BMW X5 2018 Review — International

To cut a long story short, the cabin of the new BMW X5 is special. Lavish like you’d expect any BMW to be, the X5 features soft leather Vernasca upholstery as standard, cushy power-operated seats and the subtle scent of success.

The interior fit and finish is very neat and tidy with stitched leather everywhere – the doors, the dashboard – and the levels of tactility are supreme. In motion it’s quiet and comfortable too.

At this stage it isn’t clear which features will be offered in Australia but we understand BMW’s desire is to put absolutely everything on the table, and there’s enough razzle-dazzle here to make Kanye and Kim take notice.

Beyond the heated and cooled massaging seats – complete with rotating rump rippler – there’s a panoramic glass roof, heated and cooled cup-holders, ear-bleeding 1475-Watt Bowers and Wilkins surround sound system with 20-speakers and even the option of crystal inlays.

Expected to be an option on Aussie cars, the blob-like plastic gear shifter can be transmogrified into a faceted jewel that refracts the X5 logo hidden beneath.

Personally, I hate it. I think the crystal inlays are obnoxiously ostentatious, but props to BMW for going there because it’ll make a motza on this optional extra. You better believe there’ll be plenty of takers!

Front seat room is copious. It feels like you’re in a big recliner and although BMW says there’s more rear-seat room than before, it doesn’t feel particularly spacious back there. There’s lots of cool add-ons for the back seat though, such as plug-in coat hangers and a schmick dual touch-screen entertainment system for the ankle-biters.

Out the back the luggage area is a bit disappointing. OK, so it’s crammed with cool technology, which I’ll get to later, but it only offers 650 litres of cargo space – the same as its predecessor.

BMW says the new X5 offers "enviable" interior space but its measuring stick must be broken because the new Mercedes-Benz GLE launching six months after the X5 has a lot more cargo space — 825 litres to be precise.

The 2019 BMW X5 vehicle is longer (4922mm), wider (2004mm) and taller (1745) than before, so one would assume that would translate to more cargo room, but even when you fold down the quick-release rear seats you get 1860 litres, which is 10 less than the previous model.

Granted, it’s still plenty and the bigger X7 will offer even more space, but it’s a lot less than the 2055 litres the GLE offers.

The X5 is a technological tour de force. OK, so the boot is a disappointment when it comes to overall capacity but the execution of its techno-doodads is second-to-none.

As well as the power-operated split tailgate, the smaller lower section of which makes for a handy seat or platform, there are protruding rubber grooves built into the boot floor to stop luggage or cargo moving around – and they proved relatively effective.

Another optional feature is the powered cargo cover. Just hit a button in the boot and it rises up out of a concealed hatch, reaches its vertical zenith, then unfurls horizontally.

It looks amazing, will mesmerise onlookers and means you’ll never have to find somewhere to stow the cargo cover… but it's just a bit slow and takes an age to expand.

Up front, BMW has finally added a fancy digital instrument display, which is a first for the company. The new display will be standard on all Aussie-delivered BMW X5 vehicles, making it look and perform like a $100,000 vehicle should, and will probably work its way into the new BMW 3 Series.

I love the way the central sat-nav display fades and blends into the two outer edges of the screen and the overall layout and visual quality is sharp and sexy.

The digital instrument cluster and the central infotainment touch-screen comprise separate (and big) 12.3-inch displays and are more integrated and aesthetically appealing than the conjoined twin-tablet screen that Mercedes-Benz favours.

The high-tech instrument display even has a teeny camera that watches how much you blink; get a little tired or stop focusing on the road and the car will let you know.

As much as I love looking at the digital dash (aka BMW Live Cockpit Professional), I’m a bit miffed that a) it’s taken this long to arrive and b) it doesn’t have the customisability, full-screen map mode or Google Maps integration of the Audi’s virtual cockpit… which arrived way back in 2014.

The head-up display is very useful – bigger, better and more informative than most. It projects detailed navigation instructions, vehicle speed plus current and upcoming speed limits onto the windscreen right in your line of sight.

If this pace of progression continues, I’d wager it won’t be long before the entire windscreen becomes an augmented reality display, like what Porsche is planning. That’ll be a sight for sore eyes, quite literally.

Another significant high-tech development in the X5 is the latest version of its iDrive operating system (v7.0), which has five input methods: voice, touch-screen, gesture control, steering wheel buttons or the traditional iDrive rotary controller.

Displayed on a sizable 12.3-inch screen, the seventh-gen infotainment system is more intuitive to use and you can customise the settings easily, displaying the info you want to see. The graphics are also significantly better – eye-candy ahoy!

The new iDrive 7.0 OS has deeper levels of smartphone connectivity than before, which means you don’t even need a traditional key anymore. Just hold your phone near the door and ‘plip’ – you’re in. Pop the phone in the wireless charging dock and you can start the engine. Take that Batman!

However, this system only works with Android phones at present. Apple users can get a pass card instead and both are expected to be offered in Australia.

The new BMW X5 can also interface with your smartwatch as well as your smartphone, iOS and Android, and even Google Home and Alexa-compatible devices, which can import appointments and addresses and plug them directly into the navigation, which also has real-time traffic displays.

The new iDrive system takes a leaf out of the Tesla playbook too, employing remote over-the-air software upgrades. No need to visit the dealership anymore – just download the latest version and you’re good, whether wirelessly or via USB stick.

BMW Australia expects this feature to be offered from launch, making it one of the first mainstream car companies to offer infotainment upgrades, which are expected to number around four free updates/patches per year.

There’s also a very complex and powerful new quad-turbocharged diesel engine that crowns the range – at least until the next twin-turbo petrol V8 model rocks up.

Like a hot outdoor shower after a cold ocean swim, the new BMW X5 drive experience is rewarding. The new 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder quad-turbo diesel in the X5 M50d is an absolute cracker, providing progressive but potent acceleration and decent fuel economy -- around 7.0L/100km if you don't go berko.

The X5 3.0d with its single-turbo 3.0-litre diesel will be the most popular model in Australia and it too is a capable powerplant — smooth, refined and economical. But it's the updated steering system that makes this car a better drive; no more micro steering corrections on the freeway!

A new four-wheel steering system can turn the rear wheels by up to three degrees in both directions, making it easier to park at slow speeds and essentially narrowing the X5's turning circle from 12.7 to 12.6 metres.

Throw in a gazillion sensors and cameras and X5 is a doddle to park. It'll even drive into and out of parallel parking spots automatically if you don't care for such tawdry tasks.

Out on the open road the 2019 BMW X5 doesn't feel like a big, chunky SUV weighing 2275kg. As well as the active rear-wheel steering, some of the (potentially optional) dynamics-boosting gubbins include dual-axle air suspension, active dampers, an M Sport rear differential and active roll bars that adjust to reduce understeer and body roll.

These engineering features make the X5 a handy corner carver but even the models we tested without all the juicy chassis tech performed well on snaking roads, thanks in large part to the new CLAR platform that underpins the whole shebang.

In less exciting scenarios ride comfort is very good, even on the extra-sporty 22-inch alloy wheels. Indeed, the X5 has an uncanny ability to glide across torn road surfaces with a nonchalance only a vehicle with a sparkly crystal gearshifter can.

The light steering makes it easy to drive in heavy traffic, as does the raised seating position and impressive array of autonomous doodads.

The automated steering function is fairly proactive (but not perfect), the automatic acceleration and braking and traffic-jam assist are excellent, and if you don't touch any controls after about 30 seconds of freeway driving the car slows down and pulls over. Pretty neat.

There's even a lane-change assistant that will switch lanes on the highway when you flick on the indicator, but BMW Australia says this feature is one of the few that won't be offered Down Under due to legislation… which seems odd considering it's available here in several Mercedes-Benz and Tesla vehicles.

A new electro-hydraulic brake system does away with a vacuum supply and brake servo -- a requirement for autonomous driving – delivering more stopping power.

Although few customers are expected to request it, there is an off-road package that adds some rudimentary underbody protection and several off-road modes. When twinned with the dual-axle air suspension (+/- 40mm ride height) the X5 does a pretty good job off-road, as was evidenced by a 20-minute bush track drive.

You can load up to 100kg of gear on the roof rails and tow a braked trailer weighing up 2750kg and with a 140kg towball downweight.

Getting back to the engines, the high-tech quad-turbo diesel develops 294kW of power and 760Nm of twist, which in layman's terms is a shed-load of stomp. How does 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds sound? This is one fleet fox.

That 760Nm (at 2000rpm) is the same amount of torque the about-to-be-replaced Mercedes-Benz GLE 63 AMG pumps out. Not bad for an engine almost half the size of the Benz's 5.5-litre turbocharged unit.

When you mash the go pedal from standstill (or at speed), the BMW X5 M50d moves with purpose. OK, so it doesn't have the explosive acceleration of a big-capacity turbo-petrol engine, but it does speak in a gravelly voice as the revs rise, adding more emotion than most diesels.

The BMW X5 30d pumps out less power and torque (195kW/620Nm) and provides above-average acceleration and good fuel economy, around 6.5L/100km.

It proved a solid partner in busy Atlantan bumper-to-bumper traffic and both diesel engines are quiet, smooth and refined, driving serenely through eight-speed automatic gearboxes that send power to all four wheels.

The 2019 BMW X5 is a technological tour de force, there's no doubt about that. It'll make your brain ache thinking about how much engineering work went into this vehicle, but for all the techno-wizardry it's an intuitive machine to operate.

It’s still fun to drive and — although I can never un-see the crystal gearknob and I wish the boot was a bit bigger — just as practical as ever.

The price is likely to rise given the tech advances here, which means the current price for the most popular X5 30d ($112,990 plus ORCs) will go up. As yet, there's no sign of an entry-level rear-drive model that can slip under $100K, but watch this space.

Is the fourth-generation BMW X5 a game-changer? Yes, most definitely, given the several firsts BMW has delivered here, but with an all-new GLE on the horizon it may have a real fight on its hands.

I reckon Bruce Springsteen — not this car — is still The Boss, but for the time being the new BMW X5 is the most sophisticated diesel-powered large luxury SUV money can buy.

How much does the 2018 BMW X5 30d cost?
Price: From $115,000 (estimated)
Available: November 2018
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 195kW/620Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km
CO2: 158g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC