BMW X5 xDrive35i Review: X marks the sport

What we like:

Strong performance

communicative steering

potential to accommodate seven

brilliant eight-speed gearbox

What we dislike:

Not exactly affordable

needs bigger wheels

slightly vocal engine

A new optional feature in the X5 is the reversing camera with Top View fitted to the test car. Unlike most reversing cameras which show only images of what's behind the car, the X5's has two additional cameras on the wing mirrors to, in theory, guide you into the desired parking lot accurately but I somehow do not know how to make good use of it as the images from the side cameras look somewhat distorted to me. The good old reverse sensors will do me just fine.

To justify its premium positioning and price tag, the xDrive35i is comprehensively equipped for a base model. It comes standard with bi-Xenon headlamps with daytime running lights, a panoramic glass sunroof that runs almost the entire length if the roof, four-zone climate control with separate controls for rear passengers, an electrically operated tailgate with variable opening angles, sat nav, Bluetooth handsfree kit, cruise control and so on.

Ever since the X5's inception, many other luxury manufacturers have joined the large SUV bandwagon. The new X5 has to face off models like Audi's freshened up Q7, Mercedes' ML and the new generation Porsche Cayenne, updated Range Rover among others. The competition is surely tough but if you want a practical large seven-seater SUV that handles like a hot hatchback and is truly rewarding to drive, then there's no competition to the X5.

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai