A little more than 10 years ago, BMW put the “sport” in “sport-utility vehicle” with the ground-breaking, delightfully nimble X5. That same vehicle also took the “utility” out of “sport-utility vehicle”—literally—being assigned the BMW-invented “sport activity vehicle” moniker instead. The rechristening was a clever trick that attempted to manage expectations not met by its small cargo area, which held less than that of the 5-series wagon of the day. For 2007, the X5 grew considerably to address the latter issue, although its sterling six- and eight-cylinder engines and sparkling new chassis ensured that plenty of sportiness, and the “SAV” moniker, remained. Now for the 2011 model year—which for BMW begins this April—the X5 looks as if it may get even better, with freshened styling, minor content adjustments, and most significantly, new turbocharged inline-six and V-8 gasoline engines mated to eight-speed automatic transmissions.
Thanks to: Car and Driver