I still remember when BMW unveiled its iDrive infotainment system. Instead of hard buttons for all functions, the new-for-2002 7-series buried many of them in layers of on-screen submenus only its designer could find intuitive, and the system was panned by everyone as a result.
The pleasant surprise in all this was that BMW didn't pull a Steve Jobs "you're holding it wrong", and actually listened to all the negative feedback. Later iterations of the system became the best in the business, making screened functions easy to find, while all the basics retained the hard buttons they used to have.
Fast forward to today: we have the system's eighth iteration fitted to almost all new BMW's, and it's 2002 all over again. Instead of further refining what worked, they went kamikaze and took out almost all of the remaining buttons, leaving us with a giant smartphone on the dash.
With things again being buried and hard to access, the system is quite literally a high-resolution user experience regression. It's as if they made the industry's best infotainment by fluke.
Two years before iDrive's debut, BMW made another – its first SUV. The SUV craze was ramping up, and no brand wanted to be left out of the action. Customers wanted the SUV version of their favorite car brand, and most brands obliged as quickly as they could.
BMW took somewhat more time to cast its sport-utility dice with the release of the X5, but it's a good thing they did. Many companies, most notably Mercedes, scarfed down their slice of the pie as quickly as possible – BMW was one of those that made sure their inaugural utility vehicle gave their customers everything they expected of their badge, as opposed to only their badge...
The BMW of SUV's was just that: it was lauded as an E39 5-series wagon on stilts, somehow retaining the handling that the Bavarian marque built its reputation on. And indeed, the X5 was the sportiest SUV out there, until Porsche joined the party four years later with the Cayenne.
Fast forward to today: we have the X5's fourth iteration in BMW showrooms, and it's 2000 all over again. They further refined what worked, with this current G05 generation being noted as a better driver's car (driver's SUV?) than the generation it replaced.
Throw this generously-sized utility vehicle into a corner, and its steel-sprung M-sport suspension will keep it surprisingly flat. Naturally, the trade-off for an SUV handling this well is a somewhat firmer ride, but it's still soft enough to be reasonably comfortable. It's the best you can get overall, this side of the air suspension on a Cayenne GTS.
The steering is direct, albeit too much on the light side and as numb as you'd expect an electric rack to be. These latter traits make me pine for the heavy, substantial hydraulic rack of that first X5...
But stab the throttle and you'll forget all about it: I don't know if this twin-scroll turbo inline-six has sweeter audio or power delivery. What little gaps it has in its torque curve are filled by the mild hybrid assist, which also makes stop-start completely seamless and longer: the car switches to electric power before it comes to a full stop, and stays on it during the first bit of motion when you get going again.
Mild hybrid or not, even the fuel efficiency is great. Competing SUV's that were downsized to four-cylinder engines can only dream of the X5's real-world fuel economy. This powertrain has no compromise.
The X5 overall is an extremely refined vehicle. Every single input is as smooth as its interior materials, the latter making the cabin a very pleasant, luxurious place to be. BMW upgraded their synthetic leather a year prior, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell it apart from the real thing (which you can still option). Seat comfort itself is top-notch, yet you have enough bolstering when you want a more dynamic drive.
Practicality is on the same high level, with two very roomy rows of seats, plus an equally-roomy cargo area that retains its split tailgate (once you live with one, there's no going back). While the Cayenne might be a bit sharper to drive, it lacks all the extra space and general utility you get in an X5.
2024 was 'the year of the facelift' for the current-gen X5. Exterior changes are fairly light, consisting of the usual bumper updates, as well as a change to how the front and rear turn signals function (i.e. pulse instead of flash).
The interior changes, however, are more drastic. The facelift brings that latest infotainment iteration, iDrive 8, and the dashboard is re-worked to accomodate the two massive screens that come with it.
Like I mentioned, all this 'screenage' comes at the expense of buttons. In no world is digging through a menu to find a function better than pressing one dedicated, tactile button. Further, the system's home screen is surprisingly devoid of shortcuts, despite living on so much digital real estate. Having more of them would certainly help remedy this issue.
At least the X5 retains the fantastic iDrive scroll wheel, but even that can't help you effectively navigate literal app icon trays. They're fine in a smartphone, not so much while driving.
One might say you get used to the giant screens. And during the day, I might agree. But as soon as the sun goes down, being in this car feels like you're watching a giant TV in a completely dark room:
The lighted X5 motif on the passenger's dashboard trim, along with the ambient lighting, are also a bit much.
Visuals aside, the system is actually very technically capable. Navigation is well-integrated, as are all the various parking cameras and assists. Your first thought might be self-parking, which it in fact can do: it can park itself in a parallel or perpendicular spot, the latter letting you choose to back or nose in. All you have to do is work the pedals, and the car handles the rest.
The system I had in mind, though, is Backup Assist. You tell it to remember up to the last 100 or so meters you drove: when you get back in the car, it'll automatically reverse itself along the exact path you took for those ~100 meters! It even shows you your own path on its parking cameras, as if it was drawn on the ground:
I'm actively looking for an excuse to buy one of these. You can indulge in its sound and power, getting great fuel economy while you do it. The cabin is genuinely a nice place to be, and it's as practical as you'd ever want. It's comfortable, while also being fun to drive in any reasonable scenario (though it can be a touch too soft sometimes). It's easily my top pick in the segment.
It is quite expensive, though (as all cars have become in the last couple years). If the heavy reliance on screens bothers you, you could do much worse than picking up a loaded, pre-facelift M50i for less than the sticker on this one. It's even cheaper if you stick to the B58 inline-six that this one has, which, honestly, I'd probably do.
This latest X5 is proof you don't need to downsize your engine to get better fuel economy. It's just too bad they downsized the buttons.
-Uroš M.
2024 BMW X5 xDrive40i M Sport
[five-door midsize SUV; all-wheel drive, front engine]
[five-door midsize SUV; all-wheel drive, front engine]
L6 24-valve, DOHC
Turbocharged
GASOLINE
[forward gears]
AUTOMATIC
w/ manual mode
48v
mild hybrid assist
10 hp, 88 lb-ft
0.4 kWh
lithium ion
[top speed] 251 km/h
[L / 100 km]
highway
8.7
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