BMW X5 4.6is

The BMW X5 may be a mid-size luxury crossover SUV oversubscribed by BMW since 2000. it's supported the E39 five Series and options all wheel drive and a line of straight-6 and V8 engines. For non-US models there's a three.0 L diesel motor.The history of the X5 begins within the late Nineties, once Chris Bangle player the primary sketches from his Designworks studio in California. In some ways, the present automotive closely resembles these initial sketches.

The takeover of Rover proved  to be terribly helpful for BMW within the development of the X5. BMW engineers were able to look and use vary Rover technology and components within the development of the X5-one such example would be hill descent management. In several respects the X5 was conjointly influenced designwise by its British counterpart; during this case the X5 got the two-piece tailgate straight from the vary Rover. several components and physical science were conjointly taken directly from the E39 five series bin to avoid wasting prices.

In distinction to the vary Rover models, however, the X5 was designed as a sporting automotive. BMW reportedly worked exhausting to confirm it absolutely was brought up as AN SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) rather than an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle).

Even though the X5 was a four wheel drive vehicle, BMW selected from the beginning to route hr of the engine's force to the rear wheels, creating it feel as shut as potential to the company's rear-wheel drive sedans. several reviewers commented on its road and track "feeling", and as time passed several different manufactures have caught onto this breed of SUV (e.g. Porsche Cayenne).

The X5 has been criticized for having low interior volume for its size - each the smaller BMW X3 and also the five Series (Touring) have larger interior volume. following generation X5 is reported to rectify this drawback.

The X5, along with the BMW Z4 roadster, are currently manufactured exclusively in BMW's South Carolina plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

2004 refresh

For 2004 the X5 was refreshed with new headlights, a few new exterior colors, a new four-wheel drive system and upgraded engines. The exterior touches kept it fresh and gave the X5 a more aggressive look. The grilles were enlarged, as well as their actual slats being modified in a 'flame surfaced' style. In keeping with the E39 refresh of 2001, the 2004 X5's headlights got "angel-eyes" (rings or halos around all front headlamps). The taillights also got an E39-style refresh treatment and the exterior glass went from a "dotted" pattern to a cleaner one of "lines". BMW invented a new four-wheel drive system dubbed xDrive shared both in the X5 and X3 in 2004. Instead of using the previous X5 system which consisted of power being split 60-40 (rear wheels-front wheels) and DSC to brake wheels losing traction, xDrive could variably cut off power to the front or rear axles in a matter of milliseconds, while transferring 100% of the engine power to either, thus allowing the vehicle to regain traction quickly.

In terms of engines, the X5 got the new 4.4i engine which debuted in the 2002 7-Series. This raised output from 290 to 325 hp (242 kW). Also from April production, a new X5 4.8is was offered (see below), giving the driver 265 kW (355 hp) and making it the 2nd fastest SUV behind the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

Several new extras were added to the 2004 X5 such as:
+ Soft-boot close feature (the top part of the trunk pulls itself closed)
+ Trailer Stabilization Control
+ Adaptive Headlights (available only with xenon HID headlamps; these swivel with the direction of travel of the car)

Originally announced in the end of 2003 along with the rest of the X5 refresh, the X5 4.8is first started shipping in April 2004. In had a new larger 4.8 L engine (which replaced the 4.6 L engine), and was also later used in the 2005 750i/Li. It also included a slightly modified bodykit (parts of the bottom bumper became painted the body color), 20" wheels, and along with the 4.6is, were the only X5's ever to have a large chrome-tipped exhaust which hid the quad pipes.