The third generation of the vehicle that started a massive trend of luxury, road-oriented 4x4s has arrived in South Africa. But don’t call it an SUV.

BMW insists the X5 is a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), and if your activities include cornering at unsettling levels of g-force, being extremely comfortable on the school run and occasionally driving through the remote grasslands and forest of Mozambique, then the X5 is very hard to beat.

I remember driving the first generation X5 with a 4.4 litre V8. It was a rainy night in Cape Town and over some desolate, twisting Cape roads, the car blew me away. How could a car offer this high driving position, this luxury and this much space, and deliver a drive that would rival many sports sedans?

Successful recipe

The X5 today accounts for a third of all the brand’s sales, so I wasn’t the only person impressed. BMW hasn’t messed with the winning recipe too much, although the cars sound significantly tamer than that legendary naturally-aspirated V8.

The model has grown in every dimension, and now offers frankly vast interior space. The engines are the latest versions of already solid powerplants from across the BMW stable, but of course, emissions and fuel consumption are down and power is up. It’s magic, I’m sure of it.

New BMW X5 Styling

The styling is my biggest bugbear. I don’t think the car looks very comfortable with itself; the rear third is particularly ungainly to my eye. However the all new kidney grills and front treatment are very bold indeed, and certainly have much presence on the road.

Interior and iDrive

The interior is also an evolution rather than a revolution of what BMW has been offering for some time. Clean, uncluttered lines and fascias, with optional wood, metallic or piano black trim. The dash is angled to the driver, and the latest version of iDrive falls easily under your left palm next to the gearshift.

The latest version of iDrive features a “drawing pad” on the jog wheel, which allows you to draw letter and numbers with your finger, saving chunks of time rotating the jog wheel to each letter, for instance when entering a destination into the SatNav. If I’m not mistaken, this concept first debuted on the Audi A8, but BMW has integrated it cleverly.

Drive and Handling

Driving dynamics have become so accomplished as to almost feel benign. While the first generation had a solid, almost too heavy steering feel, piloting the latest generation is about as taxing as having a gin and tonic brought to you on a pool lounger.

While the light feel will make it a pleasure to drive around busy urban areas, on the open road and in the twisties I found there was just too little feedback. That said, the seemingly endless traction makes itself well known, and I have a feeling that the X5 would run away from rear-wheel drive sports sedans with similar weight and power. There are two clever new active rear suspension systems, which self-level as well as firm up the ride, to provide comfort and sporting handling at the flick of a switch.

4×4 Credentials

Offroad, the new BMW X5 didn’t break a sweat, although we only cruised over soft sand and through a few streams. If you want to scrabble up a mountain, this isn’t the car for you. But if you want to reach a remote hotel in Mozambique, over what can only be describe as forest trails made for buffalo, the X5 copes admirably.

What was most remarkable was even at a fair pace over rough terrain, there was not a squeak or rattle to be heard. Ever. It is solidly built, this vehicle.

New BMW X5 – First impression summary

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then car makers are very sincere. The X5 spawned a massive new niche, which features the Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes ML, Audi Q7 amongst others, and will soon be joined by cars like the Maserati Levante.

Personally, the 30d is the perfect X5. More than enough power to cruise and make overtaking easy, while returning very decent fuel consumption. BMW claims an astonishing 6.2 l/100km for this model, which you’re unlikely to see in the real world. We achieved 10.2 l/100km, which is still very impressive, given that we had a plane to catch.

Very few cars would keep up with the new BMW X5 on road, except for the Porsche. Styling is down to personal taste, and I think the Porsche is prettier. But if you want to cart yourself and loved ones around in superior comfort and luxury, enjoy the odd blast up a windy road, and have the ability to tackle fairly rough stuff on occasion, the new BMW X5 is very much at the forefront of this segment.

BMW X5 launch range in South Africa

BMW X5 Photo gallery