The fourth-generation BMW X5 has been unveiled, its makers claiming that it will set the standard against upmarket rivals such as the Jaguar F-Pace and Audi Q7.
The car – which BMW continues to call a Sports Activity Vehicle rather than an SUV – goes on UK sale this month at prices starting from £56,710. First deliveries are expected later in the year.
Changes to the X5 include a new styling treatment, completely redesigned interior and the latest technology, which extends to the highest level of autonomous capability yet seen on one of BMW’s X range.
The car also promises major improvements in comfort and refinement, due primarily to being built on a new platform closely related to that used on the latest 5 Series and 7 Series ranges. Its wheelbase is 4cm longer than the outgoing X5, and the vehicles as a whole is larger – just shy of 4cm longer, 7cm wider and 2cm higher.
New X5 variants will be offered with a choice of two diesel engines and a single petrol unit, all of three litres. Range-topper is the M50d, powered by a six-cylinder diesel with four turbochargers and producing 400hp along with 760Nm of torque and accelerating from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds.
The diesel in the xDrive 30d produces 265hp and 620Nm of torque, returning a 6.5-second 0-62mph time, while the petrol engine in the xDrive40i offers 340hp and 450Nm, with a 0-62mph time of 5.5 seconds.
All engines will be combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission and the latest version of BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system. On the road it biases towards the rear axle, but can split drive between the front and rear according to conditions and the surface.
The chassis has also seen major changes. options available now include an off-road package which has air suspension all round – previously it was on the rear axle only. Four-wheel steering can also now be specified.
Built in Spartanburg, South Carolina in the USA, the X5 has been a major success for BMW since the first version launched in 1999. Since then more than 2.2 million have been sold.
