X5 Takes Off

Just five years after we first drove the 3rd generation X5 in Vancouver, BMW has the 4th generation of the SUV ready and we are driving it in Atlanta just down the road from BMW’s US plant in Spartanburg, the only one making the X5

The X5 was the vehicle that kicked off this premium SUV segment of cars with the off-road capabilities, looks and advantages of SUVs, but driving characteristics of road going cars nearly two decades back, but since then all the other premium car manufacturers seem to have advanced the concept much more than BMW and the previous generation X5 was launched at the beginning of a period that would see big and rapid advancements in assistance systems, electronics and autonomous driving features as well as interiors and infotainment system concepts and the X5 was fast getting left behind. So BMW took the unprecedented step of developing and introducing the next generation X5 in just five years. And this time it seems BMW has wrestled back its leadership status in this segment.

The new X5 is wider, longer and bigger in all respects but it’s not done just by a little stretch in all directions but by shifting the underpinnings to BMW’s new cluster architecture (CLAR) platform. This paves the way for all the new systems to make their way in as well as affording flexibility and the sharing of parts across vehicles from across the CLAR platform. Like before the X5 will come with an option of two additional seats making it available as a 7-seater as well.