The BMW X5 was the first SUV from the storied manufacturer of fine aircraft engines, great motorcycles, elegant open roadsters and magnificent sport sedans. The BMW X5 was BMW's first truck.
Clearly the reason for building the BMW X5 lay in North America. Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. market grew more infatuated with SUVs and by the late 1990s even BMW, which had been resistant, felt it could no longer avoid the category. So the carmaker created the X5, explained that it wasn't an SUV but a "Sport Activity Vehicle" (SAV), and put it into production at its assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The first BMW X5 went on sale during 1999 as a 2000 model.
Loosely based on the then-current "E39" 5 Series, the first "E53" BMW X5 was a fairly large, truly handsome machine. It was available only with all-wheel drive and with either BMW's familiar 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, or the 4.4-liter V8 from the 5 Series. The suspension consisted of MacPherson struts in front and a multilink system in the rear. With large 18-inch wheels and tires, and a relative surplus of power from the 282-horsepower V8, the first BMW X5 was satisfyingly agile on any road.
Off-road, however, was not the BMW X5's strong suit. While the body was relatively high, as SUV buyers wanted, BMW decided to keep the drivetrain's mass low in the chassis and the suspension was tuned to rip through corners, not slog through bogs. There simply wasn't enough ground clearance or suspension articulation for anything approaching serious off-road conditions. BMW has wisely never played up the BMW X5 as an off-road basher.
An even sportier BMW X5 called the 4.6is was introduced for the 2002 model year which included a 4.6-liter engine making 347 horsepower and a more aggressively tuned suspension. For 2004 the entire BMW X5 line got a mild face-lift and the 4.6is was replaced by the 4.8is with a 355-hp 4.8-liter V8.
The E53 BMW X5 was superseded by a new E70 version for 2007. Though featuring a new chassis and all-new styling, it was immediately recognizable as a BMW X5.
