2004 BMW Brand Model Guide and New Car Reviews by Bob Plunkett : ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine

BMW 5 Series

The 5 Series of sport sedans shows up in BMW's 2004 line with new designs set on a new platform that represents the fifth generation for mid-size models. The look is tipped decidedly toward styling for 7 Series sedans with curvy corners and a higher trunk deck in order to carve out more cargo room within the trunk.

Up front, multi-lens headlamp clusters wrap around front corners with unique brows studded by parking lights as shelters for primary lamps. Beneath this sculptural skin, 5 Series cars carry new lightweight aluminum components in suspension and structure that pares overall mass and enhances acceleration and fuel economy figures.

A new adaptive steering system will be available on 5 Series sedans with an electronically-controlled device that can vary the steering ratio to match a driver's style and the pavement conditions. The AHC adaptive headlamp controller also appears on the 5 Series list of options.

Cabins have been restyled with luxurious appointments and BMW adds computerized gear with the iDrive system off the 7-Series but in a simplified and easy-to-master format.

Engines for 5 Series sedans essentially repeat, although transmissions change. In-line six-cylinder powertrains from the 3-Series drop into two of the 5 Series models - the 2.5-liter six for 525i and 3.0-liter version for 530i. Top-model totes a 4.4-liter V8 that romps to 325 hp. All come with either a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed Steptronic automatic mode for clutch-less shifts.

All 5 Series cars also provide the entire spectrum of BMW mechanical systems for performance and safety, including HPS air bags and BMW's computerized Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) mechanism that can correct potentially dangerous car movements when wheels slip laterally.

Read our Review: BMW 5 Series X3

BMW 3 Series

The majority of all cars sold with a BMW badge come from the 3 Series class of compacts. These vehicles - in designs of a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon and two-door coupe or convertible - set a high standard for performance, handling and agility.

Model nomenclature amounts to alphanumeric designations to describe the body style and displacement of an engine. Two in-line-six aluminum-block engines - measuring to 2.5 liters and 3.0 liters - power the class, earning 170 hp and 225 hp, respectively. Sedans and wagons with the 2.5-liter engine are labeled 325i for RWD and 325xi for AWD; for the 3.0-liter plant, the two sedans are the 330i (RWD) and 330xi (AWD).

Coupes and convertibles carry similar designations as 325Ci and 330Ci, each with rear-wheel driveline. The coupes and convertibles have a revamped front-end design for 2004 and standard automatic headlight control system, with xenon HID headlamps optional for the adaptive headlamp control system. The 330i and 330xi sedans and wagons show new front grilles and headlight surrounds trimmed in black.

BMW Z Series

BMW's two-seat roadster, produced at a BMW plant in South Carolina, bears contorted sheetmetal shaped into an intricate series of twists and curves in crisscrossed lines that amount to separate character marks scored across the flanks. A bulging trunk deck is defined by an angular ridge ringing sides and rear, with unusual shapes for taillamps inset into the thick slab bumper.

Compared to the roly-poly roundness of Z3 first-generation issues, the angular styling for Z4 looks edgy and quick. It can be quick to act too, due to two different engine options that enthuse the roadster. Z4 2.5i gets the BMW 2.5-liter in-line-six tuned to 184 hp. Z4 3.0i packs a larger straight-six at 3.0 liters with dual overhead cams and BMW's infinitely variable valve timing system. Output reaches 225 hp.

A Getrag Type B+ five-speed manual transmission comes with the 2.5-liter plant, while the heavy-duty ZF Type H six-speed manual links to the 3.0-liter version. Both offer optionally a ZF automatic articulated through five forward gears with BMW's Steptronic mode. Further, BMW's six-speed SMG is available with either engine and it's rigged with one automatic and two manual shift programs. In manual mode, you can shift the SMG by tapping finger paddles on the steering wheel or the shifter lever.

Passive standard safety systems reach from frontal and side-impact air bags to BMW's knee protection system (KPS). The cockpit for two stocks bolstered bucket seats, a three-spoke steering wheel and twin binnacles on the dash housing an analog speedometer and tachometer.

Z4's soft top contains a glass rear window and heat element. It folds back quickly by manual means, with the forward panel of the lid covering pleated parts and fitting flush against the body to eliminate the need for a tonneau. Power motivation to fold the top automatically is optional and works in 13 seconds flat. For 2004, rain-sensing windshield wipers become a standard feature.

BMW X5

The X5 is what happens when BMW's performance-geared designers turn their attention to a SUV. It looks remarkably like one of BMW's big sports sedans, only jacked up with a wagon's cargo compartment at the tail. Consider the X5 as a broad and long four-door wagon that stands in the mid-size class of SUVs.

An engine fits in front of the four-door cabin that holds two rows of seats for up to five riders plus a rear cargo bay accessed through a clever clamshell tailgate. What makes BMW's SUV different from convention concerns its unitized structure and the application of performance-oriented mechanical paraphernalia. All components fit aboard in such a manner that weight is distributed ideally, with half loading on the front wheels and the other half on the rear ones. This perfect balance makes X5 extremely controllable through predictable patterns.

And the use of lightweight aluminum for independent suspension links pares the unsprung mass of this vehicle, which ultimately makes it stick better on pavement and glide more uniformly over road bumps.

For 2004 issues, X5 units display updated exteriors with reshaped sheetmetal fitting the patterns of BMW's sedans. The prow projects larger grille ports plus halo-style headlamps mounted on front corners.

Internally, BMW's new 'intelligent' AWD system called xDrive has been added with locked front-to-rear traction distribution but counteractive intervention from a stability control system when the treads begin to slip. X5 divides into two different models for 2004 based on powertrain. The X5 4.4i stocks a new version of the 4.4-liter V8 with variable valve timing and output of 320 hp through the six-speed automatic shifter out of 7-Series sedans. X5 3.0i carries a 3.0-liter in-line-six worth 225 hp with Steptronic automatic or standard six-speed manual.

A Bluetooth wireless (hands-free) cellular phone system will be offered as an accessory on all X5 models.

BMW X3

Just as BMW's midsize 5 Series and compact-class 3 Series sedans compare in step-down size, so too does the size vary from midsize to compact with X5 and X3 sport-activity vehicles.

But X3 is the new model, arriving late in BMW's 2004 season and looking somewhat like a high-hiked 3 Series sports wagon after six months of pumping iron at the gym. Expect lively traction action due to the use of BMW's new xDrive AWD system. Adjustable and totally variable, the xDrive device can send engine power to whichever axle, front or rear, has the best traction bite. It works in conjunction with BMW's DSC stability controller to keep on tracking on pavement.

Off pavement, X3 adds another sophisticated device called Hill Descent Control (HDC) to keep wheels firmly planted on a steep slope. The first engine in X3 is predicted to come from 3 Series sedans with a 3.0-liter straight-six.

Read our Review: BMW 5 Series X3

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