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BMW X5 4.4i – Short Take Road Test – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Saturday, August 20th, 2011
Note to BMW: Stop calling the X5 a Sports Activity Vehicle. The phrase hasn’t caught on, and it implies that there’s no utility to the X5 and makes you sound arrogant, like some kind of German engineers.
Okay, that spleen having been vented, let’s proceed. Since its introduction for the 2000 model year, the
has been an unqualified success for BMW. But under pressure from a load of new sport-utes rolled out by VW, Porsche, Lexus, Infiniti, and others, X5 sales have slid by about five percent from their 2002 peak of 42,742 units. In the hope of reversing that trend, BMW has subjected the X5 to a fairly thorough midlife makeover (which, unfortunately, came too late for us to include the revamped X5 in our
competition last month).
According to BMW, the 2004 X5 has more than 2100 new parts, two new engines, and four new colors. The most obvious update is a nose that’s restyled from the A-pillar forward. It’s a subtle face lift that retains BMW’s trademark nostrils but adds emphasis with a series of showy chrome bars.
The most significant news is the xDrive full-time, four-wheel-drive system. Basically, xDrive is a more responsive system because it adds a computer-controlled limited-slip center differential. It processes information from wheel-speed and stability-control sensors—monitoring such things as yaw rate and steering-wheel position—to distribute torque among all four wheels in a few milliseconds. Although this sort of system is not unheard of, BMW says its version is more responsive because of its exclusively developed and patented software and hardware.
We flogged a few X5s equipped with the system at BMW’s test track across the street from its factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the X5 is built. Running water at strategic places on the track created conditions where all, some, or none of the wheels was able to get a grip. What we discovered was, well, nothing. The xDrive did its work with no discernible lag, noise, or effort. The X5 remained under control through all but the most moronic driving. Transparent is a word in vogue these days, but it falls short in describing this four-wheel-drive system;
invisible is more like it.
The 2004 X5 has three engine choices. The X5 4.4i is now powered by a version of the 4.4-liter V-8 that’s shared with BMW’s
. This engine has BMW’s Valvetronic variable valve-lift system and 315 horsepower—25 more than the old 4.4-liter V-8. It also comes with a new six-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. Later in the year, the top-of-the-line X5 4.8is comes with a stout 355-hp, 4.8-liter V-8, which replaces last year’s 340-hp, 4.6-liter V-8. The 225-hp inline six found in the base X5 3.0i carries over from previous years but with a new six-speed manual.
At 4960 pounds, a loaded X5 needs all these horses, and the more the better. But oddly enough, the additional transmission gear and 25 horsepower don’t improve the X5′s performance. In this test, 60 mph arrived in 7.1 seconds and the quarter-mile flashed by in 15.4 seconds at 92 mph (our long-term 2001 X5 4.4i hit 60 in 6.7 seconds and did the quarter in 15.3 at 90 mph).
In addition to its fine engines, the X5 has plenty of techno goodies with such standard features as hill-descent control, which, at the push of a button, takes over on tricky downhills to keep the X5 straight and stable, and dynamic stability control, which includes ABS.
You expect all this stuff in a BMW, and the X5 doesn’t disappoint. It is totally Bimmerish, with the Munich-based automaker’s subtle blend of hard-edged technology and soft-surface luxury. The only perceptible difference between driving an X5 and, say, a 5-series sedan is that you sit higher up. The X5 also has BMW’s usual fine balance among roll stiffness, supple compliance, and controlled pitch under braking—all of which made meandering over a couple hundred miles of smooth, twisty roads through the Great Smoky Mountains on a sunny day a truly rare treat.
This pleasure comes at a price, of course, which starts at $40,995 for the X5 3.0i, progresses to $52,195 for the X5 4.4i tested here, and tops out at about $65,000 for the upcoming X5 4.8is.
Maybe that’s the difference between activity and utility. The former costs more.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/04q2/bmw_x5_4.4i-short_take_road_test
BMW X5 4.4i Klaipeda
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Accident In A Borrowed Car Could Be Covered
Sunday, August 7th, 2011
(NAPSI)-The first time you read your auto insurance policy shouldn’t be after an accident.
But all too often, the multipage policy suddenly becomes, not just a “must read,” but a “must understand now.”
Let’s say you borrow your neighbor’s SUV and accidentally ram it into a telephone pole, causing $3,000 in damages. Your neighbor expects you to pay for repairs.
The question is, will your auto insurer cover the claim?
According to Arthur L. Flitner, CPCU, senior director of Knowledge Resources at the American Institute for CPCU and Insurance Institute of America, and CPCU Society member, you need to determine the following:
Is the claim within the scope of an insuring agreement in the policy?
Does any exclusion eliminate or restrict coverage for the claim?
Do any policy conditions affect the coverage for the claim?
To find the answers you need, The CPCU Society provides the following pointers for navigating through your personal auto policy:
Find the Right Insuring Agreement
Turn to the policy’s “Damage to Your Auto” section. If the insuring agreement for this section says that the insurer will cover direct and accidental loss to “your covered auto” or any “nonowned auto,” minus any applicable deductible, you have cleared the first hurdle.
Review the Exclusions
Exclusions, if applicable, restrict the broad terms of the insuring agreement. In your case, you find that none apply.
Review the Conditions
Policy conditions require that you promptly notify the insurer as to how, when and where the accident occurred, if you want to be covered.
Since this is a nonowned auto, another condition determines that the insurer will only pay what is not collectible under the owner’s policy. If the owner’s policy covers all but $1,000, your policy will pay the remainder, minus your deductible.
Seek Advice from a Qualified Agent
The CPCU Society’s more than 28,000 members hold the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, which requires passing eight rigorous undergraduate- and graduate-level examinations, meeting experience requirements and agreeing to be bound by a strict code of professional ethics. The CPCU designation is awarded by the American Institute for CPCU.
To find an insurance agent that has a CPCU designation, visit www.cpcusociety.org and access the Agent & Broker Locator. You can also call (800) 932-CPCU.
Pat and Lee Conversation – Unit 5 – Classifiers – Car Accident
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