L.A. Auto Show 2018: BMW’s new X5 SUV expands space, adds V8 engine
BMW is bringing an all-new fourth generation of its X5 luxury sport utility vehicle — er, what BMW prefers to call a “sports activity vehicle” — to the market for 2019, nearly two decades after the German automaker launched the first X5.
There are two models: The X5 xDr40i and the X5 xDr50i that start at $61,695 and $76,745, respectively, including destination charges. They’re being built at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, S.C.
BMW has made the new X5 slightly larger, adding between one and 2.6 inches to the vehicle’s length, width, height and wheelbase. The X5 comes with standard 19-inch, light-alloy wheels.
The xDr40i comes with a six-cylinder engine that generates up to 335 horsepower, and the xDr50i is powered with a new V8 engine that generates up to 456 horsepower and acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.
Both engines are turbocharged and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Standard safety features include blind-spot detection and warnings for lane departures and front and rear collisions.
The X5’s new interior design — which Car and Driver said “makes the outgoing car look like the oldie that it is” — includes a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster of the same size behind the steering wheel.
There’s also a four-zone air-conditioning system, a sunroof with a 30% larger see-through area than the outgoing model and a two-section tailgate for easier loading. A third row of seats also is optional.
The X5 “remains a thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly agile and thoroughly impressive vehicle,” Kelley Blue Book reported in its review. But the X5 also has plenty of competition in the luxury SUV space, including the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Range Rover and Infiniti QX80, among others.
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