Conquistador
Member
Company car (new Range Rover Sport) was swapped for an X5 this morning, xDrive40d to be precise with 3rd row seating and auxiliary heating.
First impressions after a few hours of driving are that overall it's a nice car to drive. The X5 has definitely got fatter and chunkier as each new variant comes out and this new model feels very big and commanding on the road. The performance is pretty similar to the RR Sport (SDV6) when you boot it and it feels roomier inside and no turbo lag. Good quality materials all round unlike some found in the RR Sport, particularly the bit of plastic trim above your head in the middle where the reading lights are which bends and sounds like a plastic takeaway container. Not what you want to find on a £60,000-70,000 'luxury' car.
Things that I dislike at the moment:
-Audi's MMI, Merc's COMAND and Land Rover's interface are all a lot more intuitive and easier to navigate than BMW's iDrive system, but this could be because I've not really had a good play on iDrive before.
-The side streps/skirts are so big and chunky that after you've been driving through water, the backs of your legs get wet when you get out of the car
-The centre cubby in the armrest opens with a split down the middle rather than just lifting up. A bit pointless I feel.
-I'd be happy to drive most of the time in ECO+ mode but when you turn the car off, then get back in, the car defaults back to the standard 'Comfort' mode. I'd like it to remain in the last mode chosen.
-The 'one touch' indicator and wiper stalks. But I suppose it's like getting a new phone... I'll get used to them.
-The top left buttons near the iDrive wheel are completely obscured by the big wheel. While I don't know where anything is yet, this will probably get better in time once I become familiar of where certain buttons are located such as 'Radio' and 'Media'.
There's a plethora of options and settings to play around with in the various menus in the iDrive with lots of settings for mood lighting and driving set up, but in all modes the ride is quite firm and I'm surprised BMW haven't fitted the new X5 with air suspension as standard.
Navigation is good and simple to use as well. The touch pad to draw the letters and numbers from a postcode is neat.
Another little styling feature I like is the long slit just behind the front wheels which you can see right through.
Here's some pics anyway:
First impressions after a few hours of driving are that overall it's a nice car to drive. The X5 has definitely got fatter and chunkier as each new variant comes out and this new model feels very big and commanding on the road. The performance is pretty similar to the RR Sport (SDV6) when you boot it and it feels roomier inside and no turbo lag. Good quality materials all round unlike some found in the RR Sport, particularly the bit of plastic trim above your head in the middle where the reading lights are which bends and sounds like a plastic takeaway container. Not what you want to find on a £60,000-70,000 'luxury' car.
Things that I dislike at the moment:
-Audi's MMI, Merc's COMAND and Land Rover's interface are all a lot more intuitive and easier to navigate than BMW's iDrive system, but this could be because I've not really had a good play on iDrive before.
-The side streps/skirts are so big and chunky that after you've been driving through water, the backs of your legs get wet when you get out of the car
-The centre cubby in the armrest opens with a split down the middle rather than just lifting up. A bit pointless I feel.
-I'd be happy to drive most of the time in ECO+ mode but when you turn the car off, then get back in, the car defaults back to the standard 'Comfort' mode. I'd like it to remain in the last mode chosen.
-The 'one touch' indicator and wiper stalks. But I suppose it's like getting a new phone... I'll get used to them.
-The top left buttons near the iDrive wheel are completely obscured by the big wheel. While I don't know where anything is yet, this will probably get better in time once I become familiar of where certain buttons are located such as 'Radio' and 'Media'.
There's a plethora of options and settings to play around with in the various menus in the iDrive with lots of settings for mood lighting and driving set up, but in all modes the ride is quite firm and I'm surprised BMW haven't fitted the new X5 with air suspension as standard.
Navigation is good and simple to use as well. The touch pad to draw the letters and numbers from a postcode is neat.
Another little styling feature I like is the long slit just behind the front wheels which you can see right through.
Here's some pics anyway:
