11 Aug 08
BMW X5
Price: from £39,995
For: Sporting to drive; good ride; refined; strong image.
Against: Not really a seven-seater; a bit common these days?
The BMW X5 has proved hugely popular for good reason: BMW has managed to make it nearly as fun to drive as its lower-riding saloons, fitted it with some fine engines, maintained a high standard of fit, finish and cabin comfort, and of course, applied its desirable blue-and-white badge.
This 4x4, introduced as an all-new model in 2000, was updated in 2007, and it comes with the option of a third row of seats, but these are for children only - the X5 is not a proper seven-seater. Nor is it a proper off-roader, strictly speaking, but it is perfectly competent for towing a pony trailer, caravan or small boat, should you wish, though most X5s seem to spend their life on the private-school run.
Engine options are a 3.0 straight-six petrol, a 4.8i V8 and a 3.0-litre diesel. Only the diesel, which returns 34mpg, will be in any way economical to run. Both the high-emissions petrol engines are classed in tax band G.
