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Since the original E53 BMW X5, more and more competitors have shed their offering's pure 4WD image and gone down a similar route as the flagship BMW SUV. Luxury SUVs these days are less about off road capability and more about appearing big, imposing and prestigious. Spacious interiors and high seating positions are valued more than off road capability.

While the X5 was not the world's first monocoque SUV, it was certainly the first that had good driving dynamics. The SUV used to mean you traded driving dynamics for the privilege of sitting high up above other road users and feeling like your car can tackle any terrain. The X5 showed a new way way to approach the SUV. These days it's hard to imagine an automotive landscape without vehicles like the the X5, ML-Class and Range Rover Sport. Even Porsche makes an SUV now.

When the second generation BMW X5 codenamed the E70 was first unveiled, we had the opportunity to test drive it in Athens, and came away impressed with the new car's looks and drivability. Lots had changed compared to the original E53 X5.

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It had an all-new platform, and thanks to the new double wishbone suspension and an optional Adaptive Drive system featuring a variable anti-roll bar, something that looks like it's supposed to be big, lumbering and clumsy turned into a machine befitting of the term Sports Activity Vehicle. Big improvements were made to address the E53's most common criticisms such as the lack of interior room.

Fast forward a few years later and I find myself in a completely different continent - this time North America, in Vancouver, Canada to be exact, to look at the latest version of the BMW X5. I'm looking at the third generation car parked in front of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel with my own eyes for the first time. The feeling is certainly different from that of when I saw the E70. The new F15 X5 looks very much like the E70. BMW took a more evolutionary approach with the car rather than a revolutionary one.

Mamak stall conversations between auto enthusiasts about the new X5 will undoubtedly involve how BMW has given the X5 what appears to be a big facelift instead of a full model change. So what's the new third generation X5 all about? We test drove the car recently so we can bring you a detailed look.
Continue reading for the full review.