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First Drive: 2011 BMW X5 xDrive35i proves 'new' is a relative term

If the new 2011 BMW X5 looks familiar, it's because it is. Autoblog has already shown you under the hood, running in the snow, and even on the assembly line. Beyond this early exposure to the 2011 model that is set to go on sale in May with a starting price around $47,000, the reality is that there's not much that visually differentiates the 2011 model from the 2010. The revised styling of the "new" X5 is so subtle that from the profile view, the two are nearly indistinguishable. The real changes for 2011 come under the hood, where the X5 now gets BMW's most current gasoline-fired ... Read More

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    BMW X5
    Official: BMW M goes diesel, introduces M550d, X5 M50d, X6 M50d
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    Rumors of BMW M launching a diesel model have been circulating for over a year, and confirmation has finally arrived in the form of not one, not two, but four M-fettled oil-burners, each sporting all-wheel drive and the oft-rumored tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six. And before you get excited, none of them are slated for sale in the U.S. – this ...

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    BMW X5
    Featured: BMW still has "no plans" for 1 Series hatch in States, X6-like X3 variant in the cards
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    We've just returned from a Detroit Auto Show media roundtable with Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of BMW AG, Development, and he's helped shed some light on both some near- and far-term developments for BMW in the States. Draeger confirmed that BMW has absolutely no plans to expand the 1 Series lineup in the U.S. with a hatchback variant like ...

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    BMW X5
    BMW announces start-stop system and Competition package for M3, M Sport for X5
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    BMW is hell-bent on incorporating its EfficientDynamics systems into every model in its line-up, and the latest recipient is the M3, which will come equipped with Auto Start Stop this spring. According to BMW, the system, which cuts the engine when the M3 comes to a stop, reduces emissions and fuel consumption by up to eight percent. BMW will also begin ...

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    BMW X5
    Video: 2011 BMW X5 blasting around in the snow, starting at $46,675
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    Yesterday we learned about the refreshed 2011 BMW X5 which goes on sale right after the New York Auto Show in April. Shortly after yesterday's announcement, BMW dropped over 150 new photos of the X5 on us, along with some video footage of one on the new models running around in the snow in Arjeplog in northern Sweden. When the updated X5s arrive, the ...

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    BMW X5
    Officially Official: 2011 BMW X5 goes all turbo
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    The original BMW X5 marked Bimmer's first entry into the then-burgeoning SUV segment, and it remains a strong seller for the company, trailing only the 3 and 5 Series. The time has now rolled around for the X5's mid-cycle refresh, which brings two new gas engines and some mild visual updates. The lower front fascia has been reshaped with the larger ...

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    BMW X5
    Autoblog Podcast #122
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    Chris, Dan, and Sam got together for Episode #122 of the Autoblog Podcast, and no politics were harmed in the making of this installment. Of course, it was mostly a lead-up to the New York Auto show, so we discussed what's ready to debut in Manhattan. GMC's Terrain gets some attention, as do the M versions of BMW's X5 and X6. We also take the time to ...

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    BMW X5
    New York Preview: BMW X6 and X5 get the M treatment
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    BMW has done the inexplicable inevitable, expanding its M treatment from cars to SUVs (or Sports Activity Vehicles in BMW parlance). The New York Auto Show marks the world debut of the X5 M and X6 M, and in typical M fashion, the high riders get substantially more power than their more pedestrian variants. Both vehicles get uprated versions of the ...

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    BMW X5
    Detroit 2009: Lincoln MKT debuts with a big, toothy smile
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    Ford has a major-league hit on its hands with the 2009 Flex crossover – with the media. Sadly, despite its varied and considerable charms, sales haven't met the Blue Oval's admittedly lofty expectations. Blame the recession, blame the marketing department, blame the Flex's divisive styling, blame what you will, but Dearborn is plainly going to have ...

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    BMW X5
    BMW's 2009 unveiling schedule?
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    BMW Blog has trained its spyglass on what it says is a list of BMW rollouts for 2009, and it will begin next month with the brand spankin' new Z4 showcased at the Detroit Auto Show. It is March, though, that will bring year's first real bounty. At Geneva, BMW will be showing off a concept version of the Progressive Activity Vehicle (half 5 Series, half X6), ...

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    BMW X5
    VIDEO: BMW drives the X5 M
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    After countless spy shots and rumors, BMW has finally admitted that an M version of its X5 SAV is on the way. The proof of concept comes in the form of a video released on the automaker's bmw-web.tv site, and not surprisingly, the clip doesn't divulge much about the M-modified 'ute. Bernd Limmer, an exec at BMW M GmbH, discusses the essence of "M-ness" ...

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    BMW X5
    Geneva 2008: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics diesel hybrid is a camel
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    Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the BMW X5 Vision EfficientDynamicsA man might not be a camel, but BMW's X5 Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid is. The vehicle, with its twin-turbo 4-cylinder diesel engine mated to a li-ion battery pack that doesn't need to be refueled until after the Apocalypse. by then, fuel will probably be the last of your ...

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    BMW X5
    Geneva '08 Preview: BMW twin-turbo diesel hybrid X5
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    Click above for a high-res gallery of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics X5.Every auto show nowadays has to have its fair share of "green" concepts, and Geneva won't be any different. Over at the BMW stand, the automaker will be showing off its Vision EfficientDynamics Concept that's packing a twin-turbo, 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel that's mated to a ...

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    BMW X5
    Geneva '08 Preview: BMW to show diesel-hybrid X5 concept
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    After being all about diesel at the Detroit Auto Show this year, it looks like BMW is going the next step by adding in hybrid technology next month at the Geneva. A new X5-based concept, apparently called the Vision EfficientDynamics, will be on display and it will employ the mild-hybrid system that BMW is developing in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz. In ...

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    BMW X5
    Detroit 2008: BMW's twin-turbo 4.4L V8
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    BMW's twin-turbo 3.0L inline-six has been a rousing success, with nothing less than a Wards 10 Best Engines award sitting in its trophy case. The praise is understandable and well-deserved, as the engine uses a combination of forced induction and direct injection to serve up a torque curve that's far beefier and flatter than what should be expected from a ...

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    BMW X5
    Detroit 2008: BMW unwraps the production X6
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    click above to view more high-res images of the BMW X6Dropping the "concept" descriptor that it carried in Frankfurt, the BMW X6 was just revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in full production trim. Not surprisingly, it's almost identical to what we saw in Frankfurt, with a sharply-raked backlight and hatchback replacing the squared-off rump of the X5. BMW ...

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    BMW X5
    Rumormill: China Automobile almost kicked out of Frankfurt show?
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    According to UK-based media service Headline Auto, one of the hot rumors flying around the Auto Messe in Frankfurt earlier this morning was that China Automobile, the German importer for Chinese automaker Shuanghuan, was going to get booted out of the exhibit hall. The controversy stems from some bad blood brewing between Shuanghuan and the mainstream ...

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    BMW X5
    BMW joins smart in threatening copy-cat Chinese
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    You might recall a post last week regarding a little tiff between Smart and Shuanghuan, the purveyors of the Noble, a dead ringer for the German firm's fortwo. That vehicle, along with an SUV dubbed the CEO, will be gracing the stand of the Chinese automaker next month in Frankfurt, and it looks as though BMW may be considering legal action as well.The CEO ...

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