BMW X5 2004 Review

And that, as you may have already discerned, is what the BMW X5 is all about – not serious offroading, but a versatile wagon built to carry heaps of gear and look macho enough to pretend to be a genuine off-roader.

So successful is the X5 that its recently released smaller sister, the X3, barely gets a look in.

The X5 is built around a basic concept of a passenger-car wagon that has greater ground clearance and all-wheel-drive underpinnings.

In its range the X5 goes from mild – a three-litre petrol model – to a rorty 4.8-litre V8 that will set you back a cool $157,300.

In between is the excellent diesel model, coded 3.0d, which is a six-cylinder version of the equally delightful four-pot diesel used throughout BMW's European range and picked up by the Rover 75 and Land Rover Freelander.

Unlike a diesel in everything but sheer off-the-mark grunt, the 3.0d is quiet, smooth, flexible throughout the rev range, and amazingly frugal for a wagon that weighs a hefty 2.1-tonnes dry.

Smaller than a Volkswagen Touareg, the X5 is close to perfectly proportioned so it not only looks great but is small enough to cope with city snarls while comfortably capacious for weekends away with the family.

The interior is pretty basic in black – a legacy of the diesel's "entry-level" pricing in the X5 model ladder – but it is neat and functional.

The X5 seats five adults and, though that's a bit of a hip squeeze for backseaters, there's sufficient head and legroom.

Front passengers should be aware that the doors are exceptionally heavy and demand care when entering or exiting the vehicle on a slope.

There's a single lift-up hatch for access to the rear and, typical of wagons, the rear seats split and fold.

On the road the X5 diesel gets off the mark so abruptly it'll freak out first-time drivers – partly because of the locomotive 480Nm of torque that's powering through four wheels from a measley 2000rpm and also because there is a spread of six cogs in the automatic gearbox.

More adventurous drivers can use the stubby floor-mounted gear lever to start selecting their own cogs but it doesn't make a dramatic difference when driving on bitumen.

The sequential shift comes into its own by holding gears for off-road excursions – however mild they may be for a Land Cruiser owner.

I'm being a tad harsh because the X5 is quite capable in the dirt despite its weight and the lack of a low-range transfer case.

But though it'll follow firm beachside tracks, climb gravel hills and idle through tight bush trails, this is not the vehicle you want for serious off-roading.

Part of the reason is the stupid spacesaver spare tyre that, in a puncture situation, just may get you from Claremont to Nedlands. The other is the fear of soiling the X5's beautiful looks.

And at $84,500, you wouldn't want to do that.