2008 BMW X5

2008 BMW X5: Perfect for impressing your agility class

Mon, May 19th 2008

Want to be the envy of the agility class? Want to make everyone wonder if you’ve just won the lottery? Or inherited your great grandfather’s fortune cookie factory?

All you need to do is drive up in a brand-spanking-new 2008 BMW X5.

Then watch the jaws drop.

I’m not one to be easily impressed with expensive opulence or lavish luxuries. I’d rather drive my old dark green 1998 Plymouth Voyager SE, a/k/a Forrest than pluck down some huge mountain of cash for a vehicle that will do the same thing -- get me from Point A to Point B -- as good ol’ Forrest.

But a good DogCar is a good DogCar, no matter what star or symbol or price tag it may have attached to it.

And the BMW X5, in my estimation, is a very good DogCar.

The rear tailgate design is relatively square and has an opening that’s wide enough to fit in two mid-size dog crates. All the rear seats fold flat for easy crate and cargo storage, and the power tailgate makes it easy for pups and people to get in and out of the roomy cabin. And my crew really liked the X-5’s two-piece tailgate that opens to a nice, low height of just 30 inches, an easy jump for even my most vertically challenged pups.

And in spite of its $50,000 starting price tag, the X5 is no tenderfoot on the trails. In fact, while most folks will call the X5 a crossover Sport Utility Vehicle, BMW likes to refer to the tough off-roader as a “Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV)” because it is designed to be used in dirt and mud, unlike some of the other high-priced tanks on the market.

Of course you can add to that base price by including some pampering pleasures like heated seats in front and rear rows, a heads-up digital display, parking distance control and even high definition radio for those long drives to far-away shows.

So impress your agility class with the knowledge that not only are you driving a classy carriage, but you are also in a very impressive DogCar.

-- Gina Spadafori

Carguy Comments: The 2008 BMW X5 comes in two styles, each with its own engine. The X5 3.0si features an inline six cylinder engine that produces 260 horsepower and has a base price of $46,675. The V-8 version is called the BMW X5 4.8i, puts out 350 horsepower and starts at $55,275. Cargo volume is 61.8 cubic feet behind the front seats with second row folded flat. Estimated average fuel mileage is 15 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway for the six cylinder engine and slightly less (14/19) for the V-8 version.

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

Sports Activity Vehicle has our tails happily wagging

Barking Lot Banter: Some people like the looks of the BMW X5, and others like the status of driving one of the world’s most respected brands. But for dog lovers, it’s the cargo capacity and fold-flat seats of the X-5 that make our tails wag happily.