Singapore is small, but big SUVs like the BMW X5 still thrive here, because they are a proven buffer against dense road bullies and thick traffic.
Installed with BMW’s latest 3-litre 8-speed turbo drivetrain, the BMW X5 makes an even better bulwark against suicidal vehicles on the same tarmac.
The car looks largely the same, though, and it is still as large as before.
Subtle design tweaks and more extensive colour-coding, coupled with new paint jobs that include the test car’s Sparking Bronze, manage to refresh the appearance of the three-year-old.
Newly added underbody protection for the front and rear make off-road escapades safer, but are more likely to protect against carpark ramps and streetside kerbs.
The streets in question will know quickly that an BMW X5 is in the vicinity.
This 2.2-tonne behemoth on 18-inch wheels doesn’t just roll over the road – it stomps.
And running in the rain, the BMW X5 throws a tornado of rainwater spray backwards.
The even scarier part is that this monster might be able to outrun the wet weather in the first place.
The revised BMW X5 xDrive35i, or simply 35i, is one of the very few seven-seaters that can clock under seven seconds for the century sprint.
BMW X5 xDrive35i actually only has one turbocharger, but the 400Nm the 3-litre straight-6 delivers is true.
Another is the X5M, which is 555bhp of anti-social SUV that makes this entry-level X5 the equivalent of planting a tree.
If you plant your foot down on the throttle pedal, the X5 35i takes a short while to overcome its massive deadweight before speeding ahead like an equally massive rocket, the 8-speed automatic shifting so rapidly and so precisely that the missing paddle shifters won’t be missed anymore.
The turbocharged 6-pot also sounds good when on the trot.
The handling is impressive, too.
Standard Active Steering helps to string corners together with little twirling from the driver, while the resolute body control and disciplined grip enable the X5 to behave like a huge hot hatch.
It’s a luxury machine, of course, so this oversized hatchback comes with soft leather, hard timber, four-zone air-con, hi-fi with really loud loudspeakers, savvy satellite navigation, the most current iDrive widget, a powered tailgate with a choice of opening angles, and a panoramic glass roof.
A major option fitted to the test car is an all-round parking camera system called Top View that is very useful once you are familiar with it.
Harder to get used to is the need to insert the key for engine ignition, which is less “keyless” than it should be.
In summary, BMW has grinded its X5 successfully and the result is excellent.
BMW X5 xDrive35i 3.0 (A)
ENGINE 2979cc, 24-valves, inline-6, turbocharged
MAX POWER 306bhp at 5800rpm
MAX TORQUE 400Nm at 1200-5000rpm
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 6.8 seconds
TOP SPEED 235km/h
CONSUMPTION 9.9km/L
PRICE INCL. COE $302,800 (as of October 2010)
Check out the latest X5 here
