BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport Review: When an apparent evolution really signals a revolution.

By Martin Pretorius

 

When the BMW X5 first arrived two decades ago, BMW fans were aghast at the idea of their favourite brand making an SUV. This blow was however mitigated by the fact that the X5 was clearly designed with an on-road bias – it looked like an SUV, but it drove like a BMW. The marketing boffins in Germany even coined a new abbreviation, calling it a “Sports Activity Vehicle” in an effort to distance the X5 from the more agricultural off-roaders of its era.

This became the X5’s recipe for success, and it was successfully copied for the next two generations as well. But then the latest (and current) X5 arrived, and BMW decided to throw some other tricks at it as well. Among those tricks were an optional off-road package, which are supposed to add a layer of bundu-bashing proficiency to the X5’s other attributes. This poses the question: Is the X5 still as good as ever on-road, or has the off-road package diminished any of the dynamic excellence and comfort for which the X5 has become known?

 

Styling

Even though the latest X5 is a completely new car, it still takes most of its styling cues from its predecessors. It doesn’t really evoke much of the “5 Series on stilts” imagery of the older ones, mind you, and rather prefers to plot its own course. However, it might be difficult to tell the last 3 generations apart for anyone except a car buff – that’s how evolutionary the styling really is.

Up front, there’s a more pronounced variation on BMW’s “kidney grille” theme (although thankfully without the excessive size found on the larger X7), bracketed by slim-but-wide light clusters. Underneath all this is a bumper full of scoops, bulges and intakes, just as you’d find on any other modern BMW, and if you look closely, you’ll notice a whole plethora of cameras and sensors hidden away in dark corners.

Moving down the sides, there are more-pronounced character lines and fender flares, to give an increased impression of solidity, with notably blockier styling than its smoother-surfaced predecessor. In profile, the new X5’s appearance is very similar to the ones which came before, but it does look more business-like and rather more macho now.

Perhaps the least unique element of the latest X5’s styling is the rear view, where the tail lamps have grown slimmer but wider. Intricately detailed and perfectly integrated into the rear end’s lines, it nonetheless looks somewhat like a current Kia Sorento when seen from behind. Handsome and cleanly styled, the rear view is somehow slightly generic. 

This actually applies to the X5 as a whole: it looks neat, but appears to be an evolution of the traditional X5 appearance instead of something radical or revolutionary. Until you notice the chunky General Grabber all-terrain tyres, that is...

 

The Drive

This is where things really get interesting. At first acquaintance, the X5 drives exactly as you’d expect: solid and stable in a straight line, and with surprising (for a car of this type) athleticism to its chassis- and steering responses. Substantial suspension fine-tuning has however rid the chassis of most of the previous model’s slight floaty feeling at speed, without introducing any measure of harshness in the process.

Push the start button, click adjacent gear selector into D, and drive away. Yes, you could select Sport- or Eco Pro modes from the drive mode selector, but just leaving it in its default Comfort setting or selecting Adaptive mode gives a very good blend of a smooth ride quality and well-damped shock absorbers. Part of the credit for this has to go towards the two-axle adaptive air suspension, which seamlessly adapts to whatever the road surface can throw at it. As a bonus, the air suspension can also raise or lower the car's ride height, giving extra ground clearance to justify that off-road package, or provide easier cabin access, respectively.

In most driving conditions, those all-terrain but off-road-biased tyres (which come with the off-road package) only make their presence known under two conditions: they create a slight tyre roar at freeway speeds, and they give up their grip earlier on a twisty road. It must be noted that these two effects are only noticeable if you really look for them – for the rest, this X5 handled with sure-footed composure and uncompromised comfort. We didn't take it very far off-road, however, as those low-profile tyres and expensive-looking styling bits on the outside may have been at risk...

 

Performance

xDrive30d trim represents the lowest rung on the X5 performance ladder, but that doesn’t automatically make it a slouch. Courtesy of the single-turbo 3.0-litre diesel setup, there’s a stout 195 kW and 620 Nm on tap, deployed for maximum effect by the customarily excellent ZF 8-speed torque-convertor automatic gearbox and full-time all-wheel drive with dynamic torque distribution.

As a result of all this optimisation, even this “slowest” X5 was rather brisk, with the 0 – 100 km/h dash dealt with in only 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h. It felt lively on the road as well, with sharp throttle response and a gearbox which seamlessly kept the engine working at its best. 

Most importantly, that mountain of torque delivered an instant swell of acceleration to make overtaking conditions completely stress-free. Pressing the accelerator simply made it go faster immediately – and it even sounded good inside the cabin, undoubtedly thanks to some augmentation through the infotainment system as well.

 

Space and Comfort

The whole point of an SUV is that it’s supposed to be practical in all-round use, and on this point, this X5 certainly delivered. Firstly, its substantial dimensions guaranteed a very spacious cabin and a very large luggage bay (measuring 650 litres with all seats in use). Just as importantly, the seats were really comfortable all round, and noise levels were extremely well-contained. As long as the driver didn’t go too deep on the accelerator pedal, there was almost no sound intrusion at all...

The suspension tuning further added to the stellar comfort levels in the test car, with very good bump absorption, yet offering well-controlled body motions in enthusiastic driving. Plenty of gadgets in the cabin also helped make for very comfortable progress, with heated and cooled massaging front seats (optional) providing genuinely excellent seating comfort. 

Standard equipment is already quite comprehensive, and includes adaptive LED headlights, keyless entry and push-button start, 4-zone climate control, the latest BMW iDrive control- and infotainment system, and electric adjustment for the front seats and steering wheel. Optional extras fitted to our test car included an opening panoramic roof, those lovely seats, an electrically folding tow bar, audio system upgrade, and an upgrade from LED headlights to phenomenal laser lights. Semi-autonomous driving was made possible by the (optional) lane-keeping assistant and adaptive cruise control, and the optional head-up display was easy to see and understand.

 

Safety

With a 5-star Euro-NCAP crash safety rating, the new X5 is set to protect its occupants well in a crash, especially considering that the cabin is lined with 6 airbags across the range. Stability- and traction control and ABS are obviously included as well, as is automatic emergency braking, hill holder, and trailer sway control. Out back, child safety is made easy by the ISOFIX child seat anchors.

Optional safety equipment on the test car also included blind-spot monitoring, with the driver assistance systems (including a surround-view camera system and parking sensors all round) making it even harder to experience a mishap on the road or in a parking garage.

 

Fuel Consumption

A measured average fuel consumption figure of 8.6 litres/100 km is highly commendable for a vehicle of this size and weight, especially considering that no particular effort was made to save fuel during a week of mixed-cycle driving. 

Open-road cruising could easily see that figure drop below the 8.0 litre/100 km mark as well, which was highly impressive indeed. For the record, BMW claims an official average figure of 7.0 litres/100 km, but it’s unlikely that many drivers will ever see that low a number.

 

Price

This is a premium product, and its pricing reflects this very eloquently. Our test car started at R 1 253 196 before options, but once loaded with all the options fitted to our test car, that figure crept well past the R1.5-million mark. However, even at that price, the xDrive30d’s abilities and level of sophistication marks it as somewhat of a bargain. 

Let’s investigate that last statement quickly: this X5 costs a lot of money, but it’s not actually expensive for everything you’d get at its price, considering the test car’s equipment levels and abilities. This car has everything from an M Sport styling kit, to off-road tyres, to a head-up display, to an amazing a Harman/Kardon audio system, to a full suite of driver assistance packages, to those amazing laser lights: taken as a whole, that serious price tag isn’t really too steep for a car with this amazing blend of attributes and features.

 

The Verdict

Would this X5 be as appealing without its very comprehensive kit list? Possibly not, although it’s a very impressive car in its own right. But taking the basic X5’s strengths, and then bolstering them with judicious add-ons transforms it from being “good but not really exceptional or unique” into a stunning example of “it probably doesn’t get better than this”. That is high praise indeed in this segment. One thing is certain: any upcoming competitors had better be incredibly good just to match this particular X5’s excellence, let alone better it. But for the moment, this is probably the best all-rounder in its class.

 

 

Expert rating:

4.5/5