Already these things are springing up in my hometown left and right. Hey, 7 ouf 9 people on my road own BMW's, and I did get a chance to ride in one for quite some time. Odd enough, I'm left confused about this vehicle, I honestly don't know what to think. Ok, I realize that this is not a sport utility vehicle, it's a "Sport Activity Vehicle." Even that sounds a little bit fishy. Now let's face it; this is the Driving Machine of all trucks, but it isn't the ultimate driving machine. For a truck, it has nearly earth shattering performance, only kept from that status buy the Ford F-150 lightening and the GMC Typhoon. With 0-60 times of around 7 seconds, it will leave most cars in the dust! It owes that to BMW's 4.4 liter 282 hp / 324 lb-ft of torque motor. Handling is amazing for a sport utility as well is ride. The X5 feels a bit like a 540i with a lift kit; it feels like a typical BMW... well composed, solid as a rock, mean looking, but for some reason, that's not really what I'm looking for in a sport utility. What I mean is, it's a truck, so by default, it weighs more, it has a tougher suspension, and has a much more drag. These all take away from it's performance. But what about the utility part... it has about as much room as the 540i station wagon. In fact, I recommend, if your looking for performance, go for the 540i station wagon, because all the X5 really is, even though it is its own car (let me stress that) it's existence feels to me as an oxymoron; it's all about performance without the utility... and comes with a steep price too. It's a wierd feeling. Somehow I expected more of a sport utility... almost, in a way, something feeling more American. Sport Utilities are really one of the last aspects of our American Dream; they're big, imposing and powerful just like the cars of the past, and unconsciously, they remind us of our American Ideals, no matter how much many people despise American engineering.

Honestly, I would much rather have a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 than an X5. The cars perform on nearly the same level, but it feels like the Jeep would make a better Sport Activity Vehicle. It is a more all around player.