Audi BMW

Ever since BMW first released the BMW X5 SAV, or Sports Activity Vehicle, to the American public in 1999, people have loved it. It was built in Spartanburg, South Carolina, so that made it an American made German vehicle. If you needed a light utility vehicle that had safety, comfort and agility, the X5 was the one for you.

It was for the soccer mom who wanted to break all the stereotypes and drive a premium SAV, or for executives and young professionals,or the guy who didn’t want or need a Chevy Blazer, Trailblazer or Tahoe. But now, for the second generation, BMW has decided to upgrade it once more with a pair of new engines, new transmission, along with new colors inside and out, and of course, some great new accessories and options.

So if you don’t feel like reading through 2,400 words of a BMW press release, take a look at just the facts below.

Understated Subtlety

Dating back to its original design and features, the BMW X5 has always had some unpainted plastics around the exterior of the body. Not because it was cheap, but to add a rugged appeal. Now that’s all changing with virtually every exterior body piece being painted in the main color chosen for the car. Also, the lower front bumper/fascia appears to have been lifted and given a little redesign from the X6, giving it an appearance that makes the front end look lower and more aggressive. It also allows for wider air openings to feed the larger and more powerful engines more air.

To go along with what BMW has been doing lately for the 3-Series LCI, 335is, and F10 5-Series, the X5 features corona rings, or halos as most like to call them, that are full LEDs. As you can see in the picture, the fog lamps have now been placed higher on the bumper to allow better light emitting when off-roading, or in darker conditions. And to continue following the lead of all new BMWs, the rear taillights get a new L-shaped LED design.

There are a new choice in exterior colors, too, which include, Deep Sea Blue, Platinum Grey and Sparkling Bronze. New interior choices are, Oyster and Cinnamon Brown for the upgraded Nevada Leather option.

Power!

The outgoing X5 had three engine types, the X5 xDrive30i, xDrive48i and xDrive35d. While the diesel xDrive35d survives, the 30i and 48i die off and go to that wonderful BMW heaven, wherever that is. In to replace the outgoing naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6 and 4.8-liter V8 are the N55 twin-scroll single turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 making 300hp and 300lb-ft of torque, as well as the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 making 400hp and 450lb-ft of torque, similar to the engine in the X5 and X6 M models. So it will now be the X5 xDrive35i and xDrive50i, same with the X6. Zero to sixty times are estimated at 6.4 seconds for the 35i and 5.3 seconds for the 50i. Which is drastically faster than the past engines.

In order to reign all of this power in, an all-new 8-speed steptronic automatic, of which you see in the 5-Series GT and the 760Li. The new transmission weighs no more than the 6-speed model it replaces, and offers better gearing for lower speeds and rpm to make the X5 faster from a dig. It also adds the two extra gears up top to help with efficiency at highway speeds. You can also select gears manually, as always before, by pulling the gear shift closer to you and pushing and pulling the shifter forward or back (-/+).

Brake Energy Regeneration

Something that we’ve been hearing a lot about lately, and seeing in Formula 1 with KERS (Kinetic Energy Regeneration System), is BMW’s new Brake Energy Regeneration, which BMW says it can save about 1-2% on fuel consumption. Basically, there is a deep-cycle glass mat battery that is programmed to be able to disengage the alternator, this charges the battery while coasting or actually braking, in most cases.

Options and Pricing

First and foremost, there are some new options that need to be shown, because they are very important to the growth of the X5. You can now option your X5 with, Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go, which means the vehicle will actually make a full stop for you and start moving again so long as you have it set to active cruise control. Other new options are, Lane Departure Warning, Active Steering, Head-Up Display, along with side view and top view cameras that you can see on your iDrive navigation screen as you’re reversing your car. It may seem gimmicky, but I’ve used this technology while driving the ActiveHybrid X6 in a parking garage in Los Angeles, and it works brilliantly.

There are now three distinct flavors that you can choose your X5 xDrive35i in. You can opt for the standard “Essential” 35i, or go for the “Premium” or “Sport Activity” models.

Taken straight from BMW’s Press Release:

The essential X5 xDrive35i has an MSRP of $46,675 including Destination & Handling, and includes a popular profile of standard equipment often specified by X5 customers, including BMW’s Xenon Adaptive headlights, Rain Sensor with automatic headlight control, HD Radio, automatic climate control, foglights, 18” light alloy wheels, cruise control, and anti-theft alarm system. A Convenience Package is optional and adds the large panoramic moonroof, auto-dimming mirrors, Dark Burl Walnut, Bamboo, or Light Poplar wood interior trim, BMW Ambiance Lighting, and BMW Assist with Bluetooth. Stand alone options include rear side window shades, Navigation system with Real Time Traffic Information and Voice Command, satellite radio with 1-year subscription, and an iPod / USB adapter interface.

The X5 xDrive35i Premium has an MSRP of $52,475 including Destination & Handling and includes a boosted profile of standard equipment, such as 19” light alloy wheels, roof rails and panoramic moonroof, power adjustable steering column, iPod / USB adapter interface, and privacy glass. Best of all, it includes standard Nevada Leather. In addition, buyers of the Premium model may choose up to four packages, including the Active Ventilated Seat Package, Convenience Package, Cold Weather Package, and Technology Package. Each package includes a raft of focused features that enhance comfort and convenience, allowing buyers to better customize the X5 to personal taste. Third Row seating, which enables the X5 to accommodate up to 7 passengers, also becomes available on this model.

The X5 xDrive35i Sport Activity has an MSRP of $54,975 including Destination & Handling and includes even more standard equipment than the Premium model, such as 20” light alloy wheels, sport seats, Shadowline exterior trim, and Anthracite headliner. In addition to the packages available on the Premium model, customers may add the popular M Sport Package to the X5 xDrive35i Sport Activity model. The M Sport Package includes 20” wheels with performance tires, the Adaptive Drive system, aluminum roof rails, M door sill plates, M driver footrest, M steering wheel, M aerodynamic enhancements, and increased top speed limiter (150 mph).

The X5 xDrive50i is yours for an MSRP of $59,275, including destination and handling.

Read about 2010 BMW X5 on Twitter

While the photos posted below seem to indicate that we are looking at the facelifted version of 2010 BMW X5, we decided to leave the question mark in the title until a second and third source confirm the story. Without a doubt the car has been photoshoped into that setting, but the details corroborated with previous spy photos and information we received, point to the actual facelift.

Also, several BMW forums on the web claim that the below photos represent the X5 LCI, the refreshed SAV that will be unveiled at Geneva Motor Show next month.

Judging by these photos, everything we assumed turned out to be true. The LCI X5 receives new front and rear bumpers, new headlights as the X6 model and the taillights with LED technology seen across the line-up.

The most important changes take place under the hood. The engine line-up receive a much needed makeover by importing the powerplant range from the X6. The 2010 BMW X5 xDrive35i is powered by a 3.0 liter six-cylinder twin-turbo engine outputting 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque (400Nm). The high-end xDrive50i gets the same engine from its “brother”, X6 50i, the 4.4 liter V8 engine producing 407 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque (600Nm).

The European market also sees the addition of a new model: 2010 BMW X5 xDrive40d powered by the same the 3.0-liter engine found in the 740d. The engine delivers 300 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque (600Nm).

With weeks before the official unveiling and with some of these alleged photos leaked on the web, we should expect an official press release in the very near future.

[Source: Motor-Talk.de ]

Even though not officially confirmed, sources close to BMW place the new X5 Facelift version in the showroom at the Detroit Auto Show next month which means that official photos are just days away. In the mean time, Palbay, returns with some new spy photos of the X5 LCI.

While the photos give us the same front-end as seen in previous shots, the most interesting piece of news could come from the lower part of the front-end, in the right side air intake, where we believe we’re looking at a turbo intercooler.

Now we don’t want to jump in a speculative game, but this could indeed give us the first clue that a twin turbo engine will be powering the facelifted X5 and our bets are on the six-cylinder powerplant. The second clue might come from the rear-end of this test mule where again for the first time, we are seeing the round twin exhaust seen on the 335i model as well.

Here is a comparison photo with the X6 xDrive35i:

As we mentioned several times before, at the rear-end, the 2010 BMW X5 facelift model will receive LED taillights. Looking at these spy photos, we can also see the turn signal moving from the bottom corner up to the top corner. The hatch/tailgate combo will remain the same as in the current model, not a single lift hatch as some expected.

The front-end is where the most action will happen. The X6-style headlights will replace the current ones and a new set of signal indicators similar to the ones found on the 3 Series Sedan facelifted model. A more aggressive front-bumper will be available as well.

Inside, the one upgrade that will satisfy many BMW owners is the new generation iDrive which features the hard drive based navigation system, a revised iDrive knob controller and a larger, crisper LCD screen.

The 2010 BMW X5 LCI will be available in the U.S. in March-April 2010.