BMW X5 2004 review: snapshot

If you've ever wondered why BMW sells a shipload of its X5 off-roaders each month, just have one look at it.

This has got to be the best-looking 4WD on the market.

Trim, purposeful, elegant and distinctly European, the X5 has it all.

Well, all except issues that start promptly with the weight of your wallet.

I'm not here to pour cold water on the parade, but there are X5s and there are other X5s.

The 4.4i version is sensational. It's luxurious, the 4.4-litre V8 superbly silky and the ride comfort is in the saloon-car class.

But, like most of you, I can't afford the near $115,000 price tag. More financially appealing is the X5 3.0i which, as the designation suggests, has a 3-litre engine and is a lot cheaper.

It has the same shape, similar features and exudes all the delicate niceties attached to an indelicate $81,400 base price.

That's a lot of money in anyone's language, especially in a market chock-a-block with rivals.

It's also a lot for a 4WD that isn't really a 4WD. Like its direct rivals – the Honda MDX, Lexus RX330 and Audi allroad – there's no low-range gearbox for crawling through beach sand.

The X5 is more for staying on the bitumen with, heaven forbid, a modest leaning to towing the horse float down the gravel drive of the South-West property.

Or so I thought. Turn the wheels down a rutted clay track near Mundaring and the X5 isn't too shabby.

Thanks to a revised all-wheel- drive system that uses electronics to distribute power to the wheel or wheels with traction, the 3-litre wagon put on a decent showing.

The trick is to ignore what's going on under your seat. The all-wheel-drive system has some electronic beeps and whizzes as it sends power to the wheel with traction.

Keep your foot on the accelerator and let the BMW sort out the traction needs and this wagon will go places that will surprise you.

Of course, it will never go where a Landcruiser treads, but that's not the X5's mandate. For lovers of style and who want all the pleasantries of a BMW sedan in a more versatile body design, it perfectly meets the criteria.

The interior is a beautiful mix of Teutonic logic and attractively hued materials. The inline six-cylinder engine is wonderfully smooth and quiet with a willingness to rev that invites the driver to stay on the loud pedal.

Clearly, the vehicle is designed for high-speed touring – an environment where it surpasses many passenger cars for comfort and solid road feel – and though it will potter through traffic, it makes it known where its preferences lie.