Siku 2007 BMW X5, Porsche Macan Turbo, and 2008 Toyota RAV4 police

As of recent Siku makes quite a nice group of Sport Utility Vehicles and while the line still has various cars in them these SUV’s are starting to take over quickly, just like the real U.S. car market.  The latest for 2018 is one of the first Kia models in 1:64, the Sorento, but today I take a look at three different SUV’s with their own unique personality.

2007 BMW X5

The X5 is BMW’s first SUV, or more correctly Sports Activity Vehicle as it is an SUV that has the practicality of a utility vehicle yet never loses sights of its performance heritage when compared to its car line.  For the second-generation the X5 has a more smoother look with a bit more lower black cladding; a polar opposite of the car line that was going through a radical change during the Chris Bangle era in the 2000’s.  Inside the interior is up-to-date with the new I-drive infortainment screen on the dashboard controlled by a rotary knob on the center console.  Also the shifter goes toward a new digital joystick unit over the manual lever.  The powertrains consist of gas and diesel engines, with this Siku model powered by a 4.8L DOHC V8 that produces 355 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission.  This was also the first-generation X5 to get a relative spin-off, the coupe-like X6 SAV that started the trend to more swoopier roofline in SUV’s.

With many replicas of the first-generation X5, it was nice to see Siku make the second-generation version in blue.  The front has clear headlights that flow into the front fenders, twin kidney grille, and lower bumper with foglights and various ducts.  Note that I added detail to the lower body cladding to give the X5 a more rugged look.  On the sides the familiar SUV profile is still intact with slight bolstering of the fenders and 5-spoke wheels on rubber tires that are accurate, yet the visible silver area between the spokes makes the wheels look cheap (a black Sharpie would cure this problem even though I never got the chance to do so here).  At the rear is the L-shaped taillights in separate lenses, Euro plate on rear hatch, and lower bumper with dual exhausts in the bumper.  The base shows off a few minor suspension and exhaust details along with Siku’s special specification information about the vehicle, while the doors open to an interior that is highly detailed with the proper five-passenger seat design.  The center console with the shifter and rotating knob for IDrive is there, along with the detailed dashboard that has the 3-spoke steering wheel, gauge pod, and center stack with iDrive screen and radio and HVAC controls below.  The door panels also have the detailed handles and patterns even if it is painted the exterior blue color.

Porsche Macan Turbo

Another blue SUV is another German, but this time from Porsche and their second SUV the Macan Turbo.  The new SUV from Porsche is smaller, has more 911 style especially at the rear, and a familiar dashboard layout and rising center console.  The Turbo is powered by a 3.6 twin-turbocharged DOHC V6 that produces 395 horsepower and 406 Ib-ft of torque through a seven-speed automatic and through all four wheels.  This Macan is praised by the press as having better on-road performance than the Cayenne at the expense of credible off-road abilities found in the larger sibiling.

I already profiled the Macan as the 1:43 Welly version, so this Siku does a few things differently.  The front has clear headlights that are part of the window trim and mounted high on the front fenders, separate black front grille, and side gills with the running lights and lower foglights.  The sides have a sleek beltline with smooth roofline that also has a large panoramic sunroof, and I added the lower side trim on the doors that I still don’t understand why they are here on a top-end Turbo model.  The 5-spoke wheels with rubber tires are much better done than the X5, yet these wheels are also shared with a few other Siku models.  At the rear the liftgate wraps around the rear fenders and joins the 911-esque taillights, Porsche badging on the liftgate, and quad exhaust below the bumper next to the odd trailer hitch.  The base does not show much aside from specs and the exhaust, while the sunroof on top is not part of the windows; a big letdown for such a nice casting.  The doors open to the interior with seating for five, detailed dashboard with 3-spoke steering wheel and digital center stack, and a center console with plenty of buttons and the shifter; on my tester the dash tab that connects to the console overshot the hole and now rests over the buttons.

2008 Toyota RAV4 Police

There are a few vehicles from Siku that never get the chance to see stock livery and most often spend its life as emergency rescue vehicles or service vehicles.  A few VW/Audi wagon’s come to mind, as does the VW Tiguan that I profiled before, and now this Toyota RAV4 which never saw any stock variants that I know of and if they do exist they are quite rare.  This RAV4 is based on the third-generation and is the largest of the generations as the wheelbase and length stretch to create a third-row seat behind the second row.  Also this was the only time the RAV4 was offered with the 3.5L DOHC V6 from the Camry as well, yet despite the larger size it still has that spare tire at the rear unless you opt for the Limited model that removes the spare tire thanks to run flat tires on all four wheels.  Styling also still relied on the RAV4 look of before, as does the interior.  This RAV4 is powered by a 2.4L DOHC I-4 that produces 177 horsepower through a 6-speed manual transmission and through all-four wheels with an all-wheel drive system.

This version is based on a German (or Greece?) police vehicle with red graphics splashed across a bare metal body.  The front has clear headlights, black grille with Toyota logo, and lower bumper with foglights typical of a RAV4.  The sides show an upswept D-pillar with surprisingly rear quarter windows that are part of the metal body and 5-spoke wheels with rubber tires.  The rear has LED taillights, a separate hard spare tire cover in red, and lower Euro plate, and also the roof has a blue light bar.  The base shows off the exhaust, rear suspension, and specifications with the rest covered up, while the doors open to an interior with seating for five (I think this is the short-wheelbase version only sold in east Asian countries).  The console has detailed shifter and parking brake in the hold position, three-spoke steering wheel, and a nice dashboard layout with a two-tiered look just like the real RAV4 dashboard.

Siku is making some impressive SUV models and along with a change of heart to more detailing and rubber tires over the 1990’s versions they are even better than ever.