SPARTANBURG, S.C. — “All the cars in that parking lot have keys in them. Have at it!”
Every year, BMW does a “test fest” at their Performance Centre in South Carolina. Among other things, a bunch of us get to to check out BMW’s latest and greatest on road and track. Naturally, because I am a well-adjusted and very cool person, I walked past the rows of M5s and M4 CSs, and hopped in a pristine 1999 BMW X5 sitting at the end of the lot all by itself.
In my defence, it was pouring rain and the track was closed. And I’ve already experienced those aforementioned very fast Bimmers on the street at home. It’s funny to think that we’re such big fans of the X5 now, when for the longest time it was the pariah of the BMW family. As a BMW purist, you almost weren’t allowed to like it. But as time has worn on, I’ve steadily been getting more curious about them. It seemed more appropriate to get into a first-generation X5 here, as it was built just across the street at BMW’s Plant Spartanburg.
This event coincided with a 30th anniversary celebration for BMW building vehicles in South Carolina, as well as the 25th anniversary of the X5. The plant opened in 1994, building 318i vehicles to start, and quickly picking up the then-new Z3 roadster. It wasn’t until the debut of the X5 in 1999 that things really took off, and now the plant builds nearly all of BMW’s X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and XM models for the whole world. Over 400,000 vehicles rolled out here last year; more than half of them were exported globally, and to the tune of about $10 billion in export value.
I was having dinner with a vastly more experienced colleague who was here for the opening of the plant. “This place was barely a blip on the radar 30 years ago. None of this was here. The airport was a tiki hut with four gates. Now look at it.” We were hosted in the beautiful city of Greenville, near Spartanburg—which is the fastest growing city in the U.S. as of 2023. BMW employs 11,000 people in this state, and has created a total of 42,000 jobs over the years, paying out more than $3 billion in wages. It’s only going to grow as the plant undergoes a huge expansion for EV production, and will be joined by a new battery-building facility 15 minutes away in Woodruff—a total new investment of $1.7 billion.
And just about all of that prosperity can be traced back to this lovely, first-generation X5. This one is a very rare and very handsome Neiman Marcus Edition that could only be reserved through its namesake’s Christmas catalogue—because 90s. All were finished in exclusive Impala Brown metallic paint, with 19-inch wheels, two-tone cinnamon leather interior, and poplar wood trim. It’s a shame only 50 were built like this, because it’s a pretty idyllic colourway for one of the most successful vehicle designs of all time. [Indeed, it does look very tasty. —Ed.]
Development of the first-gen X5 began shortly after BMW acquired Rover Group in 1994. Its basic platform and powertrain that would also eventually underpin the very successful, L322-generation Range Rover that drove the brand through the 2000s. It introduced some then-new tech and tricks from Rover, like Hill Descent Control and the very convenient split folding tailgate coming from Range Rover. The idea of a sporty, luxurious SUV was still largely oxymoronic at the time, but BMW insisted this was the way. It called the X5 a Sports Activity Vehicle, or SAV to denote its sporting intentions.
This decision might have seemed like a bad idea at the time, and they caught a lot of heat from their loud minority enthusiast base—and I’m still not sold on Sport Activity Vehicle moniker. But the masses loved it. The X5 was exactly the right vehicle at the right time, and built in the right place to really succeed. And it’s not hard to see why it developed such a fervent following. Turns out, it’s actually quite lovely to drive—you know, like any other BMW.
The first thing that struck me—cliche as this may be to say—is the sound the door makes when closing. It’s such a solid thud that it stuck out next to the rows of shiny new X3s and M4s with their carefully manicured acoustics—yes, some car manufacturers deliberately spend time making sure closing a door sounds right. Come to think of it, this X5 is not entirely unlike a Range Rover of the time. Ditto goes for the seating position; you sit relatively high over a low waistline. This means fabulous visibility, and it’s a bit of a revelation among modern SUVs.
The big revelation is that this drives really well. I dare say, even to the most discerning vintage BMW snob [Like you. —Ed.] the first-gen X5 still hits all the notes you’d expect a classic Bavarian to hit. No, it’s not quite light and ethereal like an old 3 Series, but it does a wonderful job incorporating that DNA into the vault-like, luxury liner experience you’d expect from a bigger Bimmer with the confidence-inspiring, tank-like feel of a Range Rover.
The steering is crisp, decidedly on the weighty side and deliberate, with just enough variable assist dialed in at low speeds to avoid feeling cumbersome—it’s a BMW after all. I’m not going to pretend I really tried to explore the limits of the chassis on this pristine example with just 909 miles on it, but the X5 nonetheless feels right. It’s planted, grippy, fairly well-balanced and eager enough, and the steering feedback is a bit of a condemnation of modern Bimmers with how direct and communicative this one feels. The turbo-less, 4.4-litre V8 with 282 horsepower is perfectly suited to this application, with a broad torque spread and an engine note that’s altogether brawny, refined, and organic.
That’s it, that’s this X5. Brawny, with its solid architecture and satisfying acoustics. Refined, with lovely interior design, leather and wood everywhere, a taut but well gauged-ride, and smooth powertrain. And organic, because it’s a golden-era BMW that feels like a golden-era BMW. The ergonomics are sound, the powertrain feels terrific—OK, the GM-sourced five-speed slushbox leaves a little urgency to be desired but it’s fine enough, and was great in its day—and the driver controls from the wheels to the pedals are beautifully gauged and tactile. It really feels like a best-of-both-worlds, between an E39-generation 5 Series (which everybody loves) and a Range Rover (which everybody loves).
The X5 is and always been one of the best SUVs you could buy, and has been a huge success as a result. It spawned not only an entire fleet of vehicles under BMW, but also under nearly every other luxury brand; it spawned a trend that lives on to this day and has no signs of letting up, a silver anniversary later. Not only has it ignited the spark of prosperity for the entire automotive industry with the precedent it set, but it also paved the way for a robust manufacturing base in South Carolina that’s helped the entire state grow. Funny to think that all that can be traced back to this 1999 BMW X5.
