Not too long ago the idea of a huge four-wheel-drive wagon with a three-litre diesel engine galloping up to 100km/h in just seven seconds would have been laughable. Today, with its latest bi-turbo diesel engine, the new BMW X5 ventures deeply into lala-land with serious on-road performance and moderate off-road capability.
In the 2008 X5 line-up the power has been raised to 173kW and 520Nm of torque. The real news is that the range has extended to a dual-turbo version that uses a small turbocharger to force-feed the engine with small amounts of fuel and air at low revs and a bigger blower plumbed in for larger amounts when things are happening faster.
The downside is the latest BMW turbodiesel hotrod is rated only for clean diesel fuel and buyers have to sign a document stating that they’re aware of this and that failure to comply will result in the voiding of their warranty. Repeated use of dirtier diesel fuel will cause damage to the exhaust’s particle filter and this can be repaired only by replacing the entire exhaust system at a price of R60 000!
The stability and traction control systems have been improved across the range. New crash-activated headrests reduce the risk of whiplash injury in an accident. There’s also an optional third row of seats and a new choice of a TV function for the entertainment of rear-seat passengers.
The BMW X5 3.0sd retails at R652500, with the M Sport package adding about R50 000 to that.