Range Rover vs BMW X5 - Which 4X4 is best?

'Fight to the death' between the 1st and 2nd generation BMW X5 and the mighty Range Rover. The Bimmer can put up a good fight but will it ultimately loose. By no means is the Bimmer a bad car - its just wasn't good enough to better the do-it-all Range Rover. Bearing in mind that didn't stop the X5 from becoming the UK's most stolen vehicle.

So shortly after came the new BMW X5, a prettier, lighter, more powerful, also defiantly more efficient monster of a car. It's a car that, during our test drive, quickly made the Recombu cars reviews team think it was more than a bit special. However the BMW X5 is special enough to knock Range Rover off it's perch, so people wondered? only a good battle to the death would give people the right answer.

The design - By its very nature, the SUV is a glorified box wheels. with that said, some boxes can look better than others. The old BMW X5 shape, for instance had presence. Initially people has come concerns over the new look, However over time the revised headlights and emphasised features have defiantly grown on people. Its new look seems fresher and so much more modern, but still not what people would call stylish.

So many more different changes have been put in place to improve aerodynamics, which in turn help with efficiency and performance, so any upset caused by BMW's designers is soon forgotten about. A drag co-efficient of just 0.31cd makes it glide through the air better than many cars far smaller in size.

On the other hand the Range Rover, manages a minimum of 0.34cd, meaning the Range Rover isn't that far behind the BMW X5. Arguably, that slight difference is compensated by better looks. More boxy, granted, but there's still something special about the Range Rover, a weird cocktail of regal and rugged.

Inside both cars it feels like a premium car should. The BMW X5 look more modern and sporty, but it seem to favor plastic, whereas the Rang Rover is less cluttered, boxier and fixated on luxury. Just with a simple touch of optional wood on the center console helps give the impression of occasion.

(Ok so people would most properly say that the Range Rover was won this point, just for being easier on the eye.)

performance and handling - It's a straight up drag race the only difference between the Range Rover V8 model and the xDrive50i is minimal, as the former can hit 0-62mph in 5.1seconds and the latter in 5seconds. Thanks to some serious weight saving going on in both cases. Both cars go well above the national speed limit, too, and will get there quicker than the laws of physics should allow.

It gets less clear cut when someone looks at the diesel engines. The X5 X50d M Sport is fairly magical, offering the efficiency of the Range Rover TDV6, but 0-62mph performance not too far removed from the much thirstier V8 - which is frankly absurd.

So if someone compares the diesel models, the BMW X5 makes the Range Rover TDV6's 0-62mph time of 7.4seconds, 254bhp, 600Nm of torque top speed of 130mph look a bit limp. This is only when you more down the range to the xDrive25d does gap once again close between the SDV6 turbo diesel Range.

In terms of handling both cars remain composed at speed and will always soak up all but the worst potholes the UK roads have to offer. However both cars are fun to drive too, thanks to the effortlessly smooth gear changes and power on tap.

People just have to admit, the BMW X5 is lighter on its feet to the point where you someone forget it weighs 2,100kg. As said in the review, this is a car that can handle remarkably well and will make people forget it's an SUV, partly thank to the adaptive M suspension.

The Range Rover is just as smooth and arguable more composed, however it feels a lot less nimble, even with the weight saving, people feel more afraid to chuck it into a corner compared with the X5.

Off-road, however, and the X5 is to the Range Rover what Alan Titchmarsh is to Ray Mears. The BMW X5's lower clearance means it's already at a disadvantage when the terrain gets tough and there's not as many sophisticated systems to get people home alive. In all fairness, the BMW X5's xDrive 4x4 system handled the damp forest test ground without breaking a sweat, however it'd probably wince at the sight of some of the terrain the Rangie could tackle.

Once again it's a close call. But the Bimmer offers an impressive diesel that can nearly outmuscle the Range Rover V8, but it will have a bit more trouble when the roads give way to rocks. people say call it a draw because the winner depends on peoples requirements.

Economy and environment - As we alluded to earlier, the X5 M5od is an efficient motor given its sheer size and weight. Also it can manage 42.2mpg with delicate footwork, meanwhile the CO2 emissions are 117g/Km. This compares very favorably with the Range Rover TDV6, which returns 37.7mpg at its best and 196g/Km.

The X50d M Sport looks saintly compared to the V8. The V8 will manage 22.2mpg, but that's only if you want to hold up traffic everywhere people go. Early to late teens is more likely, with 298g/Km of CO2 emissions pumped into the atmosphere.

People pit the xDrive50i against the brutish the V8, which is fairer in terms of performance, the X5 emerges victorious again, with fuel economy of 27.2mpg and 242g/Km. All diesel engines in the X5 range offer better efficiency, as well. Bit of a whitewash for the German manufacturer, here.

Price - A BMW X5 sDrive25d, the lowest model in the range, can be yours from £42,590, with the especially impressive X5 M50d costing from £63,715. Step up to the most expensive model, the xDrive50i petrol, and you can say goodbye to at least £63,920.

The Range Rover 3.0-litre TDV6 starts at £71,295, rising to £98,395 for 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which makes the BMW X5 seem cheap given the minimal difference in on-road performance and economy advantage.

Granted, the equipment list on the Range Rover is more generous, but you could have a lot of juicy extras on peoples X5 before people start to hit the same asking price. If money is no object, however, the Range Rover offers ludicrous luxury, including seats that message people, in the case of the Autobiograohy Black Edition long wheelbase, more legroom than people know what to with. However that costs upwards of £130,000. YIKES.

Verdict - Tally up the points and the BMW X5 is the winner. Few cars give people more cake and let them eat it, but somehow the X5 offers comfort, performance and plenty of space, yet drinks less fuel than some hatchbacks. It's relatively affordable and drives incredibly well.

  

By: Unknown On 17:00

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10 perfect cars for winter driving

Normal winter driving tips usually talk about putting winter tyres on as soon as the temperature drops below seven degrees centigrade and leaving plenty of time for your journeys.

That’s all good advice, but what if you just fancy buying a new car and the only way to justify it to the rest of your family is to tell them it’ll make for safer travel over the winter months? Don’t worry, we’re on your side. There’s always room for a new car on the drive…

Here are carwow’s top winter cars – and there’s something for every budget and mentality, from the sensible to the rather silly. Let’s get stuck in. 

Best for people in a hurry: Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta is perhaps not the first car you’d think of if you’re in a rush (unless it’s maybe the brilliant ST version). But bear with us – if you can spare a second. One of the frustrating aspects of winter driving is having to scrape away the thick frost that builds up on the windows overnight. It takes ages to remove, and you’ll probably ruin another loyalty card – or worse still, your own knuckles – in the process.

Thanks to Ford’s ‘Quickclear’ windscreen, much of the time-consuming hassle can be removed. Identical in principle to heated rear windows, you just flick a switch, and in a matter of seconds, hey presto! The frost has gone, and you can be on your merry way far sooner than you would otherwise.

The heating elements running through the windscreen are tiny, so they don’t obstruct your forward vision. This handy feature is available on almost any Ford, save for the Ka and the most basic Fiesta and Focus models.

Best for winter driving on a budget: Dacia Duster

There’s a whole range of bargain off roaders on the market these days. Cars like the Skoda Yeti and Fiat Panda 4×4 are very capable thanks to their four-wheel drive systems, but our pick of the bunch is the Dacia Duster.

It’s so hard to overlook the value though. Prices start at just £9,495, which makes the Duster the cheapest off-roader on sale in the UK. Sure, compared to some rivals it makes one or two sacrifices, including a cabin that lacks the slightest hint of style. But it looks nice and rugged on the outside, it’s decent – if not class-leading – to drive, and the 1.5-litre diesel engine is more than adequate.

You won’t win any points with the family, but it’s so cheap you could probably afford to just keep it in the garage for those slippery days…

Best for remaining un-stuck: Skoda Citigo

Contrary to what many believe, one of the best ways to make it through the snow is in a car with a low kerb weight, skinny tyres, and a modest amount of power driving the front wheels. If you’ve ever seen a Citroen 2CV happily toddle about through a snow drift while everyone else struggles for traction, you’ll have an idea of what we’re talking about.

We appreciate that many of you will find the little old French ‘tin snail’ somewhat slow and unrefined by modern standards, but the excellent Skoda Citigo shares many similar principles. Weighing in at a featherweight 929kg, the narrow tyres help it to cut through the soft snow onto the grippier tarmac below.

Meanwhile, when pleasant weather breaks out during the other weeks of the year, you’ll have an extremely well-rounded city car; one that is is economical, well-built and fun to drive. If the Skoda badge isn’t your thing, the Seat Mii and Volkswagen Up! are pretty much identical machines.

Best for keeping your neck warm: Mercedes Benz E-Class Cabriolet

A cabriolet car for the winter? No, we haven’t lost leave of our senses. We Brits love our cabriolets – we buy more than the French, Italian and the Spanish, despite our generally miserable weather.

The second the sun pops out, the roofs are down, even if it is minus five outside. That’s where Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet, equipped with the’ brilliant ‘Airscarf’ system sweeps in to rescue our cold ears. An air vent neatly tucked into the seat back blows a warm draft around your shoulders and neck, keeping you nice and toasty even in the most baltic of British winters.

If you’d rather something a little more sporty looking, the same system is available on the Mercedes SLK, too. Also, recent research has shown that winter is the cheapest time of year to buy a convertible (surprise!), so you could be quids in if you turn up at a carwow dealer on Christmas Eve…

Best for those who like to see where they’re going: Audi R8 LMX

With the cold winter months come longer nights, making a good set of lights vitally important. Help is on the way in the sleek shape of the Audi R8 LMX. It is the first car on sale in the UK to feature laser headlights as standard.

They offer a truly fantastic depth of field, illuminating the road up to twice as far as LED headlights are able to, and six times farther than your bog-standard halogen bulb. The LMX also features software which, via a front mounted camera, recognises oncoming traffic and adjusts the beam accordingly to reduce dazzle.

If the fact that you can tell your mates that your car has frickin’ lasers still isn’t enough, then perhaps the 5.2-litre V10 may be enough to sway you? The monster 562hp it produces is transferred to the road via all four wheels, too, so the R8 LMX really is the ultimate winter supercar.

If the R8 isn’t your thing, then laser lights are also available as an option on the stunning BMW i8, which isn’t quite as quick, but offers spectacular fuel economy figures thanks to its hybrid powertrain.

Best for affordable winter performance: Audi TT

Is the R8 just a little too pricey? Then perhaps its baby brother might be for you. The TT still features Audi’s renowned quattro four-wheel-drive system on some models, and although the LED headlights aren’t quite up to the level of the LMX’s lasers, they still do a brilliant job of lighting the road ahead, allowing you to distinguish between snowman and snow-covered man with ease.

You have a choice of strong diesel or petrol engines – topping out at the seriously rapid 306hp TTS – and you’ll get what is undoubtedly one of the finest automotive interiors money can buy. Just remember that four-wheel-drive systems don’t help you slow down any faster in the snow.

Best for warming bums and hands: Kia Cee’d

Getting up for work on a freezing cold morning is only slightly preferable to having cattle released into your living room.

Forcing yourself to trudge outside when you’d rather just hibernate in a nice warm bed takes considerable willpower, so anything else that can offer that feeling of warmth during your commute will always be welcome.

The Kia Cee’d, in the top-spec ‘4’ and ‘4 Tech’ models, comes equipped not only with heated seats, but a heated steering wheel too. It isn’t quite a substitute for a thick duvet, but at least you wont have to wrap up like Sir Ranulph Fiennes just to hop in your car.

Best for those with clumsy neighbours: Citroen C4 Cactus

It may be considered slightly odd that one of our top ten winter choices is a car named after a plant evolved to survive in hot, dry weather, but the Citroen C4 Cactus does have its wintry blessings.

Those quirky ‘Airbump’ panels on the side of the Cactus not only look cool, but can withstand small bumps and dings without damaging any of the precious paintwork. So, if someone is clumsy with a car door when they’re in a hurry to escape the cold, they slip and crash their shopping trolley into your car, or even drift on some black ice and bump their car into you at a gentle speed, the Cactus is more than likely going to escape largely unscathed.

The Citroen is both practical and great value for a car of its size, too, so there is much else to recommend besides its squidgy exterior.

Best for doing all of the sensible stuff: Nissan Qashqai

Sometimes it’s just nice to appreciate the basics that will take the stress out of winter driving, and that is where the Nissan Qashqai comes in. With optional four-wheel drive, an elevated driving position, excellent reliability and top safety marks, Nissan’s popular crossover would be a perfect companion for the long, dark winter nights.

Given the fact that the rest of the year round you’ll be left with a practical family hatchback that is cheap to run and pleasant enough to drive, it is easy to see why the Qashqai is consistently one of the strongest selling cars in the UK.

Best for everything else: Range Rover

Put simply, the latest Range Rover is the perfect machine for winter driving. Not only is it staggeringly capable whether being driven on road, off road, in poor weather or while wading through up to 90cm of water, but it comes equipped as standard with a heap of winter-repelling goodies.

A heated leather steering wheel, heated windscreen, heated door mirrors, heated windscreen wipers (which ‘park’ away from screen when not in use to prevent freezing to the glass), and heated seats all round are available on the Rangie. Thanks to the beautiful, comfortable cabin, and a fantastic Meridian hi-fi system, you’ll even be able to keep yourself relaxed and entertained if you’re stuck in a two-hour traffic jam induced by a mild covering of sleet.

Save money this winter

If you need to change your car this winter but don’t want the hassle that’s usually involved, then use the carwow configurator to get dealers to send you their best offers on new cars – and you can do it from in front of the fire. You might save a pretty penny too, so there’s no excuse for giving the kids a lump of coal for Christmas…

By: Unknown On 13:00

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Top 8 Best used luxury cars

     Mercedes S-Class

 Fair price £7,900

For over four decades, the Mercedes S-Class has set a high standard for luxury and cutting-edge technology. This latest, sixth-generation is the best yet, while it continues to be a showcase for the brand’s latest hi-tech projects and developments.

Audi A8

 Fair price £4,500

The Audi A8 has had the Mercedes S-Class in its sights ever since it was introduced in 1994. Audi have been pushing technological boundaries from day one, and now in its third generation, it’s firmly accepted in the luxury saloon class. All versions benefit from Audi’s trademark Quattro four-wheel drive system and eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Range Rover

 Fair price £30,000

The Range Rover is a more than worthy, luxury rival to luxury SUVs like the BMW X5 & 6 and Porsche Cayenne. It's extremely comfortable, has a top-quality interior and a massively posh image. However, what really sets it apart from the traditional luxury car, is its supreme ability to multi-task.

Bentley Arnage

 Fair price £15,000

Nothing can beat a hand-built British saloon for luxury, but then nothing can match its staggering fall in value, either. The Bentley Arnage originally came with a BMW twin-turbo V8, but a different engine was required after VW’s takeover in 1998, and the Red Label featured Bentley’s old turbocharged 6.75-litre V8.

BMW 7 Series

 Fair price £19,000

The BMW 7 Series has always struggled to match the Mercedes S-Class. However with a stellar line-up of petrol and diesel engines, handling that was taken from the brilliant 5 Series, and a host of hi-tech gadgets, the underdog is still a great choice. The 7 Series was given a facelift in 2012, with a series of design tweaks, more efficient engines and a whole host of new cutting-edge technology.

Jaguar XJ

 Fair price £25,750

The Jaguar XJ takes the fight to the German luxury car trio (Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8) thanks to its dramatic styling, composed driving dynamics and high class cabin. The old Jaguar XJ was considered one of the most modest and good looking luxury cars of its time, but the latest XJ has shaken off the Gentleman's Club image due to its classy looks and outstanding driving experience.

Maserati Quattroporte

 Fair price £28,500

The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury performance car that offers practicality, with stylish looks and sports car handling. This all-new model is marked out as a thoroughbred saloon by its Ferrari-developed V6 and V8 petrol engines. As with any Italian thoroughbred, a full service history is vital. But choose carefully, and you’ll get one of the most charismatic cars money can buy.

Aston Martin Rapide

 Fair price £70,000

Style, speed and substance – the Rapide has it all.  This Aston Martin is one of the most desirable cars on the road to date. As well as its gorgeous looks and near-200mph performance, the Aston has a wonderful interior with a real sense of occasion and space, plus a very versatile layout. Of course, it won’t be cheap to run, but you only need to take one look at the exterior look of the Rapide to make all your money worries disappear.

By David Carr

By: Unknown On 11:00

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