BMW X5 - Review, Specs, Pricing, Features, Videos and More

This is a case of heart over head.

I drove the 2024 BMW X5 twice this year. The first was the in the excellent xDrive50e form, a plug-in hybrid that a friend called a cheat code of a car. It was the one that I’d want were it my own money, no doubt about it.

Or at least, there wasn’t. Two months later I’m back in the familiar, comfortable throne of an X5 M Competition, all snarling V8 and aggression. “An SUV doesn’t need that much power,” I originally rationalized, but the M seduced me with friendly and accessible performance, logic be damned.

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A good friend summed it up: the X5 is basically a cheat code of a car.

This is especially true of the plug-in hybrid models. Here’s a mid-sized luxury SUV that is spacious, comfortable, well-mannered, and powerful. I covered all of that in our recent 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e review. Yet what really impressed with the X5 wasn’t the seamless integration between its two methods of propulsion, or even the power.

It was how far the thing would go on purely electrons. There’s a lot of (mostly justified) grumbling about both gas and electric cars coming up short on their range or efficiency ratings. The X5 flips the script—for both.

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Forget its excellent electrics or magnificent Ms: this X5 is the best representation of what modern BMW is all about.

The 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e is a handsome, luxurious, ultra-composed SUV with an eye on the future. Sure, it’s got the trademark inline-six under the hood—the best Bavarian engine—but a seamless shack-up with an electric motor makes it friendlier on both your wallet and polar bears. This SUV is still remarkably good to drive: so much so, I struggle to justify its V8-powered alternatives.

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Located about a half-hour from Penticton, the Main Circuit at Area 27 Motorsports Park is a seamless ribbon of pavement curvaceously draped over rolling hillsides surrounded by open skies and fields and a 360-degree view of the mountainous BC horizon largely uncluttered by signage and guardrails and infrastructure.

Paved in a continuous pass, there aren’t even any seams in the asphalt—not on the half-mile straight, not on the 357 feet of elevation change per lap, and not on any of the 16 corners. One of those corners is a tricky double-apex deal (one apex is blind!) with a quick undulation separating the two and offering to rapidly lighten the rear of your car mid-corner to giggle-eliciting effect.

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It seems like forever ago, but the BMW X5 practically began the modern luxury crossover movement.

Sure, there was the Lexus RX, but that was running around on a modified Camry platform—hugely successful, but lacking the necessary pedigree. There was the Mercedes ML too, now known as GLE. It had the publicity of The Lost World: Jurassic Park to lean on, yet body-on-frame construction made it more truck-like.

The X5 essentially repackaged the 5 Series Touring in a way that would become more palatable to North American buyers. In a similar vein, plug-in hybrids are a compromise too, a halfway-house for those wanting a taste of EV ownership without fully committing quite yet.

Put them together and you’ve got this, the 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e. It’s a silly name for a clever crossover, one that finds a sweet spot in the crowded mid-size segment—if you’re willing to make a few sacrifices.

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Most people: “Luxury is expensive.” Genesis: “Says who?”

No other SUV has caused more of a stir in the luxury car market than the Genesis GV80. The Korean three-row flagship arrived with all guns blazing with the establishment in its crosshairs. Its recent win as the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the year awards only cemented its position as a worthy alternative to the more seasoned players. So after all the excitement had calmed down, it was only natural that we pit it against one of the SUV industry’s stalwarts.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our hands on the regular three-row BMW X5 but the 2021 X5 xDrive45e plug-in was available. Apart from the missing third-row, the tech and features on offer are nearly identical to the gasoline versions. Yes, the hybrid powertrain could give the X5 an unfair advantage. But that’s the fun part, does it make sense to forgo a full row of seats and pay a premium for a better drive, or is the luxury option the better bet?

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