The 2018 BMW X5 is a midsize luxury crossover SUV competing against vehicles like the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Lexus RX and Mercedes-Benz GLE. The X5 is late in its third generation. An all-new 2019 version of the crossover SUV is expected before the end of the year. For the 2018 model year the changes in the X5 are minimal in anticipation of the completely revamped 2019 model. Here’s a quick outline of the X5’s specifications. The 2018 X5 is built on a modular platform that it shares with 5 Series and 6 Series models. The 2018 X5 is available in five trims: sDrive35i, xDrive35i, xDrive35d, xDrive40e and xDrive50i. The xDrive40e uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The range-topping xDrive50i model comes equipped with all-wheel drive, 19-inch alloy wheels, run-flat tires, panoramic moonroof, integrated navigation system, 10.25-inch infotainment display, and 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Automatic dual-zone climate control, aluminum roof rails and chrome trim are also standard on the xDrive50i.
All models come with a 4-year/50,000-mile vehicle limited warranty and 12-year limited anti-perforation warranty. All-wheel drive is standard on all models. 19-inch alloy wheels are standard on all X5 models. 10- and 21-inch alloy wheels are optionally available. The 2018 X5 has a 115.5-inch wheelbase, 193.2-inch overall length and a 76.3-inch width. The BMW X5 sDrive35i and xDrive35i are equipped with a 300-horsepower turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The xDrive50i is equipped with a 445-horsepower turbocharged V8 engine. The xDrive35d is equipped with a 255-horsepower six-cylinder diesel engine. The xDrive40e is equipped with a 240-horsepower four-cylinder engine and electric motor that deliver 332 horsepower combined. The 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine produces 300 pound-feet of torque. The 4.4-liter V8 engine produces 480 pound-feet of torque. The 3.0-liter diesel produces 413 pound-feet of torque. And the plug-in hybrid system produces a combined 332 pound-feet of torque. All X5 versions use an eight-speed automatic transmission. Maximum towing capacity for a 2018 BMW X5 is 5,952 pounds.
EPA fuel economy estimates for sDrive35i are 18 mpg in city driving, 25 mpg in highway driving and 21 mpg combined. EPA fuel economy estimates for xDrive35i are 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, 20 mpg overall. EPA fuel economy estimates for xDrive50i are 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway, 17 mpg overall. EPA fuel economy estimates for xDrive35d are 23 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, 25 mpg overall. EPA fuel economy estimate for the plug-in hybrid xDrive40e is 56 mpge overall. All X5 models are equipped with standard front airbags, torso airbags and knee airbags for front-seat occupants and head-curtain airbags for occupants of both rows. Optional safety and driver-assistance technology includes lane-departure warning, pre-collision with auto braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection and traffic sign recognition. The standard infotainment system includes a 10.25-inch display, integral navigation, voice recognition and Bluetooth streaming. The screen also provides the display for the standard rear-vision camera. The standard sound system has nine speakers. Mobile Wi-Fi and 4G data are optional. Compatibility with Apple CarPlay is optional, but Android Auto compatibility is not on the options list. The top-level 16-speaker audio systems are from Harman Kardon and Bang & Olufsen. The X5 has four 12-volt power outlets — one in the dash, one in the cargo area and two in the center console area. All trim levels come with two USB ports — one in the dash and the other in the center console. The X5’s rear liftgate is power-operated. Leather seating is optional across the line with the exception of the xDrive50i in which it is standard. Heated front seats are standard on every X5. Heated and cooled front seats and heated rear seats are optional.
The layout is broadly functional, too, albeit with a few extra buttons low down between the steering wheel and the door that are hard to find without taking your eyes off the road. We like the chunky, heating controls, however, with their rubberised finish that makes them easy to grip with cold hands. Our car had a panoramic rear-view mirror, which takes a feed from a camera just inside the rear hatch glass and shows it on a digital screen integrated into the usual mirror housing. It takes some getting used to, but ultimately shows a wider-angle image so we could see its benefits, in time. It’s certainly more helpful than the eight-inch infotainment system, which is probably the single weakest point of the vehicle. In hardware terms the screen looks slightly lower-resolution than what you can get in a VW or even a Kuga. And the interface is classic Toyota, with a clunky approach. As a pure hybrid, of course, the RAV4 is pretty much in a class of one - and that makes price comparison tricky. On the face of it, an SUV of this size with a starting figure just shy of £30,000 looks pretty expensive compared with the likes of the Kodiaq. But then you need to factor in the effect those low CO2 emissions have on Vehicle Excise Duty (£135 across the range) and, more importantly, Benefit-in-kind taxation for company car choosers. The entry point of the RAV4 range, that front-drive model, has BIK of just 21 percent - and every other version is 22 percent, regardless of how many driven wheels they have. Toyota reckons a RAV4 user-chooser will save more than £120 per month in tax over a comparable Tiguan petrol or diesel.
