Honda? Maybe. Chevrolet? Naturally. But when BMW - master of sports sedans, sultan of steering feel, deity of driving dynamics, and staunch guardian of honor and tradition - starts cranking out SUVs, certain questions arise. Does it work well? How fast can it go? Is nothing sacred?The explanation isn't hard to fathom. Sticking to one's own ways in a changing world is no way to succeed - just ask the record industry - and the explosion of SUVs was at atomic proportions a few years ago. If you were caught dead without one, dead is how you'd end up. Nevermind what's right or what your brand stands for; it's a question of survival.Besides, Mercedes had one.So in the year 2000, BMW entered the world of Silly Ungainly Vehicles with the X5, but instead of starting from scratch, BMW used the laudable 5-series as its basis. This, of course, gave BMW a leg-up on the competition by virtue of the X5's sporty 5-series suspensions, powerful 5-series engines, and car-like unibody construction. Back during a time when the term "crossover" hadn't yet been invented, this was quite the novelty. BMW even felt its creation special enough to warrant the invention of a new class category: the Sport Activity Vehicle!