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2007 BMW X5 4.8i Winter Test

After being blessed with the worst winter storm of the season during my weekwith the X5, I can tell you, without reservations that an X5 with good snow tires is one of the best machines money can buy to get you and six of your favorite people wherever you want to go, safely and quickly. Be it snow, freezing rain, hail, freezing rain on top of snow, mounds of slush and piles of plowed snow, the X5 just rolled right through it like a blitzkrieg through the Polish Army. In fact, if not for the snow, I'd be talking about how unshakable its grip is, but there's nothing better than a wide open parking lot and freshly fallen snow and ice to experiment with a vehicle's traction control and AWD capabilities. They work, and being able to turn them off means plenty of power-sliding fun along the way.

Of greater concern, however, is how the X5 avoids sliding on treacherous roads and into other vehicles. The first priority

Unstoppable. Kinda like those Panzer tanks. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is tires, since they are responsible for contact with the road (or snow or ice or mud), and BMW equipped this X5 with a set of hardcore winter treads (Dunlop Grandtrek WT) instead of the all-season rubber you find on many SUVs and AWD vehicles from the factory. AWD cannot help you stop, so winter tires are a winter essential if you have to drive in the kind of weather we had during the past couple of weeks.

The second strength I'd point out with the X5 is its weight. Yeah, I knowweight just means higher fuel consumption and sacrifices to dynamics, but, unlike the commercials, I

Forward, backward, left, right and stop. Doing that isn't easy in winter, unless you've got good winter tires. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

was driving on snow-covered roads, not an open track on a sunny day. All 5,335 lbs pressed the tires through the layer of fluff to the surface underneath, and when it found pavement it was sturdy and grippy, and even when it found an under layer of ice, the big disc brakes (ventilated discs at 13.7 inches in front and 13.6 inches out back for the 4.8i) equipped with 4-channel ABS seemed to dig in, and the tires found enough traction to pull it down to standstill.

That covers just the basic stopping abilities necessaryto keep you on the road if you need to get somewhere in whiteout blizzards and ice storms.

Though it's not meant for off-roading, the X5 has hill descent control. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Then again, it was xDrive that made getting going a snap once I was confident that my brakes and tires could control and contain any momentum I might develop. BMW's xDrive is a variable-torque-split all-wheel drive system that automatically redirects to the front or rear axle depending on where it detects the most grip. In concert with BMW's DSC-X stability control system, which brakes any wheel that is spinning uselessly or re-balances the vehicle if it detects any other loss of traction, the X5 efficiently builds up momentum, easily shakes its way out of snow drifts, claws up steep inclines without commotion and holds a steady course through corners when others are tail happy and struggling for every inch. Driving around in the

Car-like driving position for a car-like SUV. It all makes sense now... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

X5 really felt about the same as being King of the Hill back in my grade-school days, and not getting knocked off for all of recess.

In addition to DSC-X, the X5 has brake control, differential braking, hill-descentcontrol, brake distribution and trailer stability algorithms, so it's got just about everything covered for mild slip-ups and keeping you in control through emergency maneuvers. While it offers almost every program or hardware to keep you on the road and in your lane, BMW's skilled engineers still can't prevent other people from hitting you, so they equipped all X5s with crumple zones, collapsible energy-absorbing tubes, door reinforcements, driver and passenger airbags, curtain airbags covering all three rows, and additional side torso airbags for front row seating positions, as well

The transmission tunnel of the future. It consists of the awesome automatic shifter, iDrive, and an electronic parking brake. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

as the usual three-point seatbelts. So far, the IIHS has released only its frontal offset crash test results, in which the X5 received a score of Good (the best score it can get), and if I had to lay money down, I'd bet on them getting a Top Safety Pick once the full battery of tests is complete.

Where the X5 surpasses pretty much any otherfull-size SUV in terms of safety is its agility. While I didn't conduct any comparative analytical tests, I've driven many in the segment and only Acura's MDX manages changes in direction and tight turns with more stability. Even so, the X5 is surprisingly nimble, resettling its weight quickly after tight turns and giving up only a modest amount of body roll through sweeping turns while offering good feedback from the speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering, letting you know exactly when you're approaching

Screen is clear, crisp and doesn't wash out. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the vehicle's limits. With xDrive proactively shifting torque before a slip occurs during dynamic cornering, it seems to offer a higher threshold than any other SUV I've encountered before, except, again, the MDX.

At the end of the day, the X5 4.8i trumps the MDX with a pair of extra cylinders and the 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque that goes with them, offering greater versatility for towing, a deep reserve of power for passing, not to mention a hint of hot-rod mayhem when you get into it. You also won't regret the deep rumble emanating from its 4.8 liters of displacement, nor the baritone notes as it winds up when you get on the gas. Pop the joystick shifter over into manual mode and you can tap the ergonomic stick up and down to select gears or just put it in Sport mode and let the electronic brain manage your quick shifting, because this tank can build up speed like something its size just shouldn't allow—don't worry, that was something I figured

Comfort seats made sitting four hours in traffic surprisingly painless. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

out earlier in the week before we got our big snowstorm. However, with grip and braking to spare, the X5 can handle the speed, especially if you opt up to the 20-inch wheel package, which gets you 275/40 R20 rubber up front and 315/35 R20 at the back—those are practically Corvette shoes—to go along with available sport suspension upgrades.

Sporty options aren't the only upgrades available mind you, as youcan also add Technology (backup camera, nav system, head-up display, voice control); Premium (comfort seats—you know how I feel about comfort seats, right? If not, well, I love 'em, they're awesome and let's leave it at that); Activity (running boards, skibag, storage compartment); or Dynamic packages (Active Steering and Adaptive Drive, which includes roll stabilization and electronic damper control—this would likely help it match the MDX in its ability to stay incredibly flat through corners). On top of those, you can order the interior in a variety of leathers, different wood trim to match your color choices

New headlights offer up a conservative take on Bangle's flaming surfaces design language. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and items like third row seats, six-disc CD changer and DVD entertainment system as standalone options.

While we didn't have the nav system or rearDVD, the X5 was still luxurious and beyond comfortable, feeling well worth the minimum $45,900 you'd have to pay to get into one, although that would be a base 3.0si. At the very minimum you get a resplendent leather seat, a ton of electronic goodies (why do you think it weighs so much) and premium accents like personalized color choices and ambient lighting that make it a comfortable den for up to seven in any weather and any time of day or night. Another nice touch is the heating system that seems to prevent the car from being cold as a tomb on wintry mornings, and allowed it to heat up seemingly before I made it around the block.

I didn't really have much use for the third row seats, so I kept themdown most of the week and kept the cargo cover fitted, which brought to light one of the X5s glaring failures: the creaking noise. Everywhere we went, whether out on the highway or around the city, we were followed by an irritating and rather

Filling the cargo bay with Jon's heavy hockey bag didn't stop the back end from creaking. Nor did having the seats up, or down, or with the tonneau cover on, or off, or... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

loud creaking noise. Now you can chalk it up to me being spoiled or tell me that I could have just taken the cargo cover off, but we tried putting the third row seats back up, second row seats down cargo cover on and off and the creaking persisted. For 85 grand, I shouldn't have had to put up with creaking. It's a rather shoddy oversight on a vehicle that performs so well on the road, so I hope it's something that can be quickly corrected by a dealer under warranty, what the German brand calls its BMW Maintenance Program.

Not everyone looks at the fine print of their service contract when buying a new vehicle, and to this end BMW should be lauded for a very thoroughapproach to keeping customers happy. The BMW Maintenance Program is amongst the more comprehensive maintenance programs in the luxury segment, and includes a service every 15,000 miles or so, with almost everything taken care of, from brake pads to wiper blade inserts, oil changes and a general checkup fully covered for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. It's just a little extra peace of mind that means you don't have to worry about what they'll charge you extra, and to make sure that you'll come in for scheduled

BMW proves that not only can it be the ultimate driving machine in the dry, but in the snow too. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

service on time to keep your car in pristine condition to enhance BMW's already excellent resale values, and give the dealer a nice, clean pre-owned car to sell when it comes time to trade up to a new model.

And depending on how you drive, it might help you offset the gas it takes to keep this beast running—I think I managed to keep over 12 mpg, andafter driving very moderately in the snow for a couple days, I ended up closer to 16 than 12, although nowhere near the EPA's 15 / 21 mpg city/hwy rating. But hey, if you're looking at an X5 you're probably not hunting around for the cheapest gas station in town anyway, so I doubt its fuel economy will be a huge stumbling block.

If you are considering an X5, rest assured that it will be a bastion of safety in any weather, and as fun and fast as it is on dry roads, it's as steady as a Sno-Cat in blizzard conditions. It lives up to the brand's reputation for delivering entertaining driving machines in a package that makes that accomplishment about as difficult as making a tank lightweight. But BMW's engineers have prevailed, and they've given the lucky few in the most exclusive tax bracket an infallible option for their winter activities.


Specifications (X5 4.8i):

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