[Patarix]

Excerpt from http://www.livelifedrive.com/malaysi...ean-and-loaded:

Drive: Soft and Subtle Improvements

Considering that the Malaysian market won’t get the 4.4-litre turbocharged V8 of the xDrive50i, and the xDrive35i wasn’t available at the time, I opted to have a go in the ‘reasonably’ powered xDrive30d.

For something that tips the scales of 2,145kg, the X5 xDrive30d accelerates off the line effortlessly with a 0 to 100km/h boast of 6.9 seconds, fast enough to shame some hatchbacks.

With its peak torque of 560Nm served up from 1,500 to 3,000rpm, it simply dissolves away any notion of weight and heft that the X5 has. Its generous spread of power means that you will be riding a relentless and constant wave of torque most of the time.
Its eight-speed automatic transmission is flawless in delivering all that power, shifting at the right time to maximise fuel efficiency without stuttering its pace when left in “Comfort” or “ECO PRO” mode, or holding onto the gear when you are really wringing out the power from the engine in “Sport” mode.

The “developed for the road” phrase kept ringing in my head as I powered through some switchback corners in the Canadian countryside, and marvelled at just how well composed the X5 felt with minute amounts of body roll.

Where SUVs would generally stampede through a road like elephants on a tightrope, with its quick responses and stability in the corners the X5 felt more like a car. Its new electric power steering further reinforcing a sense of lightness and agility, even though it is still doesn’t deliver much in the way of actual feedback.

Leave the X5’s Dynamic Performance Control in “Comfort”, and the steering feels loose with plenty of lateral body movement through high speed bends. Switched it over to “Sport” and the steering weighs up nicely, and the ride becomes more planted at higher speeds.

That said the stiffened shock absorbers in “Sport” mode did transmit a noticeable amount of vibrations from any crack or gap on the weather-worn roads, but those are minor complaints as the ride quality was remarkably absorbent and supple.

According to BMW the goal of the new X5’s suspension tuning was to make it more comfortable, and from my initial impression, they have succeeded in doing so. The ride strikes a perfect balance between the demands of dynamic sharpness and ride comfort.