I WAS DRIVING THE BMW X5 DOWN THIS ROAD IN
Pune, and I saw a cop gesturing frantically in my direction.
Here we go again — I was in a car with a red tradeplate, and he
wanted to see the papers. As I went through the conversation
of me trying to convince him this was a test car that was fully
insured and legal in my head, I saw who he was waving at.
Not me, but the Activa trundling along in front, not giving me
room to overtake. As we passed the visibly irritated cop, he
gave the confused scooterist an earful, me a sheepish smile
and sent us on our way. What in the world? I’ve lost count of
the number of times I’ve been harassed by cops trying to make
a quick buck, but this was a first. I could get used to this!
That’s the thing about the new BMW X5. It has monstrous
presence on the road. Those massive kidney grilles every one
has been bashing are probably what saved me from half an
hour of arguing with a stubborn pandu. The new BMW X5
is bigger and badder than the last one. It screams don’t mess
with me. It’s also more sophisticated than the last one. I can
tell because the previous-generation BMW X5 was one of the
first ‘big’ cars I drove as an auto journalist a few years ago — as
a back-up driver for a comparo with the Audi Q7. Back then,
it was blown out of the water by the Q7 on all fronts, except
being more fun to drive. The Q7 had more space, more tech,
was way more comfortable and a more well-rounded SUV.
We also had the GLS on that shoot, but the big Merc has been
completely refreshed and incidentally the ed was in Utah
driving it at the same time we were doing this story — so we
got something else along instead. The Range Rover Sport,
now more affordable than ever, and with a smaller two-litre
petrol engine.84 http://www.evoIndia.com | July 2019
To p : The Audi’s cabin is understated luxury. Top, right: The Q7’s gear
selector is inspired by an aircraft throttle