2024 BMW X5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Last redesigned in 2019, the BMW X5’s styling has aged well, though we’re not fans of the M Sport treatment. It makes the X5 look more like a station wagon wearing a black mask than an SUV. Our test vehicle had the optional 21-inch “741M” wheel design with staggered-width summer tires, and we think they’re well worth the upgrade if you don’t mind the eventual cost of replacing the rubber.

As noted above, the X5 is available with a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine (xDrive40i), a turbo-six PHEV powertrain (xDrive50e), a turbocharged V8 engine (M60i), and as a high-performance variant with an even more powerful turbo V8 (X5 M Competition). The six-cylinder and PHEV models offer a choice between M Sport and M Sport Pro trim packages, and buyers can upgrade features by adding equipment packages and standalone options.

Our test vehicle arrived in the U.S. equivalent of xDrive50e M Sport Pro specification. It wore Brooklyn Grey paint, had the optional 21-inch wheels, and every available equipment package. In addition to a light styling refresh to better align the X5 with BMW’s other models, the automaker adds its BMW Curved Display instrumentation and infotainment screen to the cabin for 2024. This modernizes the interior, as does a reduction in physical switchgear and BMW’s new transmission controls. But enough old-school BMW thinking remains to tie the X5 to the past, especially regarding the quality of the materials and their construction.

Other changes include new mild-hybrid six-cylinder and V8 engines, and a substantial upgrade to the X5 xDrive50e PHEV’s electric range and overall power output. It features a new, more powerful electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission and a more energy-dense lithium-ion battery pack, now with a capacity of 19.2 kilowatt-hours. BMW also doubled the battery’s maximum AC charging rate to 7.4 kilowatts.

According to BMW, the 2024 X5 xDrive50e supplies 63 kilometres of electric-only driving before the gasoline-fed turbocharged six-cylinder fires up after which it should get 10.6 L/100 km in combined driving. However, since the PHEV continually recuperates energy as you drive and then uses that energy to help propel the X5, it is likely to perform better than that when driving in hybrid mode.

The xDrive50e makes 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and BMW claims it can accelerate to 96 km/h in 4.6 seconds. That’s not even half a second slower than the X5 M60i with its turbo V8, which costs almost $18,000 more. (The PHEV costs just over $5,000 more than the base xDrive40i.)

The X5 with the plug-in hybrid system is our favourite version of this SUV. However, if you want to maximize electric driving, we recommend getting a Level 2 home charging station. When plugged into a standard household electrical outlet, our test vehicle was adding less than three kilometres of range with each hour of charging. It took 24 hours to fully recharge the SUV’s battery.

Nevertheless, you need not fully recharge the BMW X5 xDrive50e in order to reap its benefits. For example, we started a city drive with a family of four aboard and 42 kilometres of indicated electric range. We wound up traveling 43 kilometres solely on electricity, at an efficiency rate of 25.9 kWh per 100 km. Upon our return home, the X5 PHEV had averaged 7.0 L/100 km during our journey.

On evaluation day, we departed with a full battery and 68 kilometres of indicated range. We traveled 75 kilometres on electricity, on a route including city streets, winding country roads, straight and narrow farm roads, highway driving, and a curving coastal road. On this all-electric drive, the BMW delivered 23.0 kWh/100 km. However, it is important to note the route included an approximate 300-metre descent to sea level, undoubtedly adding to the electric-only range. The electric motor also produces only 194 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque, and you must drive with a light foot on the accelerator pedal to prevent the gasoline engine from switching on in electric mode.

Equipped with an adaptive damping air suspension, the PHEV successfully hides its considerable weight. Also, aside from added road noise, the huge 21-inch wheels and tires aren’t a liability when it comes to ride quality. Sure, you can feel the road, but this is a BMW, so that’s a natural characteristic. Outward visibility is excellent, and the quick steering makes the X5 a delight when parking or navigating narrow paths. Speed humps and bumps reveal a robust underlying architecture and the suspension’s ability to isolate occupants from the road surface. We also took the X5 xDrive50e M Sport for a rousing canyon run. In Sport mode, of course. It proved brilliant, delivering excellent acceleration, phenomenal grip, perfect steering effort and response, and expertly damped vertical and lateral body motions resulting in little of the head toss common with tall vehicles like this SUV. The brakes withstood repeated hard use, too, and while the pedal felt a little stiff in this type of driving, the fade-free performance more than made up for that.

Not only was the X5 PHEV great to drive hard and fast, but it also picked up nearly 10 kilometres of battery charge as we sliced canyons from the mountains down to the beach. Ultimately, during the evaluation drive, we traveled 154 kilometres and achieved an average fuel economy of 6.0 L/100 km. There is just one conclusion to draw from our drive: the xDrive50e is the X5 to get unless you can’t live without the X5 M.

In addition to its enjoyable driving character and impressive efficiency, the X5 xDrive50e works well as a midsize luxury SUV. There is room for five people in two rows of seats, and the 937-litre cargo area expands to 2,016 litres of cargo space when you fold down the 40/20/40-split back seat. However, the X5 uses a split liftgate design. So, while it provides a nice place to sit while enjoying the sunset, it also forces you to stretch to reach items deep in the cargo hold.

While our test vehicle had nearly all of the available options, genuine leather upholstery wasn’t among them. We didn’t miss it, though, because BMW’s Sensafin artificial leather is standard. You’d never guess it isn’t the real thing.

Sport seats are also standard, and with some packages you get exceptionally comfortable 20-way power-adjustable multi-contour front seats with heating and ventilation. (Massage is available as a separate upgrade.) Four-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel, heated armrests, and heated rear seats are also available.

Rear-seat passengers will be comfortable on supportive cushions, especially with the above upgrades. The available panoramic sunroof extends over the back seat, providing a great view out, and features a full shade when desired. In addition, side window sunshades help to keep the sun out of an infant’s eyes when using the X5 as family transport. In the past, BMW has offered an optional third-row seat in the X5, but that’s no longer the case. For that feature, you’ll need to step up to the BMW X7.

BMW’s configurable BMW Curved Display to the X5 marries a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel with a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system housed under a single curved piece of glass.

The infotainment system runs BMW Operating System 8.5 (iDrive 8.5). Highlights include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, connected services, and over-the-air software update capability. Embedded into the long list of connected services are a cloud-based navigation system and an Intelligent Personal Assistant that you can rouse by saying “Hey BMW.”

We had no trouble pairing an iPhone 15 to the BMW, and it’s easy to switch back and forth between Apple CarPlay and the native infotainment system environment. The interface is reasonably intuitive, and there are numerous apps available, including the ability to take Zoom calls, eliminating an excuse to skip meetings. The test vehicle also had the optional Harman Kardon sound system, which is terrific.

What’s not terrific is the Intelligent Personal Assistant. In the past, BMW, along with Mercedes-Benz, has led on this front, adding conversational voice recognition to perform a variety of tasks. But lately, things are literally getting lost in translation.

For example, within 15 kilometres of several large hospitals, the Intelligent Personal Assistant instead offered directions to two hospitals located much further away. The prompt was: “I need to go to a hospital.” Naturally, you would expect directions to the closest ones.

During our week with the X5, we had trouble finding a popular restaurant by using the eatery’s name combined with the name of the mall where it’s located. After requesting directions to home, the assistant suggested: “Please continue using manual controls.” While listening to SiriusXM, it could not find reggae music or respond to a request to tune to Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio, but when we told it to tune to Alt Nation, no problem.

This performance is disappointing. BMW’s voice recognition technology used to be industry-leading, but now, apparently, it isn’t, making the company’s decision to reduce physical controls in the X5’s cabin less wise.

However, there is good news on the technology front. The available head-up display does a great job of conveying data to the driver, including the current status of advanced driving assistance systems. An augmented video function for the navigation system also shows a forward-facing camera view in the middle of the digital display. Of course, the trick to using it is getting the Intelligent Personal Assistant to provide accurate directions to a destination, which might take some luck.

For 2024, BMW makes its Highway Assistant hands-free driving assistance system available in the X5. You must be deliberate about turning this function on within the safety features menu on the infotainment screen. You must also choose the Assisted Driving Plus cruise control mode using the steering wheel controls. You’ll know when the system is ready to take control through indicators on the digital instrumentation or the head-up display, and when you let go of the steering wheel, green indicator lights illuminate on the wheel’s spokes.

Like similar technologies from other automakers, Highway Assistant is best when used in dense, slow-moving traffic or at higher speeds in light traffic. Under these conditions, it works well and is remarkably effective when driving into the late afternoon sun, a situation that can flummox similar technologies.

However, in areas where traffic across multi-lane highways is typically moderate with plenty of motorists lane-shopping for the quickest path to their destination, Highway Assistant can behave in ways a human driver does not, causing some irritation and frustration. In addition, in heavy traffic, the technology suddenly and sharply engaged the brakes for a brief moment without any apparent cause.

When using the hands-on adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assistance on a curved road, the technology did a great job navigating the curves and keeping the SUV in the middle of the lane. However, on one of the bends in the road there was a truck parked on the shoulder. The X5 saw it as an obstacle and briefly engaged hard braking. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone traveling behind the BMW at the time.

Aside from the errant braking episodes we experienced, our favourite thing about the X5’s driver aids is that they operate in the background. You’re barely aware these features are on and working their magic because they operate in a subtle and sophisticated manner most of the time. In turn, that means you’re more likely to use the technology instead of turning it off. As for crash-test ratings, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2024 X5 high ratings, although lower headlight ratings prevented the BMW from earning an IIHS safety award for this model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the 2024 X5 an overall crash-test rating of four stars, one below the maximum five-star rating.

As great as the 2024 BMW X5 is, you’ll pay for the privilege of driving it. Pricing starts at around $86,000 for the base xDrive 40i with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive (AWD) system, not including a $2,480 destination charge or other fees. The 2024 BMW xDrive50e PHEV starts in Canada at $90,500 before fees. This starting price makes it too expensive to qualify for any EV purchase incentives.

What does make you feel better about spending more to seemingly get less are the X5’s traditional Germanic driving characteristics, its high-quality interior, and the sense that the people working in BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, assembly plant have screwed this SUV together with the utmost precision. Also, the xDrive50e offers enough electric-only driving range that you’ll save plenty of money at the pump.

Unlike some recent BMW models we’ve reviewed, the 2025 X5 still clearly traces the automaker’s past. We like it a lot, especially in the BMW X5 xDrive50e PHEV spec.

Note: Images show a US model.