Road TestCar reviews - BMW - X5 - 4.8isBMW modelsOverviewBMW's uber-SUV is the X5 4.8is - Munich's answer to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo24 Mar 2005 By CHRIS HARRIS IF you ever wanted to know just how far it is possible to go with a soft-road four-wheel drive, then we suggest you take a look at the BMW 4.8is. It is expensive, it packs the most powerful punch this side of a Porsche Cayenne Turbo - yet it’s not a turbo - and it has tremendous road grip to boot. It’s quite huge inside, is appointed in a totally luxurious way, with not many options left to tick on the order form, and manages a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. It is, really, the ultimate SUV. But you’d better be quick, or patient, because BMW only intends to bring in a trickle of these hedonistic beasts. Model release date: 1 August 2004 to 1 February 2007 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelBMW's E53 X5 - the Munich brand's first off-roader - was first launched in Australia (in 4.4-litre V8 form only) in November 2000. It was soon joined by a 3.0i petrol six, the 3.0d turbo-diesel and, in February 2002, by the range-topping 4.6is. Discontinued in October 2003, just prior to a midlife X5 facelift which brought new styling, the xDrive AWD system and the new 4.8is flagship (tested here), the 4.6is offered a 'mere' 255kW and 480Nm. |
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