I lease a car for my wife because I always want my wife and son to be in a new car and in which they can always call roadside assistance for help. Her last two cars were a Mercedes 1998 C230 (the previous model, a really good car) and a 2001 E320. The E320 was decent enough, but not 50 grand special. I looked at the new 2004/1005 E320 that a lot of the car magazines have been raving about, but found it's performance lackluster and it's interior materials disapointing. We began looking for alternatives. My driveway is 140 feet long at about a 25 degree angle, so we needed to have 4 wheel drive so that we'd be able to use both cars when it snowed.

We began looking at Audi's, however, they don't exactly shine in terms of reliability, and the best size for us was the A6, which was going to be replaced. Not wanting to have the last of an old model or pay well over sticker for a new model, we moved on. My wife had always wanted the X5 and I fought back that it was not really a truck, lacked size, etc.

After a number of test drives, I came to realize that it isn't a truck (see my review elsewhere on my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder which fits 80 cu ft of space into a small and tough package). This is a car with some extra space and versatility.

First, the car drives great. You do not realize you are driving a truck. Second, we have the 3 litre six cylinder and there is more than enough power. The six speed transmission helps transmit the power. Speaking of the six speed, it shifts so smoothly that my recent stint in a rental Lincoln LS, which was very smooth, made me feel like I could feel every shift. Shifts like butter. In addition, a move of the shift lever and you are in sport mode, which quickens shifts. My only complaint is that when you shift manually, you can't go into sport without going back into normal and then back to sport. A minor quibble.

The car has tons of room for the front two passengers and acceptable second seat room. The stowage in back, while as long as my Pathfinder, is limited because of the shapely low rear roof and window. I'm just not sure where BMW put the space. The X5 takes at least the same area in my garage as my Pathfinder, but has little more than half the luggage space.

There are many features that are just great. The lights that point where you are going (this seems very natural to me, a motorcyclist, where the the light always goes where you are headed) and the phone/radio/computer controls.

I still haven't figured out the wipers but you really don't need to figure them out - you put them on rain sensor and forget it.

The Premium package includes the panoramic sunroof. This is like a convertible SUV! You can partially pull back both the inside cover and roof. Both the cover and the roof are like 5 feet long, leaving a huge opening. And when you press vent, the inner panel splits automatically to let air through.

A deer ran into the road with about 3000 miles on the car and we met at the BMW's right front fender, a 12 point or more buck. The truck handled it like a champ. Only minor cosmetic damage, and I was easily able to control the car (truck?) and pull to the side of the road. The air bags, which were not needed, thankfully didn't deploy, yet all in the car made it without a scratch. Oh, and roadside assistance made it easy to get someone to come flatbed the truck.

We didn't go for the navigation or the rear seat video player. You can buy a good DVD player, a car power plug and a rear seat case for less than $500 which your kids (and you) can use anywhere. And the BMW navigation systems are very confusing. I spent hours with my friends 7 series navigation system, I work with computers for a living, and we still can't figure out how to get the car to recalculate and/or go to a new location. He shuts the car off and turns it back on to reset it at red lights.

The X5 car (truck?) has just an incredible feeling to it, the steering, power delivery, how it handles, the brakes and the interior that make you feel the quality. It just makes you want to drive it. I feel like everything moves like silk. I think the X5 and the 7 series BMW's, which are very similar, are the two best interiors short of exotic cars. Minor pet peeve - why would BMW make the steering wheel stalks split right in the middle, so you feel the split whenever you touch them? You probably handle them as often as anything except the wheel.

The gas mileage could be better, but then again it could be worse. We're at about 18 MPG. The 25 gallon tank gives the car (truck?) great range, but when you finally do go for a fillup, it's the price of a nice dinner for two.

The controls are very straight forward and the systems, radio, climate control and such as superb. The rear vent even lets you adjust up or down a few degrees from the front. The car has a single panel that can toggle between computer, phone and audio. Why in the world would a company with such a good and simple interface move to iDrive (See above on notes using it with the Nav system in friends 7 series - OUCH).

Be aware this is the widest car ever. The mirrors barely fit through my garage doors. I mean BARELY. Invest in the folding mirrors if you are going to put your X5 in a garage.

Very nice dealer experience overall, but make sure you negotiate.

Update at 6,000 miles:

Minor Pet Peeve: The buttons to call for roadside assistance are exactly the same as those to open the sunroof. I have called assistance by mistake at least 3 times.

The car is very good in reasonable snow. The electronics make it handle very well. The hill decent control works well. If you have more than 10 inches of snow or you've got the resulting 2-3 foot snow drifts, the electronics do not make up for a set of aggressive tires and a locking low range. However, given that it's full time 4-wheel drive and not press anything except DSC (off) if you are really stuck it's probably the best thing to hand to someone who hasn't a clue what low range or a locking diff does (my wife) and have them get through bad weather safely!

Update: I've just had the opportunity to drive this car in heavy rain in late spring. Absolutely the best performing car in heavy water that I've ever driven. When you hit standing water in the road the car does not pull at all. In fact, the car can be spraying water into the lanes of traffic on both sides of it because the water is so high and you barely notice. When you're sitting in the middle lane and an X5 driver is passing you in the left lane when it's pouring out don't yell "Man, he's crazy!", the car is just that much better than whatever you've got...

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 46,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Premium Package.