The BMW X5 review: All grown up and ready to roll!

Having enlarged kidneys is something to worry about, but not if you’re the all-new BMW X5. With each successive generation of the X5, BMW’s trademark, double-kidney grille has grown bigger and on this latest fourth generation model, it looks strong and massive.

Size matters in the SUV world and as a result the new X5 has expanded in every dimension to attract an even wider breadth of customers.

When the original X5 was launched internationally in 1999, it was the first SUV to prioritise ‘sport’ over ‘utility’ in the fast evolving Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) market. It quickly earned a fiercely loyal customers base that loved its sporty character and since its debut, over two million X5s spanning three generations have been sold.

Born in the USA

It’s fitting that BMW has chosen Atlanta to showcase the new X5 to the media because it was here that the original X5 was launched 19 years ago. But more importantly, America is home to the X5 and the only country in the world where it is manufactured. Yes, this BMW is not made in Germany but in America, which also happens to be X5’s largest market. Not surprising then that the new X5 has been designed with Americans in mind.

America is an XL-sized country with big people having big wallets (big egos too) travelling big distances in big cars. China too is a country that likes big cars and is also a huge market for the X5. Moreover today’s SUV buyers like to be pampered and give top priority to comfort and convenience. You can see where this is going.

With the fourth generation X5, BMW has put luxury, comfort and practicality at the forefront but has that come at the cost of sportiness, the core attribute that defined the original X5?

Cabin fever

The good thing is that the design hasn’t strayed too far from the previous car. Muscular wheel arches, a tautly skinned body and some interesting details like the side body crease that rises above the rear wheels retain the X5’s athletic looks. The new LED/laser headlights look straight out of Star Wars and the chunky rear lamps too are quite striking. And to round off the suited and booted look, the X5 gets fat tyres on 21-inch wheels.

The big change, however, is in the cabin, which is plush and bang up to the minute with all the must-have features new-generation car buyers want. It starts with two massive 12.3-inch digital screens that effectively replace all the analogue dials.

The infotainment touchscreen is now far more intuitive to use and comes with sharper graphics and a faster response. Of the same size is the digital instrument cluster, which tucks away the speedometer and tachometer to the side to leave the centre display free for navigation maps and other important vehicle data.

Local hero

BMW purists however may prefer the sporty classic round dials from the previous model. The interiors are in fact, more luxurious than sporty. The leather quality and plastic trim is far better now and the seats too are far more cosseting and plush and thankfully are not as firm as in the previous car.

A fantastic bit of detail is the crystal glass finish on the gear lever and the big rotary dial beside it. They really do look like a work of art and these bits alone elevate the sense of occasion in the cabin dramatically.

For India the new X5 will come with a petrol and diesel engine and it’s the latter 30d variant that will be the mainstay of the range. It’s the same 3.0 litre diesel as before but feels far more refined in the new X5. Power is dished out in a smooth and progressive way, but you miss the sudden punch or spike the older motor delivered. Ride comfort too is brilliant and the X5’s air suspension soaks up bumps effortlessly.

No doubt the sharp edges of the previous car have been rounded off and the new X5 comes across as more mature and grown up than before. Yes, BMW’s sporty DNA is still there but it’s clear that it’s taken a back seat in favour of class leading comfort and refinement.

Hormazd Sorabjee is one of the most senior and much loved auto journalists in India, and is editor of Autocar India

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From HT Brunch, October 7, 2018

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