BMW X5

The BMW X5 is a midsize luxury SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) produced by BMW. The first generation of the X5, with the chassis code E53, made its debut in 1999. It was BMW's first SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), also known as "Four-by-Four" (4x4) in the UK, which featured 4WD all-wheel drive and was available with either manual or automatic transmission. In 2006 the second generation X5 was launched, known internally as the E70, featuring the torque-split capable xDrive all-wheel drive system mated to an automatic transmission, and in 2009 the X5 M performance variant was released as a 2010 model.

BMW branded the X5 as a Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV) rather than an SUV, to emphasize its on-road ability despite its size. Like the Lexus RX 300, the X5 heralded the shift from light truck-based body-on-frame SUVs to crossovers underpinned by unibody car platforms that would come to fruition in the late 2000s. Among German luxury automakers, while the Mercedes-Benz M-Class had beaten the X5 to the market by a year, the X5 was the first to use a unibody chassis whereas the M-Class used a light truck platform until its second generation. While the Lexus RX is based on the Toyota Camry mass market sedan, the X5 shares its underpinnings with the BMW 5 Series performance luxury sedan.

BMW X5 (E70)

The BMW E70 is second-generation BMW X5 mid-size luxury crossover SUV. It replaced the BMW X5 (E53) in November 2006. It is manufactured alongside the new, 2009 BMW X6 at BMW's Greer, South Carolina plant in the USA and BMW's facility in Toluca, Mexico.

Design

The E70 BMW X5 was 60 mm (2.4 in) wider, 165 mm (6.5 in) longer; with a 110 mm (4.3 in) longer wheelbase, but remains at the height of the E53 X5 at 1,766 mm (69.5 in). Development of the E70 began in 2001 under Dr. Albert Biermann, with the design phase beginning in 2002. In 2003, Pierre Leclercq's design proposal was chosen by Chris Bangle and frozen for production in early 2004. Prototypes began testing in late 2004. Development ended in mid-2006.

Technology

The xDrive AWD system updates previewed in the facelifted X5 have continued with further detail improvements for the E70. It uses a double wishbone suspension at the front. The manual transmission is entirely dropped, leaving only the automatic transmission.

The E70 features many new technological advancements for this class as standard equipment including BMW's iDrive system, electronic 'joystick' gearshift (no mechanical connection to the gearbox to win space in the console), LED taillamps, the first ever all-polypropylene single module fender module, and options such as head-up display HUD, active steering, active damping, and Dynamic Drive which uses active anti-roll bars which use a hydraulic servo in the middle to actively counteract body roll. The X5 has a rollover risk of 17.4%.

BMW X5 (E53)

The BMW E53 is the first-generation BMW X5 mid-sized luxury crossover SUV. It was produced from 1999-2006 and was replaced by the BMW E70. The E53 was developed at a time when BMW still owned Land Rover and as such shares many components and designs with both the Land Rover Range Rover L322 model (specifically the Hill Descent System and Off Road Engine Management system) and the BMW E39 5-series (specifically engines and electronic systems). The entire in-car entertainment system (Radio Function, Navigation System, Television and Telecommunications systems) are shared with other BMWs and L322. As a result the X5 model earlier models and L322 can be easily upgraded with the newest BMW technologies.

History

The history of the X5 begins in 1994, when ideas began on a BMW sports utility vehicle after the acquisition of Land Rover. Eduard Walek was named project leader and chief engineer of the E53. Chris Chapman joined BMW Group's Designworks in California later and began working with Bangle in Munich on two full-scale clay models of the E53 for two months. By the autumn of 1996, design work was approved and the design basis for the X5 (E53) was defined, 35 months prior to production. After supplier and engineering involvement, the final design freeze was reached in the first half of 1997, with prototypes being tested from the second half of 1997. Design patents were filed on June 10, 1998 and December 9, 1998, being registered in the U.S. on January 18, 2000.