2018 BMW X5 Road Test and Review

2018 BMW X5 hero ・ Photo by BMW

Last year, BMW sold 305,685 cars and SUVs in the U.S., which made it the country's third best-selling luxury automotive brand behind Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. And sales of the BMW X5, the brand’s flagship SUV, continued to surge with a 10 percent increase over the year before. 

With its upscale interior and engaging driving experience, the 2018 X5 is sure to continue that success. Built in South Carolina, BMW’s largest and most family-friendly SUV offers seven-passenger seating, all-wheel drive and several powertrains, including a turbocharged V8 and a fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid. Now in its third generation, the stylish X5 remains a stand out in the mid-size luxury SUV class, where it successfully competes with the Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Lexus RX, Range Rover Sport, Acura MDX and Volvo XC90.

Turbos, Diesel or Hybrid

BMW offers the 2018 X5 in four trim levels. Each gets its own engine, but all models come with a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. The least expensive is the rear-wheel drive X5 sDrive35i, with a 300-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine — the same engine used in the 340i sedan. Prices start at $58,195 including a $995 destination fee. BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system increases the price to $60,495.

The X5 xDrive35d is the only diesel-powered SUV in this class. It’s powered by a 255-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine and costs $61,995. BMW also offers the $64,195 X5 xDrive40e iPerformance, like our test vehicle. This plug-in hybrid combines a 240-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor and battery pack for a total of 308 hp. For $75,045 there’s the V8-powered 445 hp X5 xDrive50i, which goes from 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds. That’s almost two full seconds quicker than the six-cylinder models.

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Enthusiasts Want the X5 M

Known for cars like the M3 and M5 sedan, BMW’s M division is the brand’s in-house tuner or hot-rod shop. BMW’s M models, like the X5 M, are standalone high-performance models tuned on the world’s racetracks including Germany’s legendary Nurburgring. The 2018 X5 M is one of the quickest and most powerful suvs in the world. Under the hood is a souped-up version of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine used in the xDrive50i. In the X5 M, the engine makes 567 hp.

With its more aggressive suspension tuning, 21-inch wheels and tires, and flared bodywork, the X5 M competes with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Mercedes GLE63 AMG. Its 0-60 mph performance of just 4.1 seconds gives it a slight edge over the Benz, but the Porsche is quicker. However, at $102,695 the X5 M is about $17,000 less than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and about $60,000 less than a Cayenne Turbo S.

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Family-Friendly Interior

For an additional $1,700, the X5 sDrive35i, xDrive35i and xDrive50i models are available with a small third row, which increases seating capacity from five to seven. That third row is best for kids, and it’s not offered on the diesel or hybrid models. Unlike the Audi Q7 and some other competitors, the X5 does not offer second-row captain’s chairs. Cabin storage is plentiful and well thought-out. The center console bin is big, the large door pockets have slots for water bottles and there’s a small felt-lined bin to the left of the steering wheel for change. There are also two big front cupholders, but tall drinks can block the climate controls. Parents will appreciate the BMW’s easy-to-reach LATCH connectors in the outboard seats and an easily accessed upper tether anchors on the seatbacks.

The X5 was rated five out of five stars by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It also scored well in crash testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety but it did not receive a Top Safety Pick designation like some of its competitors.

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Luxurious Appointments

BMW builds beautiful interiors, and the 2018 X5's cabin is assembled to a very high standard. All the knobs and switches function with precision, and the engine start button and turn signal stalk have a satisfying heft to their action. The optional heated leather-wrapped steering wheel is thick and substantial, the heated driver’s seat is a nice place to be on cold winter morning, and visibility is outstanding. The white-on-black gauges are beautiful in their simplicity and glow a cool red at night.

My daughters and their volleyball teammates appreciated our test vehicle’s roomy second row, which reclined and featured rear air conditioning vents and a heated bench. Bluetooth and navigation with voice recognition are standard on every X5, as is a large 10.2-inch touchscreen. The latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is one of the best in the class and now features available onboard Wi-Fi.

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Big Cargo Space

The X5 offers 35.8 cubic feet of space behind its second row, which is split 40/20/40. That’s plenty for my 65-pound Flatcoat Retriever to ride to Grandma’s house in comfort. He didn’t complain once.

Behind the optional third-row seat there’s just enough room for a few grocery bags, but the bench is split 50/50 and easily folds flat. With both rows folded out of the way, there’s 76.7 cubic feet. That’s more than some competitors, but the Acura MDX, Volvo XC90 and others offer more space. Still, we’re big fans of the X5’s clamshell tailgate, with one section opening up and the other down. Plus, it can be opened and closed using a button on the driver’s door.

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Advanced Safety Systems

BMW offers a long list of high-tech safety systems on the 2018 X5, but unfortunately most are extra cost options — which is surprising considering our test vehicle cost over $70,000. BMW offers blind-spot monitoring, a lane-departure warning and a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. That system warns you if vehicles and pedestrians are in your path and will brake automatically if it senses an imminent collision. 

Also available is active cruise control, which will keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead and can be used in stop-and-go traffic. This is most autonomy BMW offers on this model. We also recommend the optional side- and top-view cameras that provide a detailed overhead view of the vehicle and its surroundings. However, we’d skip the head-up display that projects the SUV's speed and other information on the windshield ahead of the driver.

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Smooth Powertrain

With 308 horsepower, our all-wheel drive xDrive40e iPerformance hybrid test vehicle is powerful enough for most drivers. Throttle response is quick, and there’s plenty of thrust off the line and good passing power on the highway. BMW says 0-60 mph takes just 6.5 seconds. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is smooth and revs out to 7,000 rpm if you floor the throttle. The electric motor adds power continuously and the system shuts off the gas engine when it isn’t needed. The entire operation works seamlessly and usually goes unnoticed by the driver or passengers. There’s also a Sport mode, which retunes the transmission for quicker responses and keeps the gas engine lit for more performance.

You’ll appreciate the X5's athletic handling and its quiet interior, but its ride is busy on the highway and its steering is dead on center. It is nicely weighted and the steering ratio is perfect, however. I also appreciated the tight turning circle, which makes it easy to park and maneuver in the city.

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Average Fuel Economy for Its Class

The X5’s fuel economy is about average for this class. The xDrive40e hybrid model is rating of 56mpge if you plug it in for an all-electric charge, or a combined city and highway rating of 24 mpg after your electric range is depleted. I averaged 25.4 mpg during a week of mixed driving around Los Angeles and was often able to drive the SUV up to 17 miles using electric power alone (beating the EPA's 13-mile estimate). That's not bad, but the Lexus RX hybrid is rated for 31 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, and the diesel X5 is rated for 23 mpg city and 29 mpg highway; however, they don't offer plug-in capability for gas-free short trips.

The gas-powered sDrive35i is rated for 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, but the highway number drops to 24 mpg with the optional all-wheel drive. The V8 xDrive50i is rated for 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, while the high-performance X5 M is rated 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway.

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Final Thoughts

Next year BMW will introduce a larger three-row SUV called the X7. It will rival the Mercedes GLS, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator in the full-size SUV luxury class. Still, the mid-size luxury suv segment is where the volume is — and the comfortable, stylish and family-friendly X5 remains one of our favorites in this extremely competitive class.

We continue to desire the big horsepower numbers of the V8 models, but the 300-hp turbocharged six-cylinder engine will satisfy most buyers most of the time, and we’re impressed by the performance and fuel mileage of the plug-in hybrid model. Still, the X5 diesel may make the most sense. It gets better mileage than the hybrid and only costs $1,500 more than the all-wheel drive six-cylinder gas-powered model.

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