By Jim Mateja Chicago Tribune December 12, 1999

    

BMW's SAV - Sports Utility Vehicle in the BMW X5

The problem with most sport-utility vehicles is more utility than sport.

Not so the 2000 BMW X5, the newest entry into the SUV fold from the German automaker known for its performance sedans and coupes.

BMW managed to inject a little of its sedan and coupe performance into a sport-utility vehicle. And that, perhaps, is the reason BMW refuses to call the X5 a sport-utility and instead refers to it as a sports-activity vehicle, or SAV.

The X5, BMW says, "offers the SUV's appealing aspects (all-wheel-drive; high stance for down-the-road visibility; plenty of cargo room) plus the exhilaration and driving pleasure only a BMW can provide, a vehicle with the SUV silhouette but not the typical SUV personality--and not an SUV."

Can't argue with BMW's bravado.

This thing has spirit. Lots of it. Press the pedal and the V-8 springs into action. You may feel being nudged back into the leather bucket. We did. The focus is on sport first, utility vehicle second.

The X5 is powered by a 4.4-liter, 280-horsepower, 32-valve V-8 that boasts zero to 60 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds. What it doesn't boast about, however, is a 13-mile-per-gallon city and 17-m.p.g. highway fuel-economy rating.

A 3-liter in-line 6 will be added early next year to increase mileage and provide a version with a base price about $10,000 less than the $49,400 with V-8.

The 4.4-liter is teamed with a 5-speed automatic with Steptronic, BMW's version of the clutchless manual in which you slip the lever into a separate gate and tap the lever to shift through five forward gears without using a clutch. Might use it off-road, but on-road is doubtful.

Our test vehicle came with optional sports package, which includes firmer shock and spring settings along with anti-roll bars for crisp steering response and flatter cornering, plus larger 19-inch performance radials (18-inch all-season radials standard) for improved road grip.

However, to allow for added ground clearance and the possibility of off-roading, you sit higher in an all-wheel-drive X5 than you would in a 5-Series sedan. And the 19-inch radials raise the center of gravity more. So when motoring into that sharp corner at speed remember that, while the X5 might have the power of a sedan or coupe, it doesn't have the precision handling of a vehicle that sits closer to the pavement.

As a rule of thumb, the higher the platform off the ground, the wiser you are to ease off the pedal when the road sign ahead shows a wiggly arrow.

To ease fears, however, the X5 features full-time AWD that adjusts on its own when four-wheel-drive low is needed; all-season traction control that functions at all speeds to reduce engine torque or apply the brakes to individual wheels to limit wheel spin on slippery roads or non-roads; and dynamic stability control, which uses sensors to monitor cornering motion, vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle and brake pressure to employ the traction control and anti-lock brakes to maintain stability when cornering on dry or slippery roads.

And there's electronic brake proportioning and dynamic brake control that automatically apply more pressure to the pedal in emergencies to shorten stopping distances to a length similar to that in perfo rmance sedans rather than the longer distances common in most SUVs; and hill-descent control, which, at the tap of a button on the console, the brakes are automatically applied when needed on a steep hill so you don't ride the pedal all the way down the hill and lose your binders.

The X5 is designed as an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Lexus RX300. The M-Class rides and handles like a truck and does better off-road than on; the RX300 rides and handles like a car that does better on-road than off. The X5 rides and handles like a cross between the two. The X5 is designed to provide decent manners on- or off-road-- with a few exceptions.

When asked why BMW came up with an SUV when the automaker owns Land Rover, which is known for its rugged SUVs, a BMW source replied, "The X5 is for getting to the trout stream; the Land Rover for fording the trout stream."

Though it carries the 5 designation, the X5 is not simply an SUV offshoot of the 5-Series sedan but is built on its own platform that's a little bigger than the 5-Series, a little smaller than the 7-Series or roughly the size of a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Thanks to the kidney-shaped grille, the X5 has the obvious BMW styling. From the side, the X5 looks a little wagonish and more than a little like the RX300, thanks to the bodyside crease along the doors and the hatchlid spoiler.

Inside, cabin room is spacious. Count on holding four adults in comfort. Rear seats fold to increase cargo room. In back, you have a combination swing-up hatch lid and a swing-down tailgate. Neat touch because the tailgate provides a place to hold things while loading the cargo hold.

And kudos to BMW for attention to detail. Normally, there's an opening between the tailgate and the body, where items get stuck or dirt collects. When you lower the X5 gate, a plastic sleeve slips over the opening.

The X5 starts at $49,400. Standard equipment includes dual front and side-impact air bags, with rear-seat side bags a $385 option. Front air-bag deployment speeds are determined by the severity of the impact, and the passenger bag won't deploy if the seat is vacant. In a bag deployment, the battery disengages as a precaution to prevent a short-circuit from starting a fire.

To provide side-impact head protection, an inflatable 5-foot long tube deploys out of the headliner above front and rear doors.

Also standard are self-leveling rear air spring suspension; halogen headlamps and foglamps; remote keyless entry; automatic front- and rear-seat climate controls; power windows; memory for driver's seat/seat-belt height/steering-wheel angle/outside mirror settings, leather seats, folding split rear seats and a shade-like cargo cover that hides contents well but doesn't open/close too smoothly.

There's also a space-saver spare tire under the rear load floor that springs upward when released to make it easier to remove; three power plugs, two in the cargo hold, one for rear-seat passengers; power tilt/telescoping steering column; eight-way power seats; steering-wheel controls for radio/phone/CD/cruise/air recirculation and, if purchased as a $150 option, heated steering wheel.

Our test vehicle came with the optional sport package ($2,470) as well as an activity package ($850) with ski bag, heated front seats, headlamp washers and rain-sensor windshield wipers and power moonroof ($1,050), which reverses motion if it encounters an obstruction, such as a hand or arm.

Hmm.

If the X5 offers so much, how come Double-ought Seven doesn't drive one?

"He's been put on the waiting list just like everyone else," BMW said of the secret agent who, when not busy saving the world, has served as a BMW huckster with a new James Bond film and a new BMW vehicle being introduced every two years.

But wait he must. The 300 U.S. BMW dealers initially will get only two or three X5s built by the German automaker in Spartanburg, S.C., same assembly site as BMW Z3 roadster.

The X5 goes on sale Dec. 21 and is in what's called new-vehicle ramp-up mode of 55 a day, versus 300 a day once workers are familiar with assembly.

So you'll need patience, as well as deep pockets, because it's likely they'll go out the door at full list plus a premium. BMW is counting on current sedan, coupe and especially roadster owners to make the X5 an all-season companion.

2000 BMW X5 Wheelbase: 111 inches Length: 183.7 inches Engine: 4.4-liter, 282-h.p., 32-valve V-8 Transmission: 5-speed automatic with Steptronic Fuel economy: 13 m.p.g. city/17 m.p.g. highway Base price: $49,400 Price as tested: 54,745. Includes $1,050 for power glass moonroof; $500 for Xenon headlamps; $200 radio upgrade with CD player; $275 for privacy glass; $2,470 for a sport package; and a $850 activity package. Add $570 for freight. Pluses: Looks more like a BMW than the M-Class SUV looks like a Mercedes. An all-wheel-drive BMW for Snow Belt motoring. A long-awaited rival to the M-Class as well as the Lexus RX300 hybrid. Potent V-8. Minuses: Mileage from potent V-8. Stiff price even before options that can add thousands more to the sticker.

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