2014 BMW X5 Review
There is something that reminds me of BMWs Yankees They're always good if not necessarily the best, their owners can be unpleasant and may arouse envy youth I am a Cubs fan, after all.
So when I arrived in the BMW X5 crossover redesigned in 2014, I hoped to find the source of my discomfort with the German automaker Instead, I took a nap.
That does not mean it's anything annoying on the X5 Tricked with 15,000 in options 70,975, the X5 xDrive35i is so comfortable, spacious and intuitive as pulling the roadside for a closed eye seemed natural.
The X5 is a couple inches longer and nearly a hundred pounds or so lighter than the outgoing model, helping to improve fuel economy by 2 mpg Further increasing energy efficiency is a system startup stop that is easy to disengage if you want to manage more performance.
The engine is the same; direct injection turbo 3 0 liter six-cylinder that makes 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque is coupled to the automatic transmission 8 speed for the drive xDrive all-wheel drive.
While it is not nearly as pure and simple fast as the xDrive50i, which has a V-8 that goes 0-60 twin turbo 4 3 seconds depending on the car driver or as a sporting compact than the X6, X5 BMW crossed the most attractive of which set the standard for the segment since 1999.
BMW was one of the first German manufacturers to take its performance and luxury heritage in the irresistible crossover segment, and the third generation of the X5 hits a market flooded with all kinds of luxury crossover, the ubiquitous Lexus RX in Cayenne Junior Porsche, the Macan.
The X5 is not just a cross This is a BMW, if the sport of mind is Everpresent Three drive modes, including sport and the sport more, can disable fuel-saving technology that I mean a just under 25 mpg to 66 miles per hour, two mpg shy of the estimate of the EPA, but I did not lead to an optimum highway speed from 85 mph feels no different to 55 mph; the cabin is nap inducing calm, the tower is smooth and everything is within reach by the slightest movement of the defining element xDrive35i is comfort.
Although the screen 10 2 inches is one of the largest and clearest on the market, it attracted criticism for not being molded into the overall design of the dashboard It is at the top of the centerstack, exceeding the dashboard as an add-on if carefully placed it retracted into the dashboard, as the Audi system, it wouldn t justify any complaint.
Because the screen is a little higher and not molded into the dashboard, your line of vision is never far from the road Once you acclimate to using a control button to navigate iDrive system infotainment BMW, you rarely get your eyes off the line of vision control knob iDrive is next to the shifter where your hand should be with your elbow on the armrest Four buttons above the media selection button, navigation, vehicle information and telephone, all connected to a menu button once you're in one of the parameters, the control knob takes over, allowing you to scroll, offset entries, change the settings and nothing else It is one of the most intuitive systems on the market, easier and more direct than Audi's MMI system, and less crowded than in UConnect Chrysler, which is based on the buttons front and rear wheel climate controls and radio are complemented by conventional buttons that follow horizontally in line with the overall design of the ventilation holes and it fe els good screen, it looks good, and it works wonderfully, reinforcing that all encompassing comfort.
The only part of the X5 that feels off, yes, I even took a liking to a neon blue ambient lighting is the electronic gearshift to put in the park you press a button on top of the stick it out of the park, push a stick side lock button instead of moving along to put in the drive, you click your way through the three options instead of pushing the train to the reader reverse, I found myself at a standstill because I had to make two deliberate movements that I spent a week not get used to this quirk.
Given the options, such as driver assistance package 1400 with a rear view camera and split screen package and 1.900 with blind spot detection, there are cheaper models, but few can match the blend of performance and comfort Like many Yankees, the X5 is worthy of applause and admiration.
Car review 2014 BMW X5 xDrive35i Chicago Tribune, 2014 xDrive35i.