BMW X5 2024 long-term test

Open gallery Close by Alastair Clements 7 April 2024 Why we ran it: To find out if this revised plug-in hybrid luxury SUV could offer the best of both Month 1 - Month 2 - Month 3 - Final report - Specs Life with a BMW X5: Final report Every time I see a jumbo jet take off I get a disconcerting sense that there is some kind of fault in the fabric of the universe. Something that big, that heavy, that lumbering on the ground should never be able to get airborne, let alone look so elegant once it gets there. You get a similar sensation on a country lane in this X5. Laden with all its hybrid technology, the BMW weighs 5kg shy of two and a half tonnes before you've even sat in it, yet its willingness to go, stop and change direction comes as a shock every time, no matter how often you've already experienced it. Related BMW X5 reviews With Sport mode engaged, it sits lower on its air suspension, the petrol engine is awakened to run in parallel with the electric motor, and the performance is simply outrageous as a combined 483bhp punches it from rest to 62mph in less than 5sec, accompanied by an addictive growl as you flick through the eight speeds of the auto 'box with the wheel-mounted paddles. Yet it's in the mid-range when it's really impressive, dispatching slower cars on short straights, then shedding speed with its massive brakes (uprated M Sport items with blue calipers on my car, part of the £2100 M Sport Pro Pack) and diving in to the next corner. With vast grip, there's no understeer unless you pitch it in far too quickly, the steering is beautifully weighted (if a touch low-geared), and if you get on the power early on the way out, there is even a little twitch from the back end as the 516lb ft of torque reveals its rearward bias. In short, the X5 drives like a proper BMW should, yet a cross-country hoon is only scratching the surface of this car's abilities. Editor Tisshaw made the valid point that if long continental journeys are your stock-in-trade, then this plug-in hybrid drivetrain is not ideal, but if, like me, your life is a blend of short, slogging town commutes during the week and longer weekend trips, it makes a huge amount of sense - albeit perhaps not entirely justifying the hefty premium over the superb diesel. BMW claims 58-69 miles of pure-electric range. I never managed to match even the lower figure, but 45-plus miles is easily achievable without trying to be frugal and that proved enough for most daily duties in the week, with an overnight charge. And with the uprated 50e, performance remains peppy even in pure EV mode, with up to 87mph possible before the straight-six engine chimes in - with a split second's delay if you call for it via the throttle pedal. Latest Reviews Fiat 600e Porsche Taycan Jeep Renegade View all car reviews Read our review Car reviewBMW X5In its 25th year, is BMW’s original SUV back to its very best?Read our review Back to top That makes it a more than competent BEV under commuting conditions, although the average shown in our test figures also includes coasting and maintaining motorway speeds: stick it in battery-only mode around town and that figure drops to a little over 2mpkWh, again largely due to the X5's heft. Which means if you are expecting it to be cheap to run, think again. Any saving at the pumps will be reflected in your electricity bill. Opting for the hybrid drivetrain precludes a seven-seat option because of the batteries in the boot, but so long as you have only four passengers to carry, this is still a phenomenal family wagon particularly with my car's £4300 Comfort Plus Pack, which gives rear passengers heated seats, rear blinds and four-zone climate control (plus a cosseting set of massage chairs for those in the front). Few cars deliver you feeling quite so refreshed after a long drive, even if the always firm suspension majors on supple suppression of road imperfections rather than a floating waft. At 500 litres, the boot doesn't sound huge, but in practice its square shape is superbly practical, the rear seats drop to give a vast 1720- litre capacity and touches such as the split tailgate and the ability to lower the rear suspension to ease access are really useful. The only complaint here is that there are no releases for the rear backrests in the boot, something you expect to find on an SUV at this price point. Other gripes include heated seats that don't automatically turn off to conserve power when the front and rear passenger seats are vacated, and the occasional, unexpected quality drop: a centre console that flexes to the touch is not ideal in a near-£100,000 car. But I had to try quite hard to get annoyed with the X5, which is even genuinely handsome - surely one of the last modern-e