimate driving Tradition.
Final Verdict
Despite of its great size, X5 is still a joy to ride on road and now looks nicer too even with a diesel engine, which has taken a new leap forward in a serious performance game but an upgraded petrol engine would have been better launched along as well. And for more updates on X5, keep following us as we bring you an all round comparison, reviews and specifications further of this car.
