Road TestCar reviews - BMW - X5 - 3.0dBMW modelsOverviewBMW gives its storming turbo-diesel X5 3.0d even more power and torque13 Aug 2004 STUPENDOUS mid-range power, stupendous fuel economy and car-like on-road handling mix with surprisingly capable off-road behavior to make the BMW X5 3.0d something of a giant among large SUVs. The latest version gains a reworked, even more powerful turbo-diesel as well as an effective new 4WD system to cement its place as the class benchmark. This is one soft-roader that is actually able to tackle rough terrain although, as you’d expect, there comes a time when a LandCruiser or Patrol will eventually assert its off-road superiority. But how good is the new engine? Really, it’s hard to see why anyone would want the six-cylinder petrol X5. Model release date: 1 January 2004 to 1 February 2006 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelYES, it's hard to pick the visual differences between the original X5 3.0d released in Australia in March 2003 and the facelifted vesion launched less than 12 months later in January 2004 (tested here). That's because most of the changes have taken place under its skin. Apart from revised headlights, the updated turbo-diesel X5 gets more power and torque and a new AWD system. Oh, while the original X5 oil-burner was the cheapest in the range, it quickly attracted 30 per cent of sales, so BMW now charges a premium for it over the X5 3.0i petrol. |
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