What's all this about?
BMW has given us the full run-down on the all-new X5, to be built at Spartanburg, South Carolina in the USA.
Ah, but it's no longer BMW's SUV daddy, is it?
Well, it is for a few months, until the grandiose X7 arrives in early 2019. Don't worry, though, if you need a seven-seat SUV and you think the X7 robs the X5 of the chance for a full complement of pews; it doesn't, as the '5+2' configuration will still be available on the fourth generation of X5.
So what else do we know?
Its styling, so clearly an evolution of the existing X3's, hides the fact it is a little bigger in all dimensions than its predecessor - it's 36mm longer, with a 42mm longer wheelbase (and shorter overhangs, natch), while it's also 19mm taller and 66mm broader across the beam. Huge kidney grilles, that sweeping swage line that kinks through the rear door handles and a new design of rear-light clusters are its defining features, while inside is a leather-lined cabin that will feature BMW Live Cockpit Professional. This is the twin-TFT-screen dashboard that we saw in the X7 prototype, with a new instrument cluster design and the latest iDrive 7 on a bigger screen. Options will include all the high-tech luxuries you can see on upper-market Beemers these days (things like a head-up display and ambient air and gesture control and a Bowers & Wilkins sound system powerful enough to take your head off, should the mood take you), while in the boot (as an option) there's an electrically-stowable luggage cover (we've seen this in action in person and it's a very neat feature), 'air ribs' that inflate when the car is moving to stop luggage sliding around and also heated/cooled cupholders in the front. No, we jest you not.
What engines do we have in the X5 range?
Four, familiar from elsewhere in BMW's portfolio. Don't get your hopes up on the 462hp, biturbo V8 xDrive50i, mind, as it's not coming to Europe. Boo. That leaves us with one petrol and two diesels. The former is the xDrive40i, a single twin-scroll turbo 3.0-litre straight six with 340hp and 450Nm. Expect the two-tonne SUV to hit 62mph from rest in 5.5 seconds and run on to a 151mph maximum. Its best green figures are 33.2mpg and 193g/km of CO2, on its smallest wheels. The diesels are both 3.0-litre inline-six units, too, but the xDrive30d has a solitary turbo - and stats of 265hp, 620Nm, 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, 143mph top speed, 47.1mpg and 158g/km - while the mighty M50d employs four turbos. That torque-rich motor's good for 400hp and 760Nm, enough to shove the X5 into the middle distance at a rate of 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and 155mph (limited) flat chat. It'll do anything up to 41.5mpg with 179g/km of CO2, to boot.
Any other nuggets of juicy info you can sling my way?
Indeed. M Sport models, as well as getting the usual aesthetic upgrades inside and out, can be specified on whopping 22-inch alloys. All fourth-gen X5s have a new version of xDrive, which has a focus on sending most of the SUV's power to the rear axle and a smart new control system for sharper driving manners. The eight-speed Steptronic is the standard automatic transmission across the board, while all X5s get Dynamic Damper Control too. Technical options will include twin-axle air suspension, Integral Active Steering (translation: four-wheel steering), active anti-roll bars and an Off-Road Package. We should get behind the wheel of the all-new X5 in the next few months, so watch this space for more info.
Matt Robinson - 5 Jun 2018