BMW X5 4.8i 2007 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

About our ratings

With the starting price for the excellent diesel X5 3.0d at $86,800, the big question has to be whether the premium for the optioned-up X5 4.8i under test is worth the well-equipped BMW 120i Hatchback that you could own with the difference.

The answer, by any rational criteria has to be no. Yet the X5 4.8i has such awesome capabilities that it could make sense for a specialist group of drivers who have to surrender their sporting desires for the family.

Although the X5 diesel's 500Nm outguns the 475Nm of the big 4.8-litre V8 petrol, the V8's 261kW is substantially higher than the diesel's 160kW. Indeed, while the diesel has done its job and is ready to retire from just over 3000rpm, the lusty V8 is only just getting into its stride on the way to its sonorous 6300rpm peak. This athleticism lops off over two seconds from the diesel's already healthy 0-100km/h dash -- leaving a sportscar-like claimed 6.5 sec for the X5 4.8i.

However, the V8 struggled to deliver 15.2lt/100km on test over a soft mix of urban and rural driving, where the diesel delivered 10.5 under identical circumstances.

Although factory fuel consumption figures indicate you could do better, they still reflect an identical 50 per cent increase in fuel consumption going from diesel to petrol. More importantly, our test figures, generated by a tank fill over a 300km loop, indicated that the new X5 4.8i V8 probably won't generate better fuel figures than the previous X5 4.4i despite BMW's figures which show otherwise.

This is not surprising when the 2170kg weight and extra engine capacity of the new model might be more of a handicap in those Australian conditions where drivers are constantly alternating between 60, 80 and 100km/h. If the big V8 is ever given the opportunity to get the new X5 up to 110km/h and stay there, the claimed 9.6litres/100km highway figure should be achievable.

The reality is that the X5 4.8i is like a big local V8 muscle car with an extra 300kg and a hectare of extra frontal area. It's bound to drink like a muscle car when you drive it like one.

In a politically correct environment, can the 50 per cent lift in fuel usage and carbon emissions over the diesel be justified? It depends on whether you see any achievement in BMW's ability to make a draught horse move like a ballerina. That the E70 X5 also provides accommodation for up to seven with performance, roadholding and safety to spare adds to its accomplishments.

A key to this equation on the bitumen is the standard 19-inch alloy wheels and huge runflat tyres which generate rattles and sizzles over unmade Australian roads that don't appear in lesser models. The loss of ride quality over the standard 18-inch runflat combination is tangible. At least there is a reasonably-sized back-up space saver spare when this X5 has the ability to blast you a long way from civilisation in a very short time.

The standard bi-xenon headlights are outstanding. So is the Adaptive Drive which really needs to be standard with this much grunt as it virtually eliminates sway and weight transfer under even extreme cornering. If you order Adaptive Drive, the extra location of the sports seats is almost essential when it generates sportscar-style cornering forces.

Passengers on test after experiencing the wonders of Adaptive Drive asked how can a driver know when the limits are being approached. The answer is when the DSC (BMW's ESP) kicks in, as there really isn't much feedback prior to that point. The DSC is so unobtrusive and effective that even then, many drivers won't notice. This is a vehicle that will cover a multitude of driver shortcomings.

It might be just as well. The X5 has grown to the point where it requires 2.2m of road, mirror-to-mirror, leaving little margin for driver error on a typical rural Aussie road. American scale and priorities are the order of the day.

Nowhere is this more apparent than BMW's new transmission selector which looks like a mobile phone on a stick. Instead of moving a lever through a gate, you 'dial-up' your choice of gears via a series of touch buttons that either engage a position or allow you to nudge the stick.

Removed totally from the stick's movement is the 'PARK' position which is engaged/disengaged by a separate switch. Coupled with the toggle-switch parking brake which will only work when you hit the right sequence of foot brake and gear selection, moving off and coming to rest can be a convoluted process.

For a driver who likes to have some say in what is going on, the X5 'nanny state' remains resolutely in charge. There is no connection with the mechanical process whatsoever.

For a drivetrain combination that can only be justified over its diesel equivalent as an enthusiast's choice, this isolation is an anomaly that caused some BMW fans to rush out and buy runout examples of the previous X5 4.4i examples.

That the X5 4.8i can still be such an entertaining drive is due entirely to the fact that the magnificent engine has escaped the character bypass, so it sounds and performs like a proper V8 should. Compared to the diesel, it pulls like a train as soon as you step on the accelerator then continues to do so with a seamless, mercury-like flow of grunt that never seems to lose its urgency regardless of speed. While you were thinking twice of overtaking in the diesel, the V8 has already passed.

Apart from that, the 4.8i is like any other optioned-up X5 when it comes only in a single top flight level. This means panoramic vision thanks to angled A-pillars (which Holden needs to replicate for the Commodore), a clever mobile phone slot in the centre console, a simpler iDrive, nudge-protected exterior surfaces, plenty of covered storage but a tiny glovebox and the useful two-piece tailgate.

When the side vision is so good for the kids in the back seat, I would skip the excessive $4000 for a rear DVD and spend $2600 on the 'adjustable' Head-Up display for the driver. It not only projects the speed into the windscreen but the navigation directions.

Although not fitted to our tester, it's hard to think of a more relevant safety feature in a vehicle which can gain 20km/h in the moments it takes to check the navigation screen.

As for the $3500 sunroof, you might use it once, before the wind roar, as moderate as it is, would prompt you to shut it. Factor in local UV exposure and the rear side window sun screens are a far more sought-after option in this market. And the standard multi-zone climate control is very effective anyway.

The X5 4.8i has an overwhelming presence backed up by the way it drives. Yet on local roads under local speed limits, there are only a handful of situations where drivers can exploit its extra urgency over the diesel.

As for showing it off to the neighbours, check the spare wheel compartment before you show off its clever wet compartment. Rough welds and welding splatter in this area might prompt a future buyer to conclude it's just been repaired by Cut and Shut Motors. In a vehicle so cohesive and finely detailed, it's a rude and unnecessary reminder that the X5 is churned-out just like something a fraction of its price.

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