I had a particular reason for wanting to drive the new BMW iX5. Twenty-seven years ago, I was at the launch of the original X5, when BMW decided that the best way to introduce its new SUV was to put us on a racetrack. We headed to Road Atlanta in Georgia, where the message was clear: this was a big, tall family car that could actually handle. It was a pretty convincing demonstration, too.
That original X5 was the first truly sporty SUV as far as I was concerned, although BMW preferred to call it a Sports Activity Vehicle, or SAV. The name never really caught on with the rest of us, but the car certainly did. BMW has built more than 3.1 million X5s across its first four generations. The original came from its Spartanburg factory in South Carolina, where the new iX5 will be built as well.
