After a slew of redesigns to its sedans and the X3 in the past couple years, BMW is offering up a redesigned X5. While the new X5 is not a radical departure from the previous model, the German automaker has packed a fair amount of upgrades under the hood and for the first time ever, is offering a rear-drive only option.
The 2014 BMW X5 will have three engine variants when it first rolls out in Q4 2013. The X5 xDrive501, which has a newly redesigned V8 engine and produces 450 horsepower; the X5 xDrive30d, with a V6 diesel engine pumping out 258 horsepower; and the X5 M50d, also diesel and leveraging a tri-turbo V6 to generate 381 horsepower.
BMW has stated that it intends to release four more variations on the X5 in December. These will include the X5 xDrive40d, X5 xDrive 35i, X5 xDrive25d and X5 sDrive25d.
The most significant change to the 2014 X5 is the addition of a rear-drive only option. Rear-drive variants of the SUV will be powered by one of two engines: a turbocharged 4.4-liter TwinPower V8 or a turbocharged 3.0-liter TwinPower diesel V6 available on the xDrive35d model.
In terms of aesthetics, the new X5 looks very similar to the previous one. The twin kidney grill is, off course, still present and the main styling change is a slightly softer look. According to BMW, the interior boasts more spaciousness and some new connectivity options have been added to the dashboard. With the redesigned iDrive system, drivers will be able to use a variety of hands-free apps including Facebook and Twitter.
Aside from optional rear-drive, one of the most noteworthy additions to the 2014 X5 is the Traffic Jam Assistant system. According to BMW, the system utilizes adaptive cruise control with lane detection technology to literally steer the X5 at speeds under 25 mph with no driver input. Seriously - just turn on the feature and sit back. Though we haven't seen the Traffic Jam Assistant in action ourselves, it certainly sounds like the closest anyone has come so far to developing a self-driving car for the mass market.
