New BMW X5 review, road test

When the wraps were taken off the first X5 (E53) in 1999, it was clear that BMW had injected its sporty DNA into a not-so-sporty, SUV body style. The X5 was built to be the sportiest SUV around ground-up. In addition, it was also the first among its contemporaries to use a sedan-like monocoque construction. The first-gen X5 proved to be fairly popular in India too, and was briefly the best-selling luxury SUV here. Now in its third generation, the all-new X5 (F15) promises to deliver the same DNA in a posher and more refined package.

But the headline news is that it is substantially cheaper too. BMW India has taken the route of locally assembling the new X5 rather than importing it all the way from its mother plant in Spartanburg, USA, and this has saved a lot of tax. The xDrive30d, which packs the straight-six diesel under the hood, is now available for a much more digestible Rs 70.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Compared to the outgoing X5, that’s a cool Rs 9.5 lakh cheaper, spec-for-spec. Now for the sad news – the continent-crushing 4.4-litre V8 petrol has been dropped from the new X5 range. The truth is, there just aren’t enough petrol junkies with lots of money.