Skipped Sjonnie stage
There is plenty of gossip about SUVs in the car enthusiast world, but can we say that we now find a car like the first BMW X5 simply charming? If there is such a thing as a ‘sympathetic BMW X5’, then this example with its soft green color, fabric upholstery and manual gearbox certainly meets the requirements.
Cursing is easy, but with age almost every car becomes more fun. SUVs are an excellent example of this. Cars like the first Porsche Cayenne and this X5 may have been maligned in certain circles when they were new, but they now symbolize the period when such a luxury SUV was still a novelty. With the X5, BMW was not the first with a ‘modern’ luxury SUV – that honor goes to Lexus with the RX and Mercedes with the ML – but it was still early in 2000. As a product of a brand that valued sportiness, the X5 automatically had something special about it. BMW’s first SUV immediately impressed with its driving characteristics and quickly found many customers due to its appearance, space and usability.
The first X5 initially appeared as a 4.4i V8 and was also available in 2000 with a three-liter straight-six. That is the engine in this copy. With 231 hp on approximately 2,000 kg, the car is certainly not fast, but as a plaster on the wound, it drinks like a real animal. This X5 first caught our attention because of the combination of the ‘Graugrün’ paint and the typical wheels, which we only know from this model. However, a look at the interior completes the party, because with greenish fabric seat upholstery and the large lever of a five-speed manual transmission, this X5 is different than usual. The car is quite bare and has no sports seats and no navigation screen, the latter of which is now mainly an advantage. We do see a three-spoke, multifunctional ‘sports steering wheel’, xenon lighting, piano lacquer finish and a tow bar.
Our tuning alarm went off for a moment with the silver-colored edges around the fog lights, but judging by the original brochure photos, this was indeed available. The decoration was probably part of a package that also included the chrome side window frame, a fairly rare finish on this type. The running boards were of course not standard either. The car is not in top condition, but judging by the photos it looks ‘honest’. With a new logo on the nose, the polishing of the headlights and the installation of a set of original, non-flat blade windshield wipers, this is a true time machine, which will undoubtedly drive nice and typical with that manual gearbox and the six-cylinder engine. The mileage may be there, but with just under 3 tons in 21 years it is certainly not astronomical. The ownership history also looks good: the car was privately owned early on and belonged to one and the same owner between 2008 and 2020, and again from 2020 until earlier this year. 3.5 grand certainly does not seem to us to be an unreasonable price for this copy, which has just reached the bottom of its price curve and apparently never reached the ‘sjonnie stage’. Who dares?
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl