o 36 - orth Shore News — Friday, March 3, 2000 openread erforma and! From page 38 exhausts, alloy wheels, and low-profile tires — and you have what is probably the sportiest looking SUV, er SAV, on the planet. Though it's tall and wide, the X5 has an amazingly slip- pery drag cocfiicient of 0.36, as good as some cars. Chassis and powertrain Looks aside, it's the X5°s chassis and powertrain that separate it from other SUV's. Like most European per- formance sedans, and unlike most big SUV's, the X5 has car-like unit-body construction which provides greater body rigidity, and a fully indepen- dent suspension (front MacPherson struts/rear four- link). ‘The X5 also offers a full- time four-wheel-drive system which never has to be engaged or disengaged, and iastead of a Low Range gear, Hili Descent Control (borrowed from Land Rover) which uses engine braking and ABS to slow the AVLORMOTIVE BCAA, ARA., 1.C.B.S. Approved GE ng amaze vehicle when going down steep hills. X5s also offer standard four- wheel-disc brakes with a four- channel ABS system and Dynamic Braking Control, a system which automatically applies more braking pressure in panic braking situations. X5°s include standard All- Season Traction Control to reduce wheel slip, and Dynamic Stability Control, an ant-skid system designed to prevent slid- ing and skidding when corner- ing on slippery surfaces. Under the heod is a longi- tudinally-mounted 282-horse- power 4.4-liwe V8 engine with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The X5''s standard five-speed auto- matic “Steptronic” transmis- sion can be shifted manually with the shift lever if so desired. This is the same engine and transmission com- bination available in the 540i and 740i. In the X5, the engine and transmission are deliberately mounted low to Se peygzail. 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Outstanding performance on pavement I have a rather unscientific way of measuring a car’s per- formance : if it makes my mouth drop and elicits feelings of disbelief, it gets four stars. The X5 is that kind of vehi- cle. Its 4.4-litre V8 has loads of torque, much like Anierican smail block V8 engines, and it just shoots off the line and accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds —- very good for a 2,175 ky (4,795 ils.) vehicle — although not as good as 2 540i sedan which gets the job done in about 6.4 seconds. Mid-range acceleration is also excellent with plenty of power available for passing and accel- erating around slower traffic. Cruising at a steady 100 km/h, the X5 does a relaxed 2300 r.p.m. in fifth gear. With this much curd weight to pull and cight thirsty cylinders, fuel consumption is heavy: 15.8 1/100 km (18 m.p.g.) in the city, and 10.5 1/100 km (27 m.p.g.) on the highway. With its powerful V8 engine, the X5 is capable of towing a fairly heavy wailer: mayimum towing capacity is 1,700 kg (3,748 Ib.) and max- imum payload is 474 kg (1,047 Ib.). The X5’s best attribute is its fantastic handling. For a tall vehicle, there’s very little lean in the corners, and minimal dive and pitch when braking and accelerating. The X5°s ail wheel-drive system increases stability and grip in the wet and snow, while its standard Pirelli Scorpion: 255/55R-18 atl-season tires have ‘excellent grip. Surprisingiy, their aggres- sive tread pattern is not noisy at freeway specds. The X5’s speed-sensitive steeriny is precise and well- weighted at higher speeds, although at slow speeds, it icels a bit heavy during urban parking chores, The standard disc brakes are extremely pow- erful, 2 notab!e achievernent in a vehicle that weighs almost 5,000 ib. The X5’s ride is excellent on smooth roads, although a bit choppy on rougher roads. Off the pavement, the X5 offers the action of all-wheel- e which can sup cE to individual whe eton needed, a high ground clear- ance, short front and rear over- ‘Parts & Service 108 Bowser Street 926-6668 email: service@volvoofnorthvancouver.cam 7:3Gam - 6:00pm Mon - Fri NEWS nhote Juliv Kverson THE quality of interior materials used in the X5 is first-rate, and the overall lay- ou? and ease of use is an improvement over BMW sedans. hangs, and excellent outward visibility. Its four-wheel inde- pendent suspension helps the X5 step over individual rocks and protrusions, however the stiff suspension and relatively short suspension wavel can cause the rear wheel to hang in the air when traversing difficult terrain. In addition, the X5’s wide tires are not ideal for off- toad excursions where a nar- rower tire has more grip. Also, Hill Descent. Control, which is engaged with a but- ton on the dashboard, has a slight delay before it activates, which can be unsettling when heading down a 10% grade. However, my guess is that very few of X5 owners will be heading into the wilderness, so the X5’s off-road limitations may be academic. Superbly finished intcrior The X5’s tall bodystyle pro- vides a very roomy passenger compartment for five adults — there’s more legroom and headroom here than in the 746i sedan. The quality of interior materials is first-rate, and the overall layout and case of use is an improvement over BMW sedans. An attractive combina- ton of leather upholstery, two- tone dash, and wood trim con- firms this is a Juxury vehicle. The X5’s sturdy-iooking, leather-covered front seats offer excellent thigh and side support, cight-way power operation, ition memory, and rekon with three heat settings. A three- person rear seat consists of three separate contoured seats for comfort and support. All five seats have height- adjustable head restraints and three-point seatbelts. Even though the driver's seat is height-adjustable and there is a power tilt/telescopic Sales & Leasing 716 Marine Drive Cpening Sean steering wheel, I had difficulty finding the right steering wheel height so chat I could see all of the instrumests. X5’s come with standard driver/passenger climate con- tol, and a premium sound system with ten speakers. However, you must choose between a standard dash- mounted CD or cassette play- ex. If you want both, you’l! have io settic for a trunk- mounted CD stacker. Standard luxury features include power windows with front and rear anti-trapping feature, central door locking, power moonroof, front and rear centre armrests, folding rear seatbacks, and front and and rear map Highs. Ar the rear is a lift-up hatch, and a small, drop-down tail- gate. The hatch can be unlocked from the driver’s seat, or with the remote key fob, and both hatch and tailgate have their own electronic door handles so you can open them without a key when unlocked. The X5’s cargo area is square in shape with a flar car- peted floor and walls, and includes 2 couple of rubber tie-downs for securing parcels, and two 12-volt outtets for coolers and camping appli- ances. To hide the contents of the cargo arca, an accordion- like Privacy cover can be extended over it, but I found -_ that the cever would not slide .. easily and often detached from very high. With the folding rear seats in the “up” position, there’s 16.0. cubic feet of space, or about. she same as in the trunk of a 540i sedan. With split folding See Navigation page a7.