The BMW X5 offers excellent handling and performance. Regardless of how much cargo it hauls, the V8 model sure hauls itself. The X5 is a big, high-performance machine that can hold its own in any on-road situation. It offers the high seating position and rugged image that SUV buyers crave.There's a price for this rugged-lifestyle statement, to be sure. On the road, the X5 does not ride, handle, or accelerate as well as the 5 Series wagon. Getting yourself in or out is more difficult as well. And the height of its cargo area makes loading more difficult. In terms of SUV attributes, the X5 offers less cargo capacity than most comparably sized SUVs and no more than a BMW 5 Series wagon. The 5 Series wagon is more practical. Off-road, it falls behind any serious 4x4 sport-utility. It does offer a 6000-pound tow rating, however. X5 buyers don't seem to care about any of that, however. They like the X5 because it is prestigious, fast, and luxurious, roughly in that order. With its twin-kidney grille, it shouts success. It goes like stink and coddles the driver and occupants in sporty, upscale accommodations, and it fits the trendy-SUV bill. Undeniably, the X5 offers BMW luxury, character and panache.
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