The Drive Report: BMW X5

With the Bavarian carmaker knocking it out of the park with most of its X-badged SUVs of late, it wasn’t a surprise that the X5 – the brand’s long-running flagship SUV – would be a solid product.

“This oil burner has no business being this smooth” – that’s the first thought that crawls through my head after putting a few miles under the new BMW X5. Sure, BMW has a history of churning out ultra-refined straight-six motors, but the new X5 appears to be the zenith of diesel-powered smoothness.

That’s giving a lot away in the first paragraph, but it’s just how palpably and unfathomably buttery smooth this 3.0-litre straight-six on the new X5 feels. It leaves no room for ambiguity.

The BMW X5 has returned. With the Bavarian carmaker knocking it out of the park with most of its X-badged SUVs of late, it wasn’t a surprise that the X5 – the brand’s long-running flagship SUV – would be a solid product.

It is, however, more expensive, and therefore, a bit further out of reach for most. So, are the upgrades significant enough to justify the price hike?

Design

Big, bold and quite recognisably an X5, the new model, believe it or not, demonstrates some restraint on BMW’s part when it comes to design. It’s no shrinking violet, mind you, but it’s still a handsome SUV.

It’s a bit more butch and muscular than the X3, although it’s evident by the design that the two are genealogically similar. The signature circular LED pattern has now been replaced by a “C” shaped pattern, and the front bumpers now feature vertical slats, giving the front fascia the appearance of an angry viper. To be fair, no other type of vipers seem to exist.

Still, the sharper-looking front and slightly curved D-pillar design add much distinction to this most gentrified of soft-roaders. The Y-shaped tail lamps are a clear throwback to long-retired iterations of the X5.

It’s not as busy as the design up-front and is arguably one of the best visual attributes of the X5. The other great element of design comes in the form of massive 21-inch wheels (available in M Sport trim only) wrapped in delicious, tarmac-hugging 315-section rubber.

On paper that’s a recipe for a bumpy journey, but the new X5 has a way of surprising you. More on that later.

The biggest and most noticeable difference is that the headlamp shape is sleeker, and there’s less chrome on the front bumper, making for a cleaner, more aggressive design.

Interiors

BMW’s been striking a terrific balance between modernist and futurist with its new-age cockpits. You can tell that the cockpit is a product of careful study where the screens don’t overwhelm, the materials don’t dazzle and yet the overall effect is unmistakably luxurious.

Those familiar with the iX will find a lot that’s common here. The slick dual-screen curved display set-up divides real estate between a 14.9-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch gauge cluster.

This isn’t the neon-bathed affair that some of its rivals are going for. Instead, there’s an almost Scandinavian air to the material and textures used on the dashboard.

The aesthetic benefits of minimalism aside, the scarcity of actual buttons is most annoying. With the defogger not working optimally, I found myself browsing the climate menu often while on the go and actual tactile buttons were sorely missed.

Thankfully, Euro NCAP’s latest revisions to its 5-star rating assessment means that we could see buttons returning to luxury offerings in a big way since jabbing at a touchscreen while driving your car is nobody’s idea of a good and more importantly, safe, driving experience. In BMW marketing lingo, it’s really taken the “joy” out of the multimedia experience.

The gear lever has been replaced by a small crystal switch. It’s easy on the eye and works with the minimalist aesthetic that BMW is going for, but nothing can really match the tactility of a well-contoured gear lever.

The standard suite of safety features is supplemented by automated emergency braking, which is, thankfully, not as intrusive and reactive as some of its competitors. Soft-closed doors, adaptive LED headlamps and a panoramic sunroof round up the fairly extensive list of features on the X5.

Diesel dynamo

Diesel is a needlessly demonised fuel and it’s no more lamentable than in the case of the X5 whose XDrive30d straight-six diesel is just about the smoothest oil burner I’ve come across in recent memory. The quietness, the press-and-go nature of its acceleration – this is the zenith of diesel-powered mobility.

It’s baffling how BMW has taken a once grimy, unrefined, slow-burning fuel and used it to create buttery-smooth combustion. Too bad it’s got to go.

In terms of driving dynamics, there isn’t much that the X5 does wrong. It feels exceptionally light, despite being much larger in profile than the images would lead you to believe.

For an SUV that rides on massive 21-inch wheels, I expected a bone-crunching ride, but was surprised to see how supple the X5 feels. This is also largely down to the air suspension that the range-topping M Sport variant comes with, which allows this sub-two-tonne behemoth to absolutely waft over any surface, nullifying 80 percent of the undulating effects of any uneven surface.

Even the seating up-front now comes with a lot more cushioning, making the X5 an even more compelling grand tourer than before. Having a massive 80-litre fuel tank also helps.

Power levels offered by the 3.0-litre straight-six are a cool 286hp, while torque is a sports car-rivalling 650Nm. Which means there’s ample torque at both the low and mid-range of the power band.

In fact, there’s less lag here than in several turbo-petrol powertrains, with the X5 working its way up the cogs with a responsive 8-speed automatic.

VERDICT

The BMW X5’s quiet and refined mannerisms stand in direct contrast to its ferocious powertrain. Its composure belies a consummate performer.

Any more power would make it profligate and silly. With the top-end version, at ex-showroom level, costing a cool Rs 1.06 crore (starting at Rs 96 lakh), the X5 certainly isn’t conservatively priced, but, with the exception of three-row seating, the X5 does offer you a lot of SUV for that money.

Its powertrain performs flawlessly, it delivers on thrills, is unfailingly comfortable and tastefully specced. As far as diesel-powered, driver-oriented luxury SUVs go, the X5 is about as good as it gets.