Category: Sporting 4x4s 
Price Range: £40,605 to £54,620
Class-leading blend of performance and economy, excellent ride quality, refinement.
Quite expensive, optional third-row seats for children only, less fun to drive than the original.
A thoughtful and effective replacement, but some of the charm has gone.
In 1999 BMW first attempted and then achieved what many had hitherto presumed impossible: when it launched the original X5, it was not only the first SUV with a credible claim to be fun to drive, it also established BMW's presence in a very alien market without damaging its burgeoning image one iota.
After seven years, in which time more than 600,000 X5s were churned out of BMW's Spartanburg plant in America, this MkII arrived even though the MkI never stopped feeling fresh despite increasing opposition from rivals as diverse as Porsche and Land Rover - and its sales were still strong. Truth is, BMW works on a strict seven-year product cycle and would have decided on the timing of this new X5 many years ago.
But while the new X5 may look like mere update - and perhaps a less visually attractive one at that - it is subtly but significantly different car. It's larger in every direction - its length growing almost 20cm, its height extending by 5cm and its width filling out by 6cm. Why? To put clear air between it and its less successful little brother, the X3, and also to satisfy growing customer demand for a third row of seats. But don't mistake it for having gone the full seven-seater route paved by the brilliant Discovery 3, Volvo XC90 or Audi's Q7. The extra chairs are optional, and even if you do decide to spend £1,320 on them, don't expect them to make anyone other than small children comfortable.
The first engines available in the X5 are a 4.8-litre petrol V8 making 350bhp, an entry-level 268bhp 3.0-litre petrol straight six and the dead-cert big seller, the 3.0-litre diesel, available in 232 and 282bhp forms. All versions are four-wheel drive, with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
All are available in SE and meaner looking, more driver-focused M Sport spec, with prices ranging from £39,540 for the 3.0si SE to £53,440 for the 4.8i M Sport.
