New BMW X5 makes navigation, apps standard
BMW released photos and details of its new X5 model, noting its many standard features. However, the X5 model carries over engines from the previous generation.
BMW used to make even iPod integration an option, but those days seem to be over. The new X5 will come standard with many tech features, from a USB port and navigation to BMW Apps, which integrates social media running on an iPhone with the car's dashboard.
Exterior changes reflect evolving BMW design language, and give the vehicle looks similar to the X1. Aerodynamic changes include something BMW calls Air Curtains, which funnel air into, then out of, the wheel wells. LED fog lights will come standard on the new X5, while adaptive LED headlights are optional.
BMW will continue to offer its turbocharged, direct-injection, 3-liter inline six-cylinder engine, worth 300 horsepower, in the X5. A turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8, making 445 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, is also on the menu. The third engine choice is a diesel, a 3-liter six-cylinder making 255 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque.
All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
BMW's dynamic driving features, such as an adaptive suspension and performance-oriented stability control, remain optional. Models designated xDrive feature all-wheel drive, and for the first time BMW will offer an sDrive version, with rear-wheel drive only.
As rolled out in other BMW models, the new X5 will include an Eco Pro driving mode, with settings reducing energy draw from climate control and other vehicle systems. Eco Pro also decouples the engine from the driveline when the car is coasting, although bringing it back online when the driver touches the brakes, making engine braking available. Eco Pro also programs energy-efficient routes into the navigation system.
Navigation shows up on a 10.2-inch LCD, which now stands up from the dashboard, as in other new BMW models. BMW says it includes a touch pad for control, which could be an evolution of the iDrive interface.
BMW has also added many features to its Apps system, which currently includes Facebook, Twitter, and a Last Mile navigation feature, which helps drivers find their destinations after parking. The X5 can stream Pandora, MOG, and Stitcher through its stereo, and will soon integrate Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody, and TuneIn.
The new gasoline-fueled X5 models hit showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2013, while the diesel model is set for an early 2014 release.