New image of BMW X5

During the test, the new X5 was called X-third three times - all because of its similar silhouette
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

Some may not like it, but the new BMW X5 has become a real family car. A bunch of security systems, multi-colored lighting throughout the cabin, monitors for cartoons in the back row. Leading roles in movies about bandits are a thing of the past. Now the BMW X5 teaches you how to drive carefully, helps you save on fuel, and can even give you useful housekeeping advice—how to defrost a water pipe.

ILYA ZINOVIEV

View from the basement

I’m sitting on a cold earthen floor in a darkened basement and, using a flashlight, trying to find a water pipe caught in the frost among the cobwebs. Frost covers the concrete walls and it seems that everything here is frozen. I just couldn’t help but freeze—the thermometer outside in the morning showed minus 30.

Five minutes ago I was almost slammed by the heavy lid of the well, where I climbed to check the pump, a couple of minutes later I pinched my finger on the hatch leading to the basement, and just now I almost pierced my head with a nail sticking out from the low ceiling. For some reason, sand squeaks on my teeth, my clothes are dirty. I think I look the most pathetic.

But yesterday everything was different. Yesterday I was still mistaken for a respectable person - the owner of the newest BMW X5. I remember how the foreman at the car wash respectfully offered protective polishing with a special compound. How he treated me to a cup of coffee, how he respectfully inquired: “new body?” Yes, a new F15 body, imagine.

You know, I actually love moments like this. Not because I like to pretend to be something I'm not. In such situations, I see an opportunity for real journalistic work: talk to people, find out their opinion, understand their attitude, listen to a story. This is much more interesting than rewriting press releases compiled by cunning marketing clerks.

And we had a great conversation, mutually enriching ourselves with new knowledge and impressions. I showed the foreman the interior features, and we played a little with the LED lighting settings. It now has three levels: the upper ceiling, the middle one at the level of the dashboard, and the lower one near the door pockets. We moved our fingers along the now-touch surface of the massive puck-joystick of the iDrive system. We appreciated the new non-retractable infotainment system monitor sticking out above the panel and separate screens for rear passengers. We felt the leather of the seats and checked how the heating and ventilation worked.

My interlocutor, who was meticulously checking the work of his team, paid more attention to the exterior: he noticed that the line of the rear window had become higher, which was not very good for visibility, and he noticed new LED headlights and a hood that now rises up without a radiator grille. I appreciated the boomerang-shaped stampings on the front fenders and the elegant 19-inch black wheels. He complained that the car was so new, but the windshield had already broken in two places. He scolded the thresholds, which will inevitably stain his trousers, and here I agreed with him - they really do get dirty, and you’ll be tortured to scrub off the dirt later.

There is no longer room for drunken girlfriends and dashing friends in the back seat, now children watch cartoons there
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

However, the foreman and I did not come to a consensus; we disagreed on the overall assessment of the changes. They agreed that, at least from the side, the new X5 has now become very similar to the younger X3, but they perceived it differently. In my opinion, such changes suit BMW - the car has become calmer, more family-friendly, or something. When the new X5 stops next to you, you no longer expect any alarming individuals to get out. It seems to me that such image developments for the Bavarian brand can only be beneficial, because for many potential buyers, the main role of BMW in the gangster saga about the black boomer is not a plus, but a minus.

The leader of the washers, on the contrary, pointed out that without a dashing image, BMW would not be itself. He insisted that in our country only those who are feared are respected, so the more aggression in the exterior, the better. He didn’t even react to my arguments that nothing was lost, and that the car’s face was still angry and people were scattering on the road. No, he says, today’s boys will not respect the new X5 in the same way as the old ones did the old X5. Because the current X5 is no longer so boyish. That's what they decided on.

I drove out in a test non-boyish car back into the frosty night and decided to check the words of a recent acquaintance: I was driving in traffic, looking at how they reacted to the car, how they looked at it. And I see that perhaps my opponent is right. People, out of old memory, of course, give way, but no one really looks after you. It was as if not the newest and so far rarest BMW X5 on the road passed them by, but something already seen and familiar. I remember when the previous generation X5 came out, they looked differently, with great interest.

Anything can be displayed on the huge screen of the on-board system. If you don’t know how to do this, on the same screen you can see interactive instructions with pictures
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

However, I did not study public opinion for long. As soon as we left the city, the temperature dropped another couple of degrees and our X5 began to freeze. First, the windshield wipers stopped working properly, and the glass was covered in places with a thin crust of ice. Then the headlight washer nozzles failed - they moved into working position from the bumper and froze. Approaching the barrier at the entrance to my village, I discovered that I could not open the window - it was frozen. So while I’m sitting here in the basement trying to figure out how to defrost a water pipe, our BMW also requires defrosting.

Adjusted for frost

In my opinion, the BMW X5 was the first car with an SUV body that rode and handled almost like a car. In 1999, when the first generation of the model appeared, this was a novelty. And the second generation, produced since 2006, turned out to be successful, although by that time the X5 already had enough competitors. Much good could also be said about the handling of the current third generation, badged F15, if not for one unpleasant detail: our test BMW X5 30d xDrive was shod with the wrong tires.

I won’t name the brand and model of the tires; I think their manufacturer’s ears are already burning with shame. Let me only advise future X5 owners to avoid wide, low-profile tires with poorly defined all-season tread. Especially in winter. They look cool, but they will certainly spoil the impression of the car while driving.

The test X5 mediocrely clung to the snow with its wheels and was not averse to “swimming” in asphalt ruts and on uneven surfaces. To give it the stability befitting the brand, we had to constantly use the sport mode, in which the steering becomes heavier and the suspension tightens. In addition, I received a more responsive gas pedal and an active mode of operation of the 8-speed automatic transmission, although they react quickly in the X5's normal Comfort mode.

I deliberately took the most modest diesel 249-horsepower X5 30d xDrive for testing to once again make sure that the BMW drives well even with a small engine. As expected, this engine performed well: the torque of 560 Nm gives extremely positive emotions when you press the accelerator. But fuel consumption is even more pleasing: 8.2 liters outside the city, a maximum of 12.1 liters in city traffic jams and a final 10.1 liters per 100 km for the entire two weeks of testing in severe frost.

Almost all the unpleasant moments with the new X5 were associated with winter weather. For example, the review problem. In good weather everything is fine, but when dirt and reagent fly from under the wheels...

Everyone is interested in the quality of the fuel at the gas station, but for some reason no one is interested in the quality of the washer sold there. Meanwhile, this slurry, which smells like a chemical warfare agent and costs more than rocket fuel, freezes meanly, depriving you of visibility in the most difficult road situations. Of the four cans purchased during the test, one froze, and the contents of two more turned into jelly already at minus 20. And this was not a product from thieving individuals, but beautiful bottles with famous brands and promises on the labels not to freeze to -31°C .

The lower tailgate is very convenient, its edge is always clean - you can get close when loading
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

Meanwhile, the washer nozzles of the new X5 are configured so that pressurized water dust whistles out of them, but no dust is produced with the liquid thickening in the cold. Only pitiful thin streams come out, which do not irrigate even a third of the glass. Problem.

Another problem is the behavior of electronic active safety systems, which use images from video cameras. The on-board computer constantly asked to wipe the dirty front camera - without this, the pedestrian recognition system on the roadway could not work. But the lane control system did not complain, it simply stopped monitoring the markings, because it could not distinguish any markings in the mud.

I’m already used to the fact that in bad weather the rear camera on almost all cars is useless, but I don’t want to excuse the constantly dirty rear view camera on the new X5. Because BMW knows how to deal with this: for example, on the 6 Series the rear camera is hidden under the emblem. The reverse gear was engaged - the emblem rose and revealed the lens of the otherwise protected and therefore clean camera. Why they didn’t do this on the X5 is not clear.

At the front, the new X5 has full LED headlights with automatic light distribution, video cameras, sensors and radar for an active cruise control system.
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

You can, of course, add a few words about the TV that turned out to be analog, while its competitors are already fully digital, without interference, and about something else that is wrong, but I would like to end on something good. Because the new X5 is overall a solid and good car, despite my quibbles. It’s just, you know, the house has been without water for a day, the basement is dirty - what positive emotions are there...

So I’ll tell you better how the diesel X5 starts in cold weather. The car literally helped me out - watching the process of starting the engine, I just found a solution to my problem of a frozen water supply. This happens surprisingly easily and simply, almost like in the summer: pressing the start button, the image of a yellow spiral flashing on the dashboard for a couple of seconds, the inscription “heating, wait.” Then the starter turns and the engine starts instantly, without any sneezing or puffing. And all this after refueling with regular winter diesel fuel at one of the network gas stations, without adding any additives, especially since BMW strongly does not recommend using them.

The car drives well off-road until it gets stuck
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

I can responsibly say: at BMW, unlike at my house, in thirty-degree frost, no pipes freeze, everything that is needed is heated by electricity. I want this too, and therefore, as soon as the engine warms up and the windows thaw, I’ll go buy an expensive German heating cable for the water supply.

BMW X5 30d xDrive

Dimensions, length / width / height (mm) 4886 / 1938 / 1762

Drive All-wheel drive

Engine, type Turbodiesel

Volume (l) 3.0

Power (hp) 249

Transmission 8-speed Automatic transmission

Price from (thousand rubles) 3100

Possible competitors of the BMW X5 30d xDrive

ModelEngine/transmissionPrice in Moscow
from (thousand rubles)

Mercedes-Benz ML 350 CDI	Diesel 3 l (250 hp) / automatic transmission	3140
Range Rover Sport 3.0 TD	Diesel 3 l (248 hp) / automatic transmission	3230
Porsche Cayenne Diesel 3.0	Diesel 3 l (245 hp) / automatic transmission	3256

How much does a BMW X5 cost?

PAYMENT FOR TRAVEL

The price of the most affordable version of the BMW X5 - xDrive30d, that is, a car with a three-liter turbodiesel, permanent all-wheel drive and automatic transmission as standard - starts at 3.1 million rubles. But the test car turned out to be significantly more expensive. A list of 62 options, including an adaptive suspension, a sports transmission, special seats, elegant 19-inch wheels, as well as extended trim with exclusive Nappa leather and a Harman/Kardon surround system with multimedia support for second-row passengers increased the cost to 5,477 million rubles

The warranty is traditional for BMW: two years excluding mileage. The service interval is determined by a computer; the cost of maintenance is unknown at the time of publication.

The third generation BMW X5 has not yet appeared on the secondary market, but there are many announcements about the sale of the previous model. Decent cars produced in 2011 with a similar diesel engine are offered for the amount of 1.6 million rubles, those produced in 2012 - from 2.3 million, those produced in 2013 - from 3 million.

According to the portal ilsa.ru, there are currently about 200 BMW X5 xDrive30d versions in warehouses in Moscow. On average, about 270 BMW X5 of various versions are sold per month in Russia, half of which are xDrive30d.

The price of the first year of comprehensive insurance is from 150 thousand rubles, OSAGO - 6336 rubles. per year, transport tax - 18,675 rubles.

For show off, for family