- 2015 BMW X5
- Interior / Exterior »
Inside, the design will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s been in other late-model BMWs. Only here the horizontal-shelf layout, with a cockpit-style instrument zone, is wrapped over (and just behind) by a separate layer that merges in with the rest of the dash at the door trim. For the first time, two interior themes can be ordered as an upgrade to the standard poplar wood trim and black leatherette upholstery: Ivory White Nappa leather matches up with oak or other wood trims, while the Mocha look gets Nappa leather in that color and black Nappa leather on the dash, with contrasting wood trim. Dakota leather upholstery is standard on the xDrive50i and available on the other models.
The X5 can be finagled with any of three trim lines. Luxury Line X5s have more bright metallic flourishes, while the xLine gets a blacked-out grille and under-mirror trim, with bright window sills. The M Sport adds a body kit, Shadowline trim, and high-gloss roof rails, as well as bigger wheels.
At its root, it’s more gracefully sculpted than its ancestors, in measurable amounts but not in any dramatic fashion. The influences of the latest X3 show up plainly in its sideview, just as those from BMW’s latest sedans appear in its front end. The combination of tapered roofline and somewhat lowered beltline give the X5 a bit more of a sport-wagon look than before–the proportions make more visual sense, though it’s not a huge transformation on the order of, say, the first- and second-generation Cayenne.
Down its sides, the X5′s sculpturing does what the stampings on a Mustang or an S-Class do, scouring some visual weight off its flanks without disturbing the natural order of all car styling–at least, of our modern vintage. The scoop-outs are functional, though, directing air around the wheels. The character line that pulls up from the front fenders toward the LED taillights injects some wedge into the shape, a welcome change from the first X5 and its insistence on regular form and outline.
It’s an attempt to blur the SUV reality further off the X5′s face, but the complex intersection of lines across its nose comes off as overwrought. The front kidney grille is “thrust forward,” as BMW puts it, while it’s supplemented with a smirk of a horizontal intake just below, and a larger intake down below. The X5′s headlights are set high up, and better-detailed than ever–and can be swapped out entirely for all-LED units.
- Performance »
Ride and handling
All X5s now have electric power steering throughout the model line, and choosing Eco Pro also lightens the effort and heft engineered into it. Like most systems of its kind, the X5′s electric power steering doesn’t offer much in the way of feedback, and dithers on-center no matter if it’s in Eco Pro or its Comfort setting. In Sport and Sport+, the steering has the meaty feel that’s become common to most BMWs: pause the wheel at a point midway through a corner, and there’s immediate buildup, a wall of return force to climb as you unwind it. With Active Steering, the ratio varies as speeds and cornering forces build: it can be an unwelcome variable in sports cars, but in sport-utes like the X5, it’s more useful, making size and overall length less of a liability when parking or driving in town.
The techno feel of the rack flows through to the X5′s strut and control-arm independent suspension, which in most cases and configurations, gets augmented by adaptive dampers and rear air springs. Dynamic Damper Control puts automatically adjusting shocks at the corners; they’re set to work in concert with the steering and throttle and transmission, through the same Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes. Adaptive shocks give the X5 a constant sense of stability; we weren’t offered a non-adaptive X5 to drive, but with its mass and performance capability, the adaptive setup’s likely to be the preferred one, as are the add-on self-leveling rear air springs that make it Dynamic Damper Control+. It makes the X5 a resolutely flat handler in corners, not entirely forgiving with its ride quality but only truly harsh with the biggest wheels in the most aggressively controlled modes.
Move a step closer to the inevitable X5 M, and BMW will fit the ute with active roll stabilization, which masks some of the body lean generated in deep corners via the adaptive dampers; with an Adaptive M suspension, which tightens up the suspension above and beyond base settings when in Sport and Sport+ modes; and with Dynamic Performance Control, which puts a finer degree of control over the all-wheel-drive system in the driver’s hand.
Not every X5 comes with all-wheel drive, but those with the xDrive system have a sophisticated system with a variable torque split front to back, not to mention interaction with traction, stability, and hill-descent control systems. If you’re truly using the X5 just as a commuting vehicle, you may never encounter any instance so exotic as to need the upgraded Dynamic Performance Control setup, but like other similar systems, it lets the X5 vary the torque split between the rear wheels, to let it turn in more crisply and change lanes more cleanly–which become more critical attributes as power output climbs and performance and price hit their zeniths.
If you’re truly planning to take the X5 off-road, xDrive will show how it apportions power on the big LCD screen atop the center console. We climbed some moderately challenging lumps on the trails surrounding Vancouver 2010′s ski jumps, and slogged through some mud without a misstep. It’s more in the Explorer/Touareg camp of light off-road capability than in the Range Rover Sport take-no-prisoners talent pool, but the X5 should have no problem making it to a remote-ish cabin in the woods.
Power
This year, the X5′s transmission as been improved–shaving as many as two seconds off each of the engines’ 0-60 times. The lineup starts with the base X5 and its familiar 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine. Offered either in sDrive35i rear-drive form or as the all-wheel-drive xDrive35i, it makes its peak torque from a low 1,200 rpm to 5,000 rpm. BMW promises 0-60 mph times of 6.1 seconds. We haven’t had a chance to drive this version of the X5 yet, but have sampled the brilliant powerplant in BMW’s sedans, and can’t imagine dissatisfaction with its strong acceleration–but we’ll describe it more thoroughly when we’ve driven one.
We’ve spent all our time in the 2015 X5 thus far in the diesel and V-8 models. The xDrive35d is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder diesel engine, producing 255 hp and 413 lb-ft. BMW promises 0-60 mph times of 6.7 seconds, and it’s believable. We spent a half-day driving the X5 from Vancouver to its extra-urban Olympic ski village, and got into an easy rhythm with the turbodiesel, accelerating quickly into holes in city traffic and settling into a relatively quiet cruise. It develops its peak torque before 3,000 rpm, giving it the swift responses of the gas six, for the most part–with a moderate amount of the usual diesel drivetrain noises.
Opt into the most expensive X5 xDrive50i–as we did for the return leg of our Canadian-based test drive–and you’ll strap on BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8, which spins off 445 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, at engine speeds as low as 2,000 rpm. Peak torque arrives swiftly, and the X5′s estimated at 4.7 seconds from 0-60 mph–but the perception of speed isn’t as much of a rush as the numbers spell out. In part, it’s because the standard all-wheel drive and adjustable suspension on the V-8 model manages the power delivery so well, and because the twin-turbo’s so muted by the X5′s sound-deadening materials.
All X5s are equipped with an eight-speed automatic with paddle shift controls, which accounts for smooth shifting and some of the fuel-economy gains made this year. The X5′s also lost between 170 and 230 pounds over the last generation, and the transmission is part of a suite of controls that are affected when the driver chooses Eco Pro mode on a console-mounted switch. Eco Pro mode slows down throttle response and triggers earlier upshifts into the eight-speed’s more economical gears, and it also lets the X5 coast under some conditions by decoupling the engine; it even chooses some navigation routes for the optimum fuel efficiency.
The X5 can seat up to seven, and for most of those passengers, it’s a warmer ambiance to soak up. Seat comfort isn’t perfect, though, with some flatness in the front buckets. The second-row seat in the X5 can now be split 40/20/40, for more flexibility, and they’re adjustable for rake. If you get the optional third-row seats, there’s separately a new Easy Entry function–but they’re still Oompa-Loompa small, making them occasional seats at best, cargo space more often, a line-item veto most of the time. The cargo hold can be opened from the keyfob or the driver’s seat: the lower piece drops like a truck tailgate, while the upper glass powers open like a minivan tailgate.
No crash-test data has been published, but the X5 should equal its prior safety ratings. Active-safety features are heavily represented on the long, long options list. New features include the Active Driving Assistant (Lane Departure Warning, and a pedestrian collision system with braking), plus ACC Stop & Go (full-range camera-radar cruise control), and a new Traffic Jam Assistant that maintains following distance and keeps the vehicle at the center of its lane by providing steering input. BMW Night Vision and a head-up display remain on offer, as well as a Parking Assistant, Surround View system, and Active Blind Spot Detection.
The X5 hasn’t dramatically changed its sheetmetal in this generation, but the cabin’s reworked handsomely. The new X5 is more gracefully sculpted than its ancestors, in measurable amounts but not in any dramatic fashion. There’s plenty of X3 down the sides, where the tapered roofline and lower beltline nudge it gently toward a more sport-wagon-like form. The proportions make more visual sense, though it’s not a huge transformation on the order of, say, the first- and second-generation Cayenne. In the cockpit, the monolithic bulge of BMW’s latest dash designs shows up in swell form, made distinctive this time with a choice of neutral and brown leathers over the standard black leatherette. It’s not so broad a palette until you reach into the more extreme colors on the option list. There’s even a reddish-brown.
The BMW X5 occupies that performance space typical of German SUVs like the Mercedes M-Class and VW Touareg and, yes we’re going there, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There’s diesel power available, insanely plush spin-offs with V-8 thrust, sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems that provide moderate amounts of off-road capability, and extravagant suspension systems meant to muddle the crossover roots enough to make it more than palatable on-road. The familiar 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, in-line six-cylinder engine is the base engine, good for 0-60 mph times of about 6.2 seconds. We’ve yet to drive it, but have spent half days in the spiffy new xDrive35d turbodiesel and the V-8-powered xDrive50i. If 0-60 mph times rule, the V-8′s 4.9 seconds bests the diesel’s 6.9 seconds–but in our estimation, the diesel’s fuel economy and torque in-town feel more than makes up for the two seconds of slack.
All X5s now have electric power steering with adjustable effort and an Eco Pro mode that also affects the eight-speed automatic’s shifts and throttle progression, even adaptive damper settings when they’re onboard. The X5 feels most BMW-like only when Sport and Sport+ modes are engaged: there’s a heft to the steering, a resolute resistance to body roll that only gets more defiant if it’s outfitted with M Adaptive controls and a set of rear air springs. It’s all but ready to transform into an X5 M, once all the electronics are plugged in–a reality that echoes how the X5 can feel from behind the wheel, what with the lack of steering feedback and the artificial counterdamping applied by the available active-roll stabilization system.
The BMW X5 carries a base price of nearly $54,000, in line with other European-badged luxury SUVs. At the price, it’s still without a few features we think should be standard–and are standard on some mass-market utes. A rearview camera is a $400 option; any color other than flat white or flat black brings a $550 upcharge; and leather upholstery costs $1,400 at minimum. Navigation is standard equipment on most versions; it comes with the iDrive controller with its new touch-write surface, and BMW Apps, a connectivity suite that runs via an iPhone app. (Android users: give it a few months.) If you want all-wheel drive, you’ll need to step up into the X5 xDrive35i, which is priced from just over $56,000. In the $70,000 and up range, the X5 V-8 can be trimmed out with Dakota leather, Bang & Olufsen audio, a rear-seat entertainment system, and more. Our pick? Probably the winning turbodiesel five-seat model, lightly equipped with surround-view cameras and navigation, for the best long-term value of the lineup.
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