BMW X5 2013 revealed
The new BMW X5 is lighter and more efficient, plus it's now available as a two-wheel-drive model
Official pictures and details have been released of the all-new BMW X5, which is not only available with a four-cylinder diesel engine for the first time, but will also be offered with a new two-wheel-drive option.
On sale in the UK from 16 November, the new X5 takes an evolutionary approach to design, borrowing its profile from the old car, and a few design details from the rest of the BMW range. The headlights, for instance, flow in to the grille just as they do on the 3 Series, while the ‘Air Curtain’ either side of the front bumper and Air Breather vents behind the front wheels are borrowed from the 4 Series Coupe concept.
The interior is recognisable to any current BMW owner, with the latest 10.2-inch LCD display linked up to a fresh touch sensitive iDrive system, which allows drivers to draw in letters or numbers with their fingers. There’s a focus on luxurious materials, with leather, wood and aluminium accents all on offer.
Practicality is better than ever, with a new 40:20:40 split in the second row of seats. Boot space stands at 650 litres with five seats in place, although this can be upped to 1,870 litres with the second row of seats folded. Those are figures up 30 litres and 120 litres respectively over the old car. A seven-seater option is available again. The split tailgate now includes a powered upper section as standard, while it can now be closed remotely as well as opened.
The X5 range kicks off with the four-cylinder two-wheel-drive X5 sDrive 25d at £42,590 – that’s nearly £3,000 less than the current entry-level car. It boasts 215bhp, fuel economy of 50.4mpg and CO2 emissions from 149g/km. Buyers can also opt for the new 25d engine and four-wheel drive.
The 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel engine in the 30d model is back, but with fuel economy up from 38.2mpg to 45.6mpg and power increased by 13bhp to 254bhp. Coupled with a drop in weight the X5 30d now accelerates from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds – seven-tenths quicker than before.
All the other engines – the 40d, M50d and petrol-powered 50i – have seen improvements to fuel economy and emissions, too.
The BMW X5 has a reputation as being surprisingly sharp to drive, and BMW are now giving owners greater control over how their X5 feels from behind the wheel. Four different suspension set-ups are available: Adaptive Comfort, Adaptive M, Adaptive Dynamic and Adaptive Professional. Comfort is the simplest set-up, while M can be made firmer for sportier handling. Dynamic incorporates a system to combat body roll, and Professional claims to deliver the best of all the other systems.
All four-wheel drive models come with torque vectoring on the front and rear wheels to help keep understeer and oversteer in check.
There are plenty of hi-tech gadgets on the new X5, too, such as a Traffic Jam Assistant that can navigate through traffic jams at up to 25mph, a 360-degree camera system and a self-parking program that can operate the brakes and accelerator.
Although the X5 will be on sale from November, only the xDrive 30d, M50d and 50i models will be available initially, with the other engine variants available early in 2014.
