Off-road driving in comfort of a sedan

Off-road driving in comfort of a sedan

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Up on the hill in Sentul, near Bogor in West Java, on land
where a housing complex is planned to be built, driving
instructor Fritz Lanio from Germany sat comfortably behind the
steering wheel.

"Ready?" he asked. Then he planted his foot on the gas and
drove us down the hill. He then took us along the twisting,
curving and bumpy road around the hill before climbing up again.

This was part of the recent adventurous driving program
conducted by PT BMW Indonesia to test the BMW X5 series.

And if it wasn't for the car, we would still be lying on a bed
waiting to have our bodies massaged after being tossed around on
the rugged journey.

BMW is known for its sedans but has now also launched a new
series for on and off-road driving.

The company claims that the BMW X5 is the first SAV (Sport
Activity Vehicle) series in the world. Basically, it means a
vehicle with the based on a sedan and featuring sedan comfort,
while bearing the versatility for off-road adventure.

It is the opposite of the existing SUV (Sport Utility
Vehicle), which is based on an off-road vehicle that adopts the
features of a sedan.

The BMW X5 has balanced weight distribution, which is
important for both environments. This series has three models:
BMW X5 4.4i, 3.0i and 3.0d.

We experienced the first type, which is claimed to possess the
most powerful high-performance engine. With an eight cylinder
4,398 cc engine and Variable Camshaft Control (VANOS), the BMW X5
4.4i can power to 210 kW at 5,400 rpm, with a torque of 440 Nm at
3,600 rpm.

The vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 100 km per hour in a mere
7.5 seconds and the electronically controlled top speed is 206
km/h.

The 3.0i is similar to the first type, only with a less
powerful engine.

The 3.0d series is the straight six cylinder diesel complete
with common rail fuel injection. It accelerates in particular
style from low engine speeds, benefiting from an enormous 410 Nm
of maximum torque as of 2,000-3,000 rpm. Another big advantage is
the fuel consumption of just 9.7 liters/100 km with automatic
transmission.

All models are equipped with four major systems: Automatic
Stability Control (ASC-X), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC),
Automatic Differential Brakes (ADB-X) and Hill Descent Control
(HDC).

The first system counteracts drive slip when setting off and
accelerating out of a bend, engine torque being reduced in order
to provide better traction. It means that you can set off and
accelerate more quickly, even on slippery surfaces.

DSC is a suspension control system which is able to detect the
risk of swerving and stabilizes the car within fractions of a
second, providing extra driving stability, especially in turns.

With ADB-X (X refers to four wheel drive), as soon as a wheel
starts to spin, it is slowed down electronically by the brake
system until the wheel regains traction on the road surface.
During this process, drive forces are spread across the wheels
which still have sufficient grip.

The last function, HDC, enables the car to take even the
steepest downhill gradients safely and reliably, automatically
reducing the speed of the car to approximately 8 km/h without the
driver having to intervene.

As mentioned earlier, this series has the comfort of a sedan,
so the interior is just as comfortable as any other BMW.

The instrument panel can split up into various control zones,
helping the well-designed cockpit ensure supreme ergonomic
benefit and practicality.

The rear seat bench is split asymmetrically and may be folded
down according to specific requirements, providing ample space
whenever you have to transport bulky equipment or luggage.

The BMW X5 is also equipped with the inflatable tubular
structure (ITS) head airbag, a tube-like airbag which prevents
your head from jerking sideways in a dangerous motion, possibly
hitting the window.

Other features include the navigation system with a 16:9 on-
board monitor and television; park distance control; car/key
memory; alarm system with remote control and automatic air
conditioning.

Interested in making a purchase? With around Rp 1.4 billion
you could have a 4.4i model parked in your garage.