ONE HAS TO wonder what we did before cellphones, microwaves or even televisions and satellite navigation. The simple answer is: we were less stressed, ate less, read more and got lost … a lot. Living with the X5 spoils you. I remember backing up and manoeuvring my previous Hilux with little to guide me other than its rear view mirrors and mostly good judgement. You basically parked the beast by braille as the big single cab’s rear load bay was sky high and loomed like a lorry out the rear. Since the big X5 arrived last November I’ve slowly got to trust the accuracy of its rear view camera. With Top and Side view cameras it’s a R12 600 option on the big 40d, but hugely helpful when reversing in tight confines.

The system has two cameras integrated in the front bumper, one on the left and one on the right. Both images are displayed in the Control Display with interactive lane lines allowing one to judge the vehicle’s intended path and check if the parking space is indeed large enough. The zoom function also allows you to adjust the image so that you can get the towbar right up to a trailer hitch without the need for outside assistance.

The Top View cameras in the wing mirrors (together with the data from the Rear View camera) generate a bird’s eye image of the X5 and its immediate surrounds, which is great for navigating tight fence posts and gates.

On the connectivity front, I recently switched over from an iPod Nano to a smaller shuffle. I found the X5’s iDrive system doesn’t locate the library of the smaller device using the standard USB port. I’m told it works with a standard auxiliary cable and that one has to use the shuffle setting on the device to search for songs manually. And they say these things make our lives simpler.

PREVIOUS UPDATE HERE