E70 BMW X5 gets the mid-life LCI treatment!

BMW has updated the second generation E70 X5 with the “LCI” treatment, which basically means a mid-life facelift in BMW speak. LCI stands for Life Cycle Impulse. The X5 gets the typical updates you’d expect from a 2010 BMW – an all-turbo line-up and the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.

The new E70 X5 range consists of the xDrive35i, the xDrive50i, the xDrive30d and the xDrive40d. Over here in Malaysia the pre-FL X5 is sold with a 3.0 litre normally aspirated inline-6 (3.0is), a 4.8 litre V8 (4.8i) and a 3.0 litre turbodiesel (3.0d). It would be bloody nice if the 3.0is is replaced with the new xDrive35i model – that would be a proper 5-seater version of the scorching X6 xDrive35i that we can see increasingly often around the streets of KL.

The xDrive35i’s N55 engine uses a single turbocharger, but BMW still calls it a TwinPower Turbo, using the excuse that the turbocharger has twin-scroll technology. It makes 306hp at 5,800rpm and 400Nm from as low as 1,200rpm all the way up to 5,000rpm, taking the X5 xDrive35i up to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds while consuming about 10.1 litres per 100km.

The top of the range regular X5 (it’s still lesser than an X5 M)’s 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 makes 407 horsepower between 5,500 to 6,400rpm and 600Nm of torque from 1,750rpm up to 4,500rpm. 0 to 100km/h takes just 5.5 seconds.

The xDrive30d has the new aluminum crankcase found in the 730Ld (the 3.0d pre-LCI X5 in Malaysia uses the engine preceding this aluminum crankcase model) and makes 245hp at 4,000rpm and 540Nm from as low as 1,750rpm to 3,000rpm.

The new xDrive40d variant is powered by the BMW TwinPower Turbo version of the company’s 3.0 litre turbodiesel engine, ,akin 306hp at 4,400rpm and a massive 600Nm of torque from as low as 1,500rpm. The engine in the xDrive40d uses a smaller turbo to get the engine going and then switches to a larger turbo to handle the upper reaches of the rev range.

Other than the obvious aesthetic changes which include new headlamps that have LED white corona rings instead of the yellow version that’s being phased out from the BMW range, the xDrive50i and the xDrive40d also gets updated suspension settings.

Look after the jump for a hi-res gallery and a video of the new LCI-ed X5.

VIDEO: BMW X5 LCI B-Roll

[zenphotopress number=999 album=824]

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