The BMW X5 is a sweetheart of the line for me. Big enough to spread out, quiet enough to lower my cortisol, and oh so comfortable.
The 2025 X5 is a fourth-generation (G05) X5 that launched as a 2019 model. As such, the 2025 X5 has already received BMW’s lifecycle impulse upgrades that updated the X5’s engines and electronics.
The X5 xDrive50e is a plug-in hybrid that produces 483 hp through the combined efforts of its I6 turbocharged engine and 194 hp electric motor. When charged fully, BMW says the midsize SUV can travel 38 miles without burning a drop of dino juice. For my urban life, that’s enough to do the school run, commute and grocery shop all on one charge.
The EPA rates the X5 xDrive50e’s electricity consumption at 58 MPGe, which is much hungrier than a pure EV like the Mercedes EQE 350 SUV (81 MPGe). When driven on gas alone, the EPA gives the X5 a combined city/highway of 22 MPG. It’s not the most efficient truck, but it’s not overly gluttonous.
But, thanks to its huge trunk, the X5 may fuel my consumption at the big box stores like Costco and Home Depot. The deep and wide cargo area (which is only slightly reduced in the plug-in hybrid) is ready for pandemic day-one size loads of Kirkland’s finest toilet paper or enough potting soil to replant my patio.
As much as my derriere loves the idea of 90 rolls of Costco two-ply waiting in the closet, it really longs for time in the X5’s driver’s seat. No wonder, as my tester is loaded with all the ass-coddling options, including upgraded comfort seats with heating and cooling, premium Cognac-colored leather, and the air suspension.
My eyes and hands are happy, too, as the soft leather extends onto the M Sport steering wheel, doors and dashboard, and ocular candy like the color head-up display and panoramic digital dashboard spice up the experience. The front seat of the X5 is a lovely place to be.
(One benefit to the six-year-old G05 platform is that it avoids the questionable capacitive-touch buttons that BMW is hiding in ambient lighting strips on its newer models. The X5 still has many physical buttons and knobs on its center console, doors and steering wheel.)
The back seat passengers get equally nice trimmings and seat comfort. Tall adults can sit behind my driving position and still have a fist’s worth of air between their knees and my seat back. The panoramic sunroof makes for an airy back seat, too.
I’m excited to start my test drive, so I adjust the seat and mirrors and hit the road.
In motion, the X5 is everything I remember it to be and want it to be. I have a commanding view of the road and the highest level of comfort. The air suspension provides a magic carpet ride, without sacrificing body control. (This X5 is equipped with M Sport and M Sport Pro packages, but they are just cosmetic packages for the X5. The SUV’s air suspension remains a comfort-first proposition.)
The X5’s steering is light and easy, as it should be. There’s only a hint of road texture and bump detail, enough to make me feel like I’m in a BMW without disturbing the coddling.
(Though I don’t realize it until my X3 M Sport test drive, the X5 is filtering out 75% of the road textures and bump impacts. Roads that seem well-cared for in the X5 are jolting messes in the X3 M Sport.)
When I’m driving in fully electric mode, the X5 is almost perfectly silent. When I switch into one of the Sport modes (there are three!), the I6 engine springs to life with an iconic BMW straight-six howl.
The X5 50e’s I6 is a detuned variant of the famed BMW B58 turbo engine. This is the same I6 which Toyota selected for the Supra, though it makes just 308 hp in the X5 versus 388 hp in the Toyota. No matter, because the X5 hybrid’s electric motor produces a healthy 194 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. With the e-motor on call, there is never a sniff of hesitation to the accelerator. If I pin the throttle, then the X5 pins me back, shoving me into my seat while the SUV squats on its rear haunches and hurtles forward. The combined 483 hp makes the ~5500 lb SUV feel fleet; I have all the oomph I want (and more than I need) in this SUV.
My drive route doesn’t allow for handling tests, but I do circle a tight roundabout to test the turning radius. The X5 wants to drive over the planters at the center of the circle when I apply full lock. I don’t think tight parking lots will be a problem for the X5. (The 360-degree cameras and parking assistance software will save your bacon if I’m wrong.)
At the conclusion of my test drive, I physically and metaphorically end up where I started. The midsize X5 is my favorite non-sporty BMW on account of its practical, polished luxury. (Though the charmingly weird iX is a close contender.) It’s ready for all the family activities I might throw at it, more comfortable than any car I’ve ever owned, and oh so quietly classy. Bravo BMW!
Mike's Steering Column 