2014 BMW X5 (F15) sDrive35i 8AT RWD (300 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 2014, BMW came with the third generation of its revolutionary SUV that held the crown for the sales in its segment. Considering this, it had to be one step ahead of the competition.

In times when all the 4×4 vehicles were big and chassis-based, BMW took the chance when it owned the Land Rover brand and, with their know-how, the BMW engineers built an SUV with no transfer case, no low-gear and with unibody construction, unlike its main rival that built the first-generation of ML on a ladder-chassis.

The look of the 2014 X5 was clearly a BMW. The kidney-grille on the front was bigger than before, and they were extended from one headlight to another. It featured optional Adaptive LED headlights, identified by a horizontal light source on the center of the light rings. For the X5 5.0i and the X5 M50d, the xenon headlights were standard.

Inside, the high seating position allowed the constructor to design a very roomy interior. It was a truly 5-seater vehicle The infotainment unit had a 10.25” color display, controlled via the standard iDrive rotary knob from the center console. There were few options for that, and one had a touch-pad on top of the knob to write the names or the numbers of an address for the navigation system.

For the first time, the X5 was available with a small, 2.0-liter engine and with rear-wheel-drive only. But the top performers had over 400 hp and plenty of torque to deal with. The standard transmission was an 8-speed automatic. The X5 also had a plug-in hybrid version.