BMW X5 Review 2024

The BMW X5 was pretty much the first 'sporty' SUV that was genuinely fun to drive on the road, while still being able to take you further than a normal family estate car off it. The latest model stays faithful to those characteristics.

If you want a large SUV that feels good to drive but comfortable with it, there aren't many better than the big BMW. Unlike rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne, this sportiness doesn't come at the expense of ride comfort or practicality.

As a five-seater, it's one of the most complete large SUVs money can buy, with an impressive standard equipment haul that balances out its high asking price. For carrying seven (or as much luggage as possible) there are roomier options, and it's a similar story if you want your 4x4 to specialise in off-roading capability. In fact, a Land Rover Discovery is better in both respects. 

However, as an all-rounder, the BMW X5 is hard to beat, especially now that it comes with such a wide range of different engines, covering everything from advanced plug-in hybrid tech to savage straight line performance.

The usual suspects Audi and Mercedes both offer cars that rival the BMW X5 for luxury, size and performance. The Audi Q7 comes with seven seats as standard, an even bigger boot, and costs a bit less in a like-for-like trim level. It's also good to drive, but the cabin isn't quite up to the latest X5's standards.

Mercedes' GLE is not quite as luxurious inside, and comes with a four-cylinder diesel and steel suspension in its most affordable guise, whereas the X5 gets six-cylinder and cushioned air springs throughout its range. I

These rivals both offer their own plug-in hybrids aimed at company drivers, although unusually the GLE pairs its electric motors with a diesel engine - giving it better fuel economy than the X5 once the battery is depleted.

However, neither is quite as sporty to drive. If you want high-performance thrills and even sharper cornering the Porsche Cayenne feels even more agile than the BMW, though it's not as well equipped or comfortable.

For intrepid SUV drivers who actually want to go off-road (surely there are some?) Land Rover's Discovery has seven full-size seats, and is unbeatable in the rough stuff thanks to its 4x4 gadgets and chunky tyres. And for those who want something a bit left-field, then the impeccably built (and hybrid-only) Lexus RX, or the newly-launched Genesis GV80 are worth a look. 

It's hard to fault the BMW X5 for quality. The expensive materials, impeccable fit and finish and slick technology on-board make for a potent mix, and the attention to detail in here is far better than in the previous generation.

The angular design helps improve the upmarket feeling in the cabin, but the sheer quality of the materials is the biggest sea-change. Where in some rivals you might come across plastics masquerading as metal, BMW uses aluminium. Dense soft-touch plastic is everywhere, too, even often overlooked places like the glovebox lid.

It's not just better than the old X5 either. This is one of the most luxurious SUVs at any price, and feels better constructed than any of its contemporaries, even the Audi Q7 and Mercedes GLE. The leather upholstery is pleasingly soft, and the switches and dials are all nicely damped. Using the controls feels palpably premium.

The standard patterned inlays are attractive, but at some angles looks a bit like a magic-eye puzzle. If you aren't a fan, BMW gives you the option to swap it for piano black, or lighter shades of wood veneers, albeit at a cost of £560.

M Sport trim looks sportier inside, with a thicker steering wheel, metallic pedals and illuminated door sills.

Some of the optional extras for sprucing up the interior stretch the boundaries of taste, such as a pack that replaces some of the buttons and gear stick with a jewel-like crystal glass finish that's quite bling. If you have deeper pockets you can upgrade the normal leather to an even more supple grain, but it's really expensive.

The X5 M60i comes in its own unique specification that includes 22-inch alloy wheels, M suspension and rear differential, and Harman Kardon Surround Sound Audio System.

We have nothing bad to say about the standard iDrive infotainment system in the BMW X5. Simply put, it's one of the best in any car on sale in terms of the features it offers combined with its general ease of use. 

Every model comes with a 12.3-inch screen for the main dash display that brilliantly sharp, bright and easy to read. This is augmented by a 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen that replaces the earlier 12.3-inch unit. Sure, a Tesla Model X may dazzle with its giant central touchscreen, but it's trickier to use certain critical functions on the move. 

The main display is tilted towards the driver, and peels off to the side from the instrument binnacle, where the second screen sits in the form of a set of digital dials. The latter is not as clearly laid out, or easy to take in with one glance as Audi's Virtual Cockpit, with the slim rev counter and speedo confined to the outer edges.

The latest version of BMW's software is lighting fast, never stuttering even when juggling complex tasks. The display is customisable and lets you choose and rearrange your most frequently used functions on-screen. It comes as standard with DAB radio, Bluetooth, wireless phone charging, and an excellent navigation system. 

Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay also feature, too. BMW was slow to offer the former at first, but has brought it out in its most recent models due to overwhelming customer feedback. 

You can control is any way you like, too. The large rotary controller next to the gear selector, with dedicated shortcut buttons for navigation and media are best to use while driving. You can also press, swipe and touch the screen, which is snappy and responsive, or use your voice if you don't want to leave greasy fingerprints.

You don't need to worry about it going out of date either. Just like a smartphone, all X5s get over-the-air map updates, live traffic and weather information, and even a concierge service. The subscription to this service is free for the first three years of ownership, but after that you'll have to cough up to keep your car connected.

At 4922mm long, 2004mm wide and 1745mm tall the BMW X5 is a seriously large car, and those ample external dimensions mean it feels really spacious inside. 

Those lucky enough to sit in the front will be able to stretch out to their heart's content, with a good distance between the seats, and very generous head- and legroom.

Things are great in the back too, with kneeroom that's not far off that of a plush executive saloon despite the option of an extra row of seats behind, and room for three adults to sit next to each other without too much discomfort. There is only a small hump in the footwell to put your feet either side of if you're in the middle, and the tall roofline means only basketball players will struggle.

The seats are very comfy on long journeys, but unlike in its rivals from Mercedes and Audi, they don't slide back and forth or recline, so if you don't like the seating position in the back you can't do much to change it. At least you can heat them optionally, while you can also spec an entertainment system with TV and the ability to set the navigation from the rear seats. 

There are ISOFIX points for child seats in the outer two positions, with flip-up plastic covers that hide them from view when not in use. With wide-opening rear doors, getting a bulky seat in should pose few problems.

Unlike the Volvo XC90 and Audi Q7 the BMW doesn't come with seven seats as standard. If you do choose to add them from the options list, you'll find they're quite small and cramped, and only suitable for small kids.

With all seven seats up you'll also struggle to fit more than a few shopping bags in the boot, unlike in the Q7.

As a five-seater however, boot space is excellent. Although its 650-litre capacity is a bit less than its closest competitors, it's a very smartly designed luggage area. For starters, there's no loading lip, and the flat sides make it very easy to stack suitcases on top of each other and make full use of the available space on offer.

It comes with helpful features too, including a split tailgate, which can double up as a bench seat when you're by the roadside, and opens electrically as standard. The rear seats drop at the touch of a button, and split in a 40/20/40 configuration, which means you can carry two adult passengers and luggage at the same time.

Things aren't quite as rosy in the plug-in hybrid 50e, since it's only available with five seats, and misses out on some valuable under floor storage in the boot - boot space is down to 500-litres. If practicality is a big concern, the X7 might be a better bet.

The X5 features some of BMW's strongest engines. Some of this car's rivals lower their starting prices by offering a four-cylinder model to kick-off the range, but every X5 comes equipped with six cylinders or more - more in-keeping with a large luxury model. 

The cheapest model also happens to be one of the best. Labelled xDrive 30d, it has 298PS and 670Nm, which used to be 286PS and 650Nm, so performance is plentiful. It sounds fruitier than most diesels, delivering strong, consistent pulling power right through the rev range. It has more than enough oomph to get the X5 moving, and is relatively economical.

That should really be enough performance to satisfy any buyer. Still, if you do a lot of towing or just want even more pace, the 40d uses the same size engine, but adds an extra turbo for satisfyingly fast overtaking ability. It's probably the most complete BMW X5 in the line-up with it fitted.

Frankly, the quad-turbo, 530PS M60i is an engineering marvel - and astonishingly rapid - but feels like overkill to us, both in terms of cost and power. 

If you're looking to avoid diesel altogether, BMW had got you covered previously with the xDrive 40i. It has a straight-six 3.0-litre petrol that's wonderfully smooth, even more refined than the diesel models, and sharper to respond, if a little on the thirsty side. 

There was also the V8-powered M50i. With 523hp it's a bit of a monster that can go from cruising along with that distant eight-cylinder burble, to charging forward with almost alarming pace for a big SUV and a rorty soundtrack. It's a great cruiser, too, but like the top diesel it feels like overkill in a car such as this. It also chews through a tank of fuel at an uncomfortable rate. 

The M50d came with 400PS and 720Nm of torque, allowing it to cover 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds while also claiming combined economy of 41.5mpg. Sounds like a case of eating your cake and keeping it at the same time.

We think the best petrol option is one that comes with a side order of battery assistance - the 45e initially and then its 50e replacement that arrived in early 2023. A plug-in hybrid with a powerful electric motor and impressive 54-mile EV range. Despite its weight, it feels just as quick as most other X5s, but will cost you a lot less to run, especially if you do a lot of shorter trips fully charged.

Every model comes with four-wheel drive to transfer their power effectively to the road, and BMW's superb eight-speed automatic transmission, which is incredibly smooth, and faster shifting than most of its rivals.

With so much bad press around diesels, many large SUVs try to mask the sound of their oil-burning engines to make them as anonymous as possible, fading into the back ground in a vain hope that no one will notice.

BMW has taken the opposite approach in the X5, and the straight-six in the 30d makes a surprisingly raucous and engaging noise if you push it. It's not unpleasant, a bit like distance rumbling thunder, but it's a surprising presence in the cabin of a luxury SUV.

It actually goes one step further in Sport mode, pumping fake exhaust sound into the interior using the X5's speakers. While some buyers will love how meaty this sounds, others are likely to prefer a quieter cruiser. The 40d diesel is broadly similar, while the M50d upped the synthesised note even further. 

The xDrive 40i petrol is super smooth and subdued when you're just bimbling around town, but when you want to have fun it perks up, growling in a more enjoyable and authentic way than its diesel sibling does.

The plug-in hybrid 45e, as a used buy, and 50e models take the petrol model's exceptional refinement one stage further. By pairing the petrol engine up with an electric motor, it's whisper quiet when you're driving on battery power alone. Even if the combustion engine kicks in, the transition from electric to petrol power is super-smooth and instantaneous.

The M50i and X5 M60i that replaced it use BMW's 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which in this application makes a thunderous noise at full chat and a pleasingly muted burble at a cruise. 

Regardless of the engine, all X5s do an excellent job suppressing wind noise on the motorway. While the air suspension never clonks or thuds like a conventional setup would, even on rougher surfaces. The standard eight-speed automatic transmission is also one of the smoothest, most decisive gearboxes fitted to any SUV.

Only one thing disturbs the sense of quiet. The sportiest models come with very large diameter alloy wheels, and some also feature run-flat tyres, both of which create more tyre roar then you'd want at higher speeds. They also allow more thumping into the cabin on bad road surfaces. 

As one of the flagships in BMW's extensive SUV line-up, the X5 benefits from all the brand's most advanced safety technology, with the comprehensive standard kit backed up by a broad range of optional systems.

It's no surprise that it received a full five-star rating in crash tests performed by Euro NCAP. It scored highly in all three protection categories, although the class-leading Volvo XC90 beats it for adult and child safety. It's a shame that there are only two Isofix mounting points for child seats in the X5's second row, and none at all in the optional third row, too. 

It comes with a full complement of airbags, including driver's knee and side impact protection, but the latter don't reach all the way to the (optional) third row of seats, as they do on the Audi Q7. All the essentials are here, but the X5 also comes with lane departure warning, speed limit assist and Front Collision Warning.

The last one is BMW-speak for autonomous emergency braking (AEB). This system uses a forward facing camera to detect pedestrians, cyclists and cars, warning the driver and hitting the brakes to prevent a shunt.

As standard the X5 also comes with an extensive set of parking aids. These include front and rear acoustic sensors, a high-definition rear view camera, automatic bay and parallel parking (the car will do it all for you), and a reversing assistant. This can memorise your steering inputs and play them backwards if you have to suddenly back up in a narrow street or multi-storey - you just put it in reverse and the car retraces your tracks. Evasion Assistant and Crossroads Warning are now also standard.

For maximum assistance, you can add the £2,295 Driving Assistant Professional Pack. It's an advanced set of active systems, including semi-autonomous driving aids like adaptive cruise.

The Driving Assistant Professional offered in the Technology Plus Pack also now includes active lane return, while the rear crossing traffic warning feature has been upgraded by the addition of braking and exit warning functions. If the Driving Assistant is specified, Lane Departure Warning now also reacts to oncoming traffic when there is a potential risk of collision.

On normal tyres, you get a foam repair kit under the boot floor, but you can spec run-flats that let you drive 50 miles with a puncture (at speeds of up to 53mph) so you can limp to the nearest Kwik-fit for new rubber.

BMW finished 12th out 29 in the manufacturer rankings in the 2023 HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, which is a solid result. It's ahead of Audi and Mercedes-Benz, but behind key rivals such Lexus, Porsche, and Land Rover.

Having said that, the sheer number of BMWs on the road mean it's more likely that problems will be reported more frequently. The BMW X5 shares most of its mechanical and electrical bits with the popular current generation 5 Series, which hasn't been particularly problematic according to reports. As long as the maintenance schedule has been rigidly stuck to, an X5 shouldn't prove any less reliable than most rivals. 

Insuring such a fast and expensive car is going to cost a lot more than an average car, but the BMW X5 sits in the same brackets as comparable rivals, the Audi Q7 and Mercedes GLE, starting in Group 43 for the 30d model.

A Volvo XC90, Land Rover Discovery or Lexus RX L will all be a little bit cheaper to get comprehensive cover for - especially next to the high-performance variants of the BMW. The plug-in hybrid 50e sits in Group 49, and X5 M60i and the earlier M50i are both (no surprises here) in the highest insurance band of 50.

Keeping your BMW X5 on the road will be an expensive business. Much like other luxury SUVs, no version of the X5 costs less than £40,000 when new, so it is liable to pay the higher 'premium' rate of VED until the car is six years old. That means it'll cost you between £1095 and £1650 a year, before reverting to a flat-rate fee, currently at £190.

Choose the M60i and it brings with it a first-year road tax bill for £2745 plus the extra £410 on top. Yikes...

You get a measly £10 discount if you buy the 45e or 50e hybrids, it counts as an alternatively fuelled vehicle.

If you're a company car driver then you'll be able to claw some of that money back by buying the 50e hybrid. Its long electric-only range and low CO2 emissions mean it attracts a BIK rate of just 8%.

The X5 is one of BMW's most luxurious cars, coming fully-loaded with all the kit you'd expect at this price. If you choose the 30d, 40i or PHEV 45e then you'll have a choice between two trim levels: xLine and M Sport.

Both are exceptionally generous, with the former giving you leather upholstery, electrically adjustable heated front seats, all-round parking sensors, LED headlights, 19-inch alloys, and BMW's iDrive infotainment system with Professional sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth with wireless charging pad, and a 12.3-inch central display.

We can't think of any reason why you'd need to upgrade to the M Sport other than the styling upgrades. It certainly looks meaner than the standard car, with 20-inch wheels, black exterior styling details, a sportier steering wheel, and beefier brakes.

The high-performance M50d, M50i and X5 M get their own bespoke specifications, with lots of mechanical upgrades includes sportier (non-air) suspension, a sports exhaust system, and clever M Sport differential. Inside, you also get an upgraded Harmon/Kardon Hi-Fi and illuminated door sills showing the engine badge.

Fittingly for such a premium model, there's a laundry list of pricey options. From cutting-edge tech such as a set of laser beam headlights that are ten times brighter than standard LEDs, to a Bowers & Wilkins studio grade sound system that will delight music lovers. The latter is over £5,000 though, so we'd choose wisely.

The most useful options are the £1650 third row of seats allowing you to occasionally carry seven people. If you plan to go off-roading then the suitably named xOffroad Pack has got you covered for £2800. It includes a locking differential, unique gearbox settings, off-road driving modes and extra underbody protection.