Price Range: $49,970 to $58,000

Engine: 4.4-liter, 282-horsepower V8

Configuration: Front Engine/All-Wheel Drive

Fuel Economy: 13 mpg city/17 mpg highway

Safety Features: Driver and passenger side, side and head airbags standard; rear-side optional. ABS anti-lock brakes are standard.

Little Creek Farms, Georgia -- Why is BMW bringing the X5 to the U.S. market? The infamous bank robber Willy Sutton had the answer: "Because that's where the money is!" BMW has been observing as the SUV craze has swept the North American market and watched as competitors like Mercedes-Benz, Acura and Lexus have entered the fray with refined trucks or tough AWD wagons. Some purists have cringed as their treasured blue-and-white roundel has been applied to a vehicle classified by the EPA as a light-duty truck, but the corporate stockholders have no such misgivings.

According to a Strategic Vision research study, luxury SUV buyers are not really satisfied and are looking for more car-like attributes such as better handling, styling, comfort/luxury, convenience, quietness and interior craftsmanship. When queried about how they felt their vehicles delivered on an emotional level, again luxury SUV buyers reported their vehicles were lacking.

BMW could not afford to dilute the marque with a truck-based SUV or a redefined but awkward wagon. BMW owes its existence in todayâs market to its luxury performance image. A vehicle that would be a gross deviation from that ideal would make short term money but would do irreparable harm to the company's image in the long term.

Dr. Helmut Panke, a Member of the Board of BMW AG is confident that the X5 is the right vehicle at the right time. BMW has not designed the X5 to be an off-road, make-your-own-trail vehicle. However they intend for this vehicle to live up to their promise of bringing luxury performance to "any road, any time, for any reason."

BMW had tried this market before with their capable 325ix sedan, but ten years ago the American public proved themselves to be in a state of confusion and only a few dedicated skiers gained the benefit. Careful technical and brand research has been combined with input from their Range Rover brand, and only when time and technology was right, was the X5 unveiled.

To prove this, BMW set up a series of events over local roads in the Atlanta area. The "Little Creeks Farms" stage would be used to demonstrate "other roads" capabilities of the vehicle.