My wife had to give up her company car a few months ago, corporate downsizing took away the minivan.

This left us in a predicament, as we wanted a newer car; but not the associated payment. If we were going to buy a car, it either had to represent an investment in our lifestyle, or simply act as basic no-frills transportation, we were not going to go for the middle ground and end up with something expensive and boring.

Now I have an old Audi A4. It is a 2.8 quattro, perfect for our climate and terrain (mountainous) great on gas, and an all around performer. BUT, it is too small for family road trips with the kid, the dog and the luggage.

So we went out to test drive, and found that very few cars met the standard of the A4 (even at 70,000 miles). We drove the Volvo XC (too big and cumbersome) the VW Passat (not very nimble) and Jetta (smaller than the A4). We looked at the A4 wagon (still too low for our snow, my only complaint about my car). And the Audi Allroad, which cornered like the springs were shot, but otherwise seemed perfect.

On a whim, I drove a Mercedes ML430. Wow, it was nice, but it drove an awful lot like the old minivan, and cornered like it had too short a wheelbase for it's height. My son (8) loved it though, and it made the definate maybe list, along with the Allroad. However, I looked into the cornering complaint, and found that they eat tires as a result.

So I am driving down the road, and I passed a BMW dealership. I know that I cannot afford an X5. It was too much money and too much car for our needs. But I drove one anyway. It was a 2001, 4.4 litre, loaded with Tiptronic.

And here is the summary: The X5 cornered better than anything else I drove (OK, except the A4 and the Jetta), but eeven then it was close. It had more power than I would ever know what to do with, and never made me feel stupid for using too much; it had the agility to get me out of any situation. The Dynamic Stability Control is super; the Hill Descent Control is silly. The one we tested had proximity sensors, a neat feature for my wife, who has many qualities but the ability to judge distance.

JD Power and Associates rated it very highly, well above the allroad, which was the only option I was still considering.

I loved the X5, and sought out to find one we could afford. I ended up with a 2001 with 65k miles, a 3.0 litre engine, and manual transmission. It is perfect in every way, with a clean Carfax report.

SO I bought it, had it shipped here from Wisconsin, and presented it to my wife. She hated it. Too big, too clumsy, the gearing was odd, it was too elitist, and the interior too stately; where would we put the dog?

Plus, to make matters worse, it got terrible gas mileage.

And this week (3 weeks later) I said, "Fine, I got a great deal on it, let's sell it".

My wife's reasoning was sound: the transmission desperately needs a sixth gear. 1st is geared so low that it is barely necessary in normal driving, but as a result 5th has the engine screaming at 80 mph. It is not really an overdrive, it is a necessary gear. She did not like the handling, but mostly because she had been afraid to push it. But yesterday she got in a line of three x5's going up a steep windy road to Deer Valley resort, and as she followed the other two drivers found out the car's capabilities. My wife came home and said "Oh, my god! I love that car!".

SO it in fact was not the car's ability to handle that was at question, but her confidence to push it. Cargo space is limited, but the interior is exceptionally comfortable. We have the cheap seats, and I like the ones in the 4.4 better. The stereo lacks a cassette player, and I am a big books-on-tape fan for road trips. The Disk Brakes are HUGE, and it's tough going from any other car to the X5 without an adjusting period for the brakes (and Vice Versa).

I love the manual transmission, but for the first time I have to admit that the BMW automatic is probably better, especially as we both tend to wind this car out. It welcomes the RPMs'.

Now I could have had an allroad for the same money (more power, more gizmos, better mileage). Or a Mercedes ML with less mileage for less money, but I am happy with the X5, and only slightly question the allroad decision. I am comfortable knowing that JDPower said this was the way to go, and given the limitations listed above, I highly recommend the car to anyone considering one.


Amount Paid (US$): 22,500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: 3.0 base model 5 Spd. Manual