bmw x5 3.0 sport review

Have a picture of BMW X5 3.0 Sport?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Swoxy Mobiles.

Average Ratings

Performance	8.2/10
Practicality	8.6/10
Reliability	8.1/10
Value for Money	7.7/10
Reviewer Rating	7.9/10
Overall Rating	6/10

82% Recommended9 out of 11 Reviews

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By krjd1 on 31st Jul 2005

krjd1's Ratings

Year Manufactured	2002
Length of ownership	1 month
Doors	4
Performance	9/10
Practicality	8/10
Reliability	7/10
Value for money	9/10
Overall value	9/10
krjd1's recommendation

Good Points

Ride height for viewing the road ahead, handling, safety, performance.

Bad Points

Ride height if you regularly take your grandmother out - the running boards can help or hinder here depending on whether you use them or not.

General Comments

PERFORMANCE:
This X5 3.0 Sport was the first automatic we have ever owned and I have to say it's great. The automatic shift is very smooth, you can feel it change between first and second when pulling away but after that it's hard to notice the gear changes when driving normally. In sport mode the five speed auto becomes a four speed unit and holds the rpm for an age. It gets a little bit noiser in the cabin but the sound is nice and the resulting acceleration more than worth it - it's useful for the on ramp or those situations where you're stuck behind a truck doing 50 and want to overtake - otherwise regular drive is more than capable.

You will see in some forums and reviews that people talk about the lack of offroad four wheel drive ability. I cannot confirm or deny this fact but that in itself gives you a clue to the reason why it doesn't matter. The X5 is not aimed at the offroad market. I'm sure it will do a bit better in a field or over rough ground than your standard saloon just due to the four wheel drive and extra ground clearance but it isn't going to do anything special. It has no low range gear box for a start - the plus side to this of course is that it is perhaps a little lighter than some of the more capable off roaders in its class and as such returns much better performance for the same bhp. Just look at the performance v's output of a 4.0 or even 4.7 litre Jeep Grand Cherokee or 4.4 litre Range Rover (the 05 revision helps but is still less economical) both are more than capable cars in their class but will not match even the 3.0 petrol in the X5 for onroad performance. It really comes down to what you want if you want serious off roading ability the X5 isn't for you - it doesn't have the torque (especially the 3.0) or the low range gearbox to help you out. You will not be pulling stranded motorists out of the mud with any great ease. However if you want a good size tourer with a safe reputation, good looks and better than class average performance (what ever model you go for) then the X5 is more suited to you. I wouldn't buy a Range Rover simply because it can go offroad and furthermore I don't think I want to go offroad in it anyway after spending this sort of money. That is of course a personal thing you can either easily afford these types of cars or you push yourself to (we are closer to the later unfortunately). Anyway don't get pulled into the debate of X5 vs Range Rover - both are excellent cars and both have their good points as do many others in the class. All you can do is decide which is best for you. All these cars may be in the same class but they are not necessarily aimed at the same people - so don't worry about it!

HANDLING:
The Sport model does have the bigger 19 inch rims (over the 17 inch on the SE) and also Sports suspension both of which I believe help the handling. When you corner in this car there is no apparent roll at all - the same when braking the nose does not disappear into the ground. The downside of course is that you will feel more of the road than perhaps you might in the SE, eg sunken drains and potholes etc. The seats go some way to helping here as they are very supportive and comfortable. The Sport model is more popular overall and has outsold the SE model since the start. You will find cheaper SE models for the same age and mileage etc but make sure it is what you want. A Sport model will be easier to sell on! I think most of the praise about the handling of the X5 for such a big car is due to the Sport model so keep it in mind - that said I have never driven an SE model and I'm sure their handling is still much better than average for it's class.

PRACTICALITY:
When you first get in the car you will notice it is harder to get into than most as you have to climb into it a bit - no problem for us but my mother had a bit more trouble. The running boards can be used as a step to help you in and out but if you don't do that they actually hinder entrance and exit as they add width to the car at that point. When you step out and try to reach the ground it is altogether further away once you've had to reach your foot out beyond the running boards. That said they are a nice aesthetic addition - especially in Aluminium - and also help when you are cleaning the car as they allow you to reach the roof!

The car has a good size boot although not massive. Apparently the X3 boot is roughly the same size! However you have the height of an estate car in the luggage area which is useful and the rear seats are on a 60:40 split which allows for large items to be loaded. The split tailgate in the X5 means that you don't have to lift everything up so high and can rest it on the tailgate and slide it in. This same tailgate can support up to 200kg so can easily be used as a seat if need be.

SAFETY:
In terms of safety we believe this car to be very good. It did score five stars on the NCAP safety tests but only just I believe - they added a seat belt reminder to later vehicles which gave it a few extra points to put in the five star class. Nevertheless the older modles are a good four star by right. There are numerous airbags and additional can be specced for the rear as an option -(would have nice if they were standard). This particular model weighs in at over 2000kg and as such there is a lot of car to stop but the brakes do a good job (not least due to their size) and you never get the feeling that you're trying to stop 2 tonne. They do however generate quite a bit of brake dust which will quickly dirty up your nice 19" alloys, although they are so big they are actually quite easy to clean, you can get your hands right through to the otherside. The other downside of course will be the £200 you need to replace a tyre on each wheel. You will find that there is less choice in tyres at this size but then it doesn't always pay to go for the cheapest anyway - they are what keeps you on the road afterall!

RELIABILITY:
We have only had the car for a few weeks and have had to get a couple of things done, albeit they are under warranty and so don't cost anything. The items were an airbag light on the dash which our dealership said was as a result of something they had done while preparing the vehicle - it was sorted out in a day. The second thing is the drivers door central locking, the motor is sticking and needs to be replaced. Again this is a day thing covered by warranty - technically these should have been all dealt with before we took delivery of the vehicle but it does go to show that it's worth buying the car with a warranty. If you are going to go private I would suggest only doing so if you get the car thoroughly checked by an independent and even then you want a good deal just in case anything unexpected pops up. Even secondhand private - these cars are not cheap so you don't need the hassle of expensive repair bills!

VALUE FOR MONEY:
Our car with options was over £45,000 new and we picked it up all fully serviced, MOT'd, new tyres, 1 extra years warranty for less than £29,000. This obviously is still a lot of money, at least it is to us, but we think it is worth it. The car is under three years old, has only just over 20,000 miles on the clock and we expect many years of satisfying use. The list of options is endless and we have lots of things to play with. It makes driving anywhere altogether more enjoyable. So we would summarise that the car is good value for money, you can get cheaper versions from other manufacturers which will certainly appeal to some which is good - as long as you are happy with what you've got and you don't feel you have compromised in your decision you will be happy with your car. Basically what we are saying is that if you like the X5 don't go for another model just because it's cheaper - try them both out first and if you get the same feeling or better in the cheaper car then go for it. If not then ask yourself whether the premium in price for the X5 is worth that extra feeling again if not then go for the other you will still be happy. If you are in any doubt however I would suggest going for the X5 you will not be disappointed - your happiness has a price in the equation too!

Finally I would advise getting a tracker fitted or finding one with a tracker. They will almost certainly pay for themselves straight away as your insurance quote will likely be many £100s cheaper with a tracker. You do have to pay an annual fee (or one of lifetime fee) to tracker but again this is warranted for the saving in insurance.

Total Respect: +1