Diesel BMW X5 Passes US Emissions Tests

2016 BMW X5 xDrive30d (Credit: BMW)

With all of the news about Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheat devices, some have eyed other German automakers with great suspicion. Now, it appears that such mistrust of BMW has been misguided, because the 2016 X5 xDrive35d just passed rigorous emissions tests administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.

The EPA even went so far as to specify in an official statement that its investigators looked for and found no defeat device in the diesel-powered X5. It’s a huge victory for BMW, which should help prove that the culture of win at any costs within Volkswagen doesn’t permeate into other German automakers.

This news also works against claims made by various individuals inside VW that the EPA and America in general is on some sort of a witch hunt against German automakers. With the diesel versions of the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado, plus the X5 xDrive35d passing the tightened testing standards from the EPA, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Volkswagen could have met government regulations just like everyone else.

BMW was smart about the whole situation, holding back production of the diesel X5 until it was certified by the EPA. That way if there had been a problem, the company wouldn’t have had to retrofit vehicles that had already been made. This means the first wave of the new model should start hitting dealers in the United States sometime in the early part of 2016.

Interestingly enough, instead of addressing the emissions issues in the United States head-on, Volkswagen has taken to not only making excuses for its deception, but also blames Americans for it and is even engaging in running PR interference. The company recently played up findings from the European Union that VWs don’t produce high levels of CO2, which is a nice fact but has nothing to do with the incredibly high NOx emissions that are at the center of the Dieselgate controversy.