BMW X5 35d M Sport

Nov 20 2008 Enda Mullen

BMW'S original foray into the 4x4 market might only have come about as a result of its brief tenure of Land Rover but these days SUVs represent a significant slice of the Bavarian car giant's model range.

As well as the X5 - a big seller for BMW - there's the X3, the sporty styled X6 and even a compact sized X1 on the way.

The X5 remains the company's flagship SUV (though in BMW speak it is referred to as a Sports Activity Vehicle or SAV) following that successful foray in 1999 and an all-new version was unveiled last year.

For the most part BMW have a habit of getting things right first time around and the original X5 was undoubtedly a groundbreaker. It might not have had the same off-road prowess as a Land Rover but on tarmac this was an SUV that set the benchmark for refinement, comfort and handling.

The latest version does pretty much the same thing, with a little bit more thrown in for good measure.

It doesn't look all that different, still with that distinctive X5 profile but with a tighter and more streamlined back end.

Bizarrely it looks slightly smaller, yet it's actually longer, taller and wider.

This time around it also comes with an optional third row of seats and a whole host of added extras such as adaptive drive, active steering and a newly-developed chassis featuring a motorsport style double wishbone front suspension.

On the inside the X5 looks and feels good with instrumentation and switchgear that has that distinctive BMW family feel.

It's easy and quick to get comfortable behind the wheel and after achieving a perfect driving position with the minimum of fuss everything seemed visible and within easy reach.

Given the made to measure feel my only gripe would be the automatic gear lever. It's quite sensitive and my occasionally dangling left hand kept touching it and inadvertently knocking it into neutral, though given a little longer to acquaint myself with it I'm sure I could learn to cope.

From a practical point of view the X5 ticks most of the boxes and is spacious throughout. Rear seat passengers are particularly well catered for and though there are rivals with considerably bigger boots it's not lacking when it comes to carrying capacity.

The third row of folding seats will set you back an extra £1,320 and though it does not intrude too much into boot space, when folded, the two seats are essentially designed for children or passengers with strictly minimal legroom requirements.

The best thing about the X5 is its prowess as a road-going SUV. For a large vehicle that sits high it is exceptionally stable and nimble. Added to this its sublime ride quality makes travelling pretty much anywhere a joy. Ordinarily BMW's run flat tyres do not win awards for their contribution to ride quality but in this case they don't impact on it adversely.

This car, the 35d M Sport, is the top of the range model as far as diesels go and has plenty of power and pace - even when fully loaded. Despite the 35d moniker it is powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine. What sets it apart from the 30d is a second turbocharger, which means you, get an extra 53bhp. It delivers power sweetly and smoothly and with minimal noise.

I was rather taken by its economy (it is more fuel efficient, greener and quicker than its predecessor) - more so given I tended to utilise the 35d's impressive power at pretty much every opportunity. During a week where I notched up a few hundred motorway miles I was getting noticeably more than the official combined economy figure.

As well a raft of beautifying and 'go faster' M Sport features it also comes with Dynamic Stability Control - which in itself reads like a who's who of safety gizmos - everything from automatic brake disc drying to Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and Hill Descent Control (HDC).

Overall, I got so at home in the X5 I actually felt like I was starting to master the notoriously incomprehensible iDrive, which really is saying something.

The X5 remains a vehicle that boasts rugged SUV styling and versatility but is essentially designed for life on the road and well designed at that.

FAST FACTS

BMW X5 35d M Sport

Price : £48,295

Mechanical : 286bhp, 2,993cc, 6cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 6spd automatic gearbox.

Max speed : 146mph

0-62mph : 7 secs

Combined mpg : 34.4

Insurance group : 18

C02 emissions : 216g/km

BiK rating : 33%

Warranty : 3yrs/ unlimited mileage, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust