► CAR drives the facelifted BMW X5 M
► Performance SUV sprints to 62mph in 3.9sec
► Yours for a mighty £129k – worth it?
One of BMW’s biggest and brashest M cars (aside from the XM – yikes) has been around the block and has gotten itself a facelift. It’s the usual shebang here: new tech, a tweaked look and supposedly improved and refined engineering.
We were dismissive of the pre-facelift model. Do these updates change our stance?
At a glance
Pros: Road presence, impressive body control, quality interior, fast
Cons: Road presence, brittle ride, surprisingly numb steering for a BMW, not that exciting
What’s new?
BMW’s mighty and monstrous X5 M and its X6 M coupe SUV non-identical twin were both recently facelifted. As well as some visually imposing tweaks to the front end (as if the X5 M needed to look more imposing) and some fresh colours, the main differences are in the engineering.
BMW’s 48-volt tech makes its way to the X5 M, promising a small electric boost to the engine that’s charged by brake recuperation when you’re slowing down and a slicker start/stop system. An updated version of the X5 M’s eight-speed auto also features, as does a recalibrated steering rack and rear dampers.
The interior has also had a subtle upgrade, introducing BMW’s now-trad ‘curved display’ running the brand’s latest infotainment and a removal of some physical switchgear.
What are the specs?
There’s just one available: X5 M Competition. That nets you a mighty 616bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, all-wheel drive and a whole host of M-spec engineering. X5 M models benefit from a bespoke M-fettled all-wheel drive system and an active differential that allows you to select the amount of drive goes to the front and rear wheels. Unlike cars like the M3 and M4, however, you can’t make this a purely rear-driven machine.
The X5 M is capable of a 3.9sec 0-62mph sprint, and hits the speed buffers at a governed 155mph. If you want to raise that, you’d need to select the M Driver’s Package – here, a 190mph top speed is possible.
What’s the interior like?
The X5 M feels like a real premium product inside – as you’d expect given its huge price tag. The jewel in the interior’s crown are the bespoke M performance seats that offer a lot of adjustment; the side bolsters, thigh support and headrest can all be adjusted – you can really get comfortable as a driver.
Other M-specific details that go beyond the normal X5 include red thumb buttons on the steering wheel that allow you to program your own configurations of the car’s many drive modes, as well as a specific gearknob and some additional buttons on the centre console.
The current X5 might not look as futuristic as a model like the i7 or latest 5-series inside, but there’s still plenty of technology on board. BMW’s latest OS featured here is detailed but sometimes a little tricky to navigate through the huge number of menus, but the brand’s welcome iDrive controller in the centre console remains very useful. BMW’s safety aids are smooth and work well, with a lot of one-touch opportunities to switch certain ones off, too – hurrah.
Rear space is impressive, with adults being able to comfortably sit in the back. The boot is very large at 650 litres – it’s no smaller than that on the regular X5 – and still features a split tailgate.
How does it drive?
Like anything with a V8, the X5 M kickstarts with a proper performance-y growl and a shudder as the car comes to life. Out on the road, the X5 M is a thumpingly fast car – as you’d expect for something that has a 3.9sec 0-62mph claim – with acceleration feeling linear as the revs build. That’s mainly down to maximum torque spanning between 1800rpm and 5800rpm.
And yet, there’s no fizz. No raising of heckles or that little bit of giddiness you get when accelerating hard, mainly because that thumping V8 sounds far too much like a bad video game from the 90s and the driving experience is so isolating.
What’s most noticeable when driving quickly is how distant the steering feels. This is usually such a strength of M cars – hell, BMW in general – but the X5 M doesn’t seem to share much of that DNA. Blame it being heavy – 2400kg – or it having massive wheels or being a big SUV, but other performance SUVs out there like the Lamborghini Urus or Porsche Cayenne can do this better.
The X5 M excels at controlling that heft through the corners, mind – this is an impressive SUV to hurl around a sharp or fast corner thanks to what looks and feels like a squat stance on the road. Plenty of the M’s engineering comes into play here, too, with active anti-roll tech working hard.
But the trade-off is a ride setup that’s perpetually firm, even in the car’s softest mode. It’s a fussy car to drive on the road, with those thin slivers of tyre painted on the X5’s massive mixed-diameter wheels (21in front/22in rear) translating every imperfection in the road no matter what speed. That makes long motorway drives rather tiring as the car jolts over bridge expansion joints or fidgets over large ruts.
Before you buy
The X5 M sits in a slightly odd space between its available performance and its price tag. Audi’s RS Q8 undercuts the X5 by a few grand, while Mercedes-AMG’s GLE 63 is another £10k on top – both offer similar V8-flavoured performance. But, while both are similarly powerful, both arguably offer more refinement than the BMW.
On a more subjective point, the X5 M is certainly a car that provides the owner with a predisposed image. This car, simply put, is a magnet for fellow BMW drivers out on the road; our experiences on a series of long drives was met with a few BMW fans seemingly drawing towards you and your big imposing M machine like you’re pulling them to orbit. Some may enjoy that attention; others may not.
Verdict: BMW X5 M Competition
There are a good few things to like here; this is a brilliantly well-built and fiercely fast performance SUV that is dripping with presence (if you like that sort of thing). But the engineers at M – in their pursuit for as much performance that a 2.4-tonne SUV can give – haven’t made a particularly fun car to drive. Its size and mass isolate you from the driving experience in some ways, and yet the suspension and massive wheels over-expose you to the bits you don’t want to experience on a longer drive. It just all feels like a compromise too far.