2003 BMW X5 Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the BMW X5:

Keeping this hot-rodded X5 [4.6i] glued to the ground is a sport suspension with... exclusive 20-inch alloy wheels.

-- Edmunds.com

Crash-testing of the X5 has allowed it to set new standards in front- and side-impact protection.

-- Edmunds.com

It may be the best-handling SUV on the road. It almost feels like an oversized rally car.

-- New Car Test Drive

The X5 wants to be driven like a sports car. The five-speed Steptronic transmission can be easily used like a stick, downshifting with a snick or two of the lever for turns, sometimes instead of braking.

-- New Car Test Drive

At highway speeds... a tiny poke at the accelerator seems to levitate the X5 above and beyond fellow travelers.

-- The Car Connection

...manual gearbox, lightweight six-cylinder, and tush-friendly suspension made the test vehicle pretty close to wonderful.

-- USA Today

...the X5 can handle anything a graded surface can throw at it...including" a severe case of red clay mud.

-- Woman Motorist

What reviewers liked least about the BMW X5:

...a full-size spare tire... was an 18-inch Michelin in our X5 that was shod with the 19-inch Bridgestones.

-- Car and Driver

...this isn't what we'd call a highly capable off-road vehicle. And cargo capacity isn't a strong point.

-- New Car Test Drive

Four-wheel drive: Inferior to less-sophisticated, conventional systems in snow and ice.

-- USA Today

...a jarring ride on all but the smoothest blacktop.

-- Car and Driver

BMW X5 Comparisons:

Compared to the Mercedes ML430, the X5's track is one inch wider and it rides 2.2 inches lower.

-- New Car Test Drive

Best one-liner about the BMW X5:

If the AMG Benz is for horsepower extremists, the X5 [4.4i] is still a power hitter-the Sammy Sosa to Mark McGuire of SUVs, maybe.

-- New Car Test Drive

...looks like a 540i wagon on steroids...

-- New Car Test Drive

The X5 doesn't just ferry occupants through the urban jungle; it exempts them from it.

-- The Car Connection