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BMW X3 And X5
The BMW X5 is a mid-size
luxury crossover SUV sold by BMW since 2000.
It is based on the E39 5 Series and features
all wheel drive and a line of straight-6 and
V8 engines. For non-US models there is a 3
litre diesel engine.
TFor 2004 the X5 was
refreshed with new headlights, a few new exterior
colors, a whole new 4-wheel drive system and
upgraded engines. The exterior touches kept
it fresh and give the X5 a more aggressive
look. The kidney grills were enlarged, as
well as their actual slats being modified
in a 'flame surfaced' style. In keeping with
the E39 refresh of 2001, the 2004 X5's headlights
got angel-eyes (rings or halos around all
front headlamps). Rear lamps also got an E39-style
refresh treatment and the exterior glass went
from a "dotted" pattern to a cleaner
one of "lines". BMW invented a new
4-wheel drive system dubbed xDrive shared
both in the X5 and X3 in 2004. Instead of
using the previous X5 system which consisted
of power being split 60-40 (rear wheels-front
wheels) and DSC to brake wheels losing traction,
xDrive could variably cut off power to the
front or rear axles in a matter of milliseconds,
while transferring 100% of the engine power
to either, thus allowing the vehicle to regain
traction quickly.
In
terms of engines, the X5 got the new 4.4i
engine which debuted in the 2002 7-Series.
This raised output from 290 to 325 hp (242
kW). Also from April production, a new X5
4.8is was offered (see below), giving the
driver 265 kW (355 hp) and making it the
2nd fastest SUV behind the Porsche Cayenne
Turbo.
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