BMW X5 Review: As Good As It Gets

BMW X5 has been my favourite BMW SUV since as long as I can remember. Not just because it is a cool car, it definitely is. But because every SUV that BMW has ever made, has, in some way or the other, a little bit of the BMW X5 in it. Ever since I could remember, the X5 has been that one SUV that I’ve always had a soft spot for, mainly for what it resembles. The first SUV from BMW in 1999 that wasn’t only meant to be driven off-road. The X5 was a legend, it gave brands like Audi and Mercedes to push for their own Q7s and MLs in order to compete in the SUV space. And from reading about it in magazines, to watching videos about the most legendary SUV from BMW, last month BMW sent me the latest model of the BMW X5 to review. We sure have come a long way.

So what is the new BMW X5 about? Is it a good off-roader? Is it a performance SUV? Is it a luxury SUV? Yes. The BMW X5 is everything you want it to be, when you want it to be. All of that and the car looks as subtle and proportionate as ever. 

BMW X5 Review: Design and Styling

The design of the BMW X5, like I just mentioned, is subtle to say the least. It doesn’t have the aggressive modern SUV styling. Instead, it has beautiful curves and lines that give it a timeless shape and form. Not much has changed in the overall shape and details of the X5 as compared to the last generation. To think of it, the X5 hasn’t gone through too much of a drastic change since the inception of the first generation in 1999. The current generation, however, looks pretty nice! While I still think the 2018 update has so far been the best-looking X5 design of all time, this isn’t too far from it. The front of the car is slightly understated, but if you look closely enough, it has some aggressive details. I like how the kidney-shaped grille is not drastically large or small here and that the headlights are slightly sleeker than the previous generation. The front bumper brings quite a lot of details to the front fascia. It has an aggressive styling and gives the X5 some much needed heft in the front end.

The best part about the X5 design, however, has always been and still is the rear third of the car. This is what puts the car’s actual bulk and proportions into perspective. This is where the BMW X5 makes the statement like a 1 crore-plus SUV should. It just looks proportionate. Nothing is too wide or too tall or too narrow. Just perfect proportions. What adds to the rear’s statement are the fat rear tyres on the X5. The BMW X5 comes with 315/35 R21 sized tyres on the rear, meaning that it is a massive tyre, but with a slim profile. Looks very good!

So yes, there isn’t much to talk about the design, apart from saying that this is a subtle, proportionate, and no-non sense design approach from BMW – don’t fix what isn’t broken. It still has a little bit of the first-gen X5 and it doesn’t go too radical with anything in terms of the exterior design. I am not ready for the next Neue Klasse design language. Not for the X5. 

BMW X5 Review: Interior and Comfort

Coming to features and comfort, this is a premium 1.2 crore SUV so you get pretty much everything you can imagine. The cabin leaves no stone unturned in terms of comfort and space, and even the quality of materials, the fit and finish – everything is as you’d expect. Sure, there are a few minor things that I felt could have been better but that’s just slight nitpicking as compared to everything on offer. First, I will talk about the quality of materials and the fit and finish. Throughout the cabin, we get some of the best quality of materials. The leather on the seats and the center console is optimal quality. We got the tan interiors in the review car. Tan interiors, in my opinion, are the best for those who want a luxurious look and feel without the hassle of dirty interiors that often people with white or light colour interiors struggle with. 

Apart from the leather, the trims on the doors or the top of the dashboard are also soft-touch. They look rugged and will last very long, but are soft to the touch, almost like rubber with a fabric texture. Very nice. The interior also uses these metal and crystal details. For example, the start/ stop button, the gear selector, and the dial for navigation are all made of crystal and add to the whole premium look and feel of the interior.

The center console also uses some very nice piano finish panels that are detailed with aluminium – looks premium. We also have a glossy strip running across the dashboard just below the infotainment display which holds the ambient lighting accents along with an “X5” badging. This is a part of the cabin’s ambient light and is also finished with an aluminium strip below it – not the prettiest detail of the interior but doesn’t look out of place.

And finally, the metal details everywhere just put everything together really well when it comes to the whole look and feel of the interior. I especially love the little metal vent knobs that turn in order to control the airflow – looks very nice. The aluminium trims everywhere, and the fit/ finish of them is really good and feels very sturdy. It will last for a very long time.

BMW X5 Review: Features and Tech

In terms of features and tech, there is so much in these luxury cars that I dread missing out on a few things, but I’ll try to cover everything here. The BMW X5 comes with everything you could ask for, and some more. To start with, we’re getting a curved panoramic dual-display dashboard which holds a 14.9-inch infotainment display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Both the displays are excellent quality and offer all the information a driver would need. Further, we’re getting gesture controls with the infotainment display, which allows users to control the infotainment display without touching it with gestures.

The BMW X5 also comes with 16 to 20-way electronically adjustable seats with memory function for both the driver and front passenger. The seats are massive and hold the occupants well in place without compromising on the comfort at all. The seats, however, don’t come with a massager, which is a bit of a miss in this budget. Taking that nitpick away, I love how the seats feel. Now, I am a rather tiny person but I had no issues with the sheer heft of the seats. Yes, I may have looked a bit too tiny in them, but what matters is how the seats made me feel. One word – awesome. Apart from this, we’re getting a four-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, automatic headlights and wipers, seatbelt tighteners, and more. 

Another thing that I didn’t like about the whole features and tech is the fact that the air conditioning controls are all inside the 14.9-inch infotainment display. That is an issue since it means that the driver will have to move their eyes away from the road in order to change the temperature. Even the function for seat ventilation and seat warmers is inside the infotainment display, which is just inconvenient. Apart from this, we’re getting pretty much everything one could ask for in terms of creature comforts. The BMW X5 also comes with a split-design electric tailgate, which also comes with a function to lower the car in order to make it easier for you to load and unload items inside the boot. 

So yes, in terms of the features and comfort part of things, there is everything you could ask for in the BMW X5. There are a couple of things that I feel are unnecessary or missing. First and foremost is seat massagers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am no fan of this feature but for a price of close to ₹1 crore, it is a bit of a compromise. Another thing I didn’t like is that the climate control is only accessible through the screen of the car. And finally, I found the navigational dial in the center console to be a bit useless since it only navigates through the screen, which is already touch-sensitive. I think this is to keep the pre-touchscreen BMW user experience alive.

BMW X5 Review: Performance and Drivability

Now coming to my favourite part about the BMW X5 – the driving feel. The X5 is powered by a 3-litre inline 6-cylinder B58 engine that creates 375 bhp of power and 520 Nm of torque. This is the same unit that also powers other popular BMW cars like the BMW M340i or the BMW M440i. The B58 engine in the BMW X5 is as good as it gets. 

The car goes from 0 to 100 kmph in just 5.4 seconds! Although I feel that is a very conservative number since I also tested the 0 to 100 kmph dash on the BMW X5 and I was able to do it in 5.03 seconds only!! The engine never feels low on power and torque, even in Eco Plus mode the BMW X5 is pretty quick and will not feel sluggish even on highway drives. In Comfort mode (this is what I used by default during my time with the car), the BMW X5 behaves normally – the power is available on tap, but the car won’t rev too high. 

It is the Sport and Sport Plus modes that unleash all the 375 horses under the hood. The pickup is almost terrifying, and the car will rev all the way up to red-line, even without putting the transmission in the ‘S’ mode. Turn off the DSC, put the car in Sport Plus, and the BMW X5 becomes actually terrifying. Throttle response is extremely sensitive and the car will always be ready to just jump ahead. Quite a scary thing if you’re not used to high power machines like this, but an absolute BLAST if you know how to have fun with them.

Now coming to how the BMW X5 handles. This is a massive 2.5 tonnes car, but when you’re pushing it hard or maneuvering it in tight spaces (definitely not recommended), it doesn’t feel like you’re driving this big of a car. It turns as easily as it jumps ahead. The turning radius isn’t the shortest, sure, but that doesn’t mean that the X5 is a difficult car to maneuver. During my time with the X5, I was in situations where I had to take the car through extremely tight spaces and to my surprise, I was never intimidated or scared of getting the car stuck. Despite its size and power, the BMW X5 is fairly easy even for tight lanes.

Another thing that needs a special mention is the air suspension. This is another area where the BMW X5 is one of the best cars that I have tried so far. Now, this is an active air suspension, meaning that you can adjust the ride height between 200 mm to 255 mm, and the suspension will stiffen or soften itself based on the drive mode. 

In Sports mode, the BMW X5 lowers itself to the second-lowest level, and adjusts itself based on the off-road modes you put the car in. Yes, there are multiple off-road modes, and six drive modes – Comfort, Eco Plus, Eco Individual, Sport, Sport Plus, and Sport Individual. Further, users can create their own dynamic driving profile and adjust things according to it. Want the car raised but in sport mode? You can make that happen. You can also adjust the suspension, steering wheel, throttle response, transmission response, and more to create your own dynamic driving mode. 

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the BMW X5?

Smartprix Rating: ⭐9/10

• Design and Build: ⭐9/10
• Features and Tech: ⭐8.5/10
• Driving Pleasure: ⭐9.5/10
• Performance: ⭐9/10
• Comfort and Space: ⭐9/10

So with that, I finally now know what the whole fuss is about the BMW X5. This car is mad. It’s an off-road SUV when you want it to be, a mile muncher when you want it to be, and it has all the bells and whistles in order to keep the occupants feeling like they are someone important. Not to mention, the 6-cylinder petrol engine that seasons everything to perfection. It is quick off-the-line, it handles like a dream, and it always feels planted. Yes, in sport plus with all electronics off it can scare the living hell out of you, but that doesn’t mean that this is a difficult car to drive. 

Yes, there are a couple of compromises I feel for the budget. For example, for someone looking for a big premium SUV for the road presence may feel the design is understated (exactly why enthusiasts love it), it doesn’t have as many features as you’d get in a Volvo XC90 or a Mercedes GLE, but it definitely drives the best and is most likely the quickest of the lot – both on the road and off-road.

First reviewed in June 2026.