Test drive BMW X5 E53 2003 - 2007 SUV

Hour X 5

BMW X5 is capable of if not overtaken, then save time
 
In fact, the most expensive thing in this life is time. Therefore, what helps everything to do and stop the best moments will always be expensive. As solid and accurate Swiss watches will never depreciate and will not go out of fashion. And if you need to save minutes on the road, and not money, besides, you should feel comfortable, confident and safe, perhaps, you should look at such a car as the BMW X5. Now he is updated, received the latest automatic transmission and, according to the Bavarians, the most perfect and fast -acting XDRive all -wheel drive system. Where is the best thing to check the justice of this statement? Of course, on the winter and slippery roads of the Moscow region.
 
Not a second to think
 
We met at the Dmitrovsky auto policy in the evening, when brand dealers were tired of tormenting X5. The light of the outgoing day was enough to appreciate external changes in the model - new headlights, a radiator grille and a front bumper that gave the car even more aggressiveness. But the salon, in which my colleague and I, were not particularly interfering, climbed from the frost, remained the same. And in fact - why change good if there is no better idea? In the interior X5, there are enough details that emphasize the sports spirit, it is still comfortable inside. The front seats are regulated using electric drives in all possible directions. And since we got X5 in the performance of Business, the upper part of the back, together with the headrest, is an extremely successful profile, in addition, it has the ability to change the slope - you just need to press the special button. Such a seat is suitable for the owner of any figure, although this circumstance does not relieve the need to follow himself in a fitness club. Side support will not allow even a fierce person to fall out of the chair.
 
It gets dark quickly, however - it's time to go home. AKP selector - in the Drive position, gas - in the floor. As expected, X5 provides frightening acceleration. When a two -ton colossus shows such an edight - this is something special in sensations. But why is such a short first? And therefore, I remembered, only transferring the selector to the manual control mode by switching gear, which since the 2004 model year X5 with a 4.4 -liter engine is not five - but a six -speed automatic. That is why the start has become even faster. Do not forget about the power unit, which, with the previous volume, added as many as 34 liters in power. With. It was possible to achieve such indicators through the modification of the inlet/release and installation of the gas distribution phase change system. And let the torque remain the same, acceleration to 100 km/h decreased by half a second.
 
However, BMW automatic transmission is generally magnificent, perhaps the best did not come across to me. And now there is, in addition, the sixth gear, which, among other things, provides efficiency with long marks. Want to go slowly - please. Simply, do not press the accelerator pedal too much, the electronics will be smoothly, but very quickly switch from step to step. It is worth a little stronger to press on the gas, like an on -board computer instantly and without the slightest thought will go to a step, or even two down, and give such an acceleration that an unprepared person may have a breath.
 
However, if for the machine, the switching time from one transmission to another is of the most important value, then, for example, with braking, it is not worth it, on the contrary, it is not worth it. The brake operation algorithm, in my opinion, should allow the driver to control the slowdown in the car, as if dosing the force on the pedals. So, the BMW X5 seemed to be created for me: the pedal's course is quite large, but, given the temperament of the car, it should be so. It is possible to slow down smoothly, but in emergency cases, nothing prevents the pedal so sharply that the SUV rises as if they are dug.
 
And how quiet and comfortable in the cabin! The speed is practically not noticeable, and more than once in four days spent at the wheel of X5, I caught myself thinking that in Moscow everyone suddenly began to ride very slowly. Knowing myself, in these moments I immediately glanced at the speedometer, invariably discovering the impudent excess of speed. Did I drive at a speed of 120 km/h here?! After all, in my car, I never gained more than 90 in this turn! Moreover, the stability of X5 can envy a different sports car. Apparently, the point is not only in the excellent settings of pendants that swallow the pits, like the Irishman of Guility, and at the same time they do not really roll the body in corners, but also in the new all -wheel drive system, which I decided to understand one of the test days.
 
Special opinion
 
How many all -wheel drive systems exist in the world, there are so many opinions about their effectiveness and advantages. At the same time, there are no identical systems. For example, Subaru believes that the torque of the power unit should be distributed between the front and rear wheels equal to the proportion (although in this case it is impossible to talk about accuracy up to one percent). What is good to accelerate, quickly passing turns, but requires good skills from the driver. There are extreme options, for example, Volvo. The Swedes believe that the power of the motor should be supplied only to wheels that have the best contact with the road. The idea is good, but in fact, and in real time, the character of the car can change dramatically. Say, go into a turn behind the wheel of a front-wheel drive car, and somewhere in the middle of the arc, it suddenly turns into a rear-wheel drive. Not all such habits can please.
 
The principle of operation of the XDRive all-wheel drive system is somewhat similar to what Volvo offers. The torque is constantly redistributed between the front and rear wheels. However, this does not mean at all that XDRive is a system that reacts, let's say, to an already accomplished fact. When the car has already gone in a skid. Its beauty is that using the DSC stabilization system, or rather, numerous sensors, electronics monitor the current road situation and, as it were, prevents the loss of adhesion of any of the wheels. It is with this algorithm of work that time plays the most important role. And XDRive, unlike the same Volvo system, solves the problem without thinking.
 
Here is a specific example. Ahead bend the road. I turn the steering wheel, gas pedal in an average position. Somewhere in the middle of the turn I feel that the rear wheels have connected, noticeably reducing the radius of the rotation. Moreover, at first it creates that this feed is striving to leave in the skid, in fact - no. Just electronics helps more clearly and quickly go along the intended path. If the driver clearly overdo it at speed, then the DSC stabilization system will be included in the work, which will slow down one or more wheels, and just as much as necessary. What if DSC is disabled?
 
For verification, I am heading for a long -loved household landfill - a desert site away from idle onlookers and traffic police inspectors. I accelerate to 40 km/h (no more necessary, because under the wheels snow with ice), and - the steering wheel to the left. Feed immediately begins to strive to overtake the front, that is, a skid arises. The main thing here is how I quickly understood is not to get scared. It is worth dropping the gas, as you get a soft, but not too pleasant sliding with all four wheels out of turn. But if you slightly turn the steering wheel towards the skid, and, most importantly, do not discard the gas supply, then x5 in the light and - I emphasize - it goes in a given direction. Let me notice - BMW generally loves gas. And it doesn’t matter whether DSC is turned on or not - you just do not be afraid of the accelerator. XDRive will work clearly and quickly - it is only important to work correctly by the steering wheel. During the four -day test, I understood this clearly - on electronics, which works as if ahead of time, you can and should be relying.
 
Dollars and euros
 
For an inquisitive person, it will be easily and interesting to find out how much the BMW X5 costs in the USA, where it is produced. To do this, just go, for example, to the American website of the concern. The tested X5 will cost the American only 52 with a small thousand dollars! The official Russian dealer X5 4.4 Business costs 86,900 euros. It is difficult to understand why the car was generally released behind the ocean in euro. But under any circumstances, almost a double increase in value can hardly be justified by transportation costs and relatively high customs duties. So the car itself is not to blame for the fact that in 2003 it preferred a smaller number of Russians than a year earlier (571 versus 699). Along the way, I will note a funny detail: X5 is almost the same for both white and gray sellers. However, another thing is clear: interest in the 2004 version will certainly warm up the demand for this model. In a word, the next hour Ix 5
 
Andrey Osipov
    
 
Brief technical characteristics BMW x5 4.4
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 4398
The number of valves for the cylinder: 4
Power, l. With. at about./min.: 320/6100
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 440/3700
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p.: 7.0
Maximum speed, km/h: 210 (240)
Average fuel consumption l./100 km.: 13,1
Fuel tank volume, l: 93
Dimensions, mm .: 4667x1872x1707
 
In brackets are given data for the version with a sports package
  
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 3 (49), 2004]