ShareThisRight out of the garage, the BMW X5 was an anomaly.
When it was introduced in 2000, it was a response by the Bavarian car company to a perceived threat from its arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz, which had brought out the first luxury sport-utility vehicle, the ML320, in 1998.
That was followed a year later by the RX300 from Lexus, a much softer vehicle but one that soon shot to the top in sales. Later, after Mercedes softened the ML, these machines would come to be known as crossovers.
Though the X5 was designed to compete in this luxury class, it could not deny BMW's tradition of producing only high-performance vehicles that may not have been the fastest available but always delivered superior handling and braking.
It was no mean accomplishment to design those attributes into the X5, which BMW called an "all activity vehicle." SUVs, by nature, have to be tall, with high centers of gravity, which is the antithesis of precise handling. Give a tall vehicle a stiff suspension system and fat, sticky tires, and it might just tip over in a hard corner.
But BMW, being BMW, managed to overcome. As a result, the original X5 had a great deal of sport but came up short in the utility and luxury departments. Critics carped, for example, that it had less cargo space than the classy 5-Series station wagon and carried the same number of people.
But buyers unaccountably were more interested in SUVs of all kinds than station wagons, so the X5 prospered despite its shortcomings. And redesigns ameliorated some of the criticisms, especially in the cargo-carrying department.
One of the problems, as always with high-performance vehicles of all types, was fuel economy. You can't be powerful and fast, especially if you weigh two and one-half tons, and still brag about your gas mileage.
That wasn't so important in the early years. X5 buyers wanted their performance and SUV image, and they tended to be people with enough income to finance their fuel purchases.
But recent years and attention to matters green have prompted some guilty consciences. A surge in gasoline prices in 2008 contributed as well. So fuel economy became a priority everywhere.
For BMW, the solution already was at hand. German vehicle manufacturers, with the high motor fuel prices in Europe, have a long history of developing diesel engines, which get about 30 percent better fuel economy than equivalent gasoline engines. It is why long-distance 18-wheelers use diesels.
As designed by BMW, the diesel has an additional advantage: performance. Compared to their gasoline counterparts, diesels produce enormous torque, or twisting force, at low revolutions, especially when turbocharged.
In these times, a diesel is made to order for a vehicle like the X5. But BMW, along with competitors Mercedes and Volkswagen, had to develop engines that could meet stringent state and federal emissions requirements. The U.S., for its part, had to deliver cleaner diesel fuel.
It all has come to pass and one result is the 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d. Its 3-liter, six-cylinder turbo diesel delivers 265 horsepower and, as importantly, a whopping 425 pound-feet of torque to motivate the X5's 5,225 pounds of metal and other materials. It uses urea injection to reduce emissions, so the additive must be replenished at regular intervals. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual-shift mode.
Like other modern diesels from VW and Mercedes, this BMW diesel runs in a stealth mode. If you were not tipped off, you'd be hard-pressed to identify it as an oil burner. It starts instantly, idles quietly and does not emit any noxious odors.
The main thing you notice is the surge of power off the line and the fewer stops at the filling station. The X5d delivers 19/26 miles to the gallon on the EPA's city/highway cycle.
As might be expected with a BMW, the package is biased toward performance and handling, so do not expect a cushy ride. It is more suited to a smooth race track than some of the nation's ill-maintained roads, where the ride can be sharp and jarring.
The X5d still doesn't have generous cargo space out back, but at least it's not embarrassing, and there's extra stowage under the floor.
Up front, the heated front seats are firm and supportive with good lateral support. Thigh bolsters are adjustable. Out back, the outboard seats deliver generous room and comfort. The middle seat, despite a flat floor, is an uncomfortable perch.
Instruments employ visible white on black markings but smaller readouts use less visible orange on black. Overall, the interior has a quality look with polished wood trim.
The X5d has modern sliding sun visors to block light from the side, and the infamous iDrive control system has been simplified. But it also is way behind the times with a six-disc CD changer mounted as an afterthought in the glove box.
The diesel X5 doesn't come cheap. It starts at $52,025 and, with options, the test machine checked in at $65,620.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. For more columns, go to scrippsnews.com)
DriveWays with BMWX5-SPECS
