The new BMW X5 is here, and I’ve been to see it: my honest first impressions
Car changing is a big deal
This is the all-new BMW X5. It’s packed with loads of new tech and is available with a range of fuel options which you’d never imagine would be possible. Mat Watson has been to see the car in person, and he’s going to tell you everything you need to know about it.
I love the BMW X5. It’s probably my favourite large, premium SUV thanks to the plush interior, sharp handling and cavernous practicality. The new one has a lot to live up to, and now it’s finally here.
I flew to Germany to check out the new X5. I’ve poked around the interior, tested its practicality, tried out its tech and looked around the exterior, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about it.
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New BMW X5: exterior and design
The design of this new BMW X5 follows on from the iX3, only I think the styling works much better on this larger car. I love the headlight design, which features X-shaped daytime running lights. Those Xs also flash orange when you put the indicators on, which I reckon looks wicked.
The alloy wheels are huge. The ones fitted to this car are 22 inches, but you can go up to 23-inch rims if you want. The smallest wheels are 19 inches, which I think would look a bit puny here – they do on the smaller iX3.
As with that car, the X5 has hidden window seals which just make it look more modern, like the bodywork flows seamlessly into the glass. You also have strange door handles. They’re little fins which protrude from the B-pillar, a bit like a Ferrari Purosangue, and the doors themselves open automatically if you can’t be bothered to pull them yourself.
Those automatic doors are an optional extra, but what’s not optional is the clever charging port. In most cars you have a little plastic plug you have to pull out to get to the DC fast charger, but in this it flips down by itself when you open it and shuts again when you’re done charging. That’s one of my favourite new car features I’ve seen this year.
I really like the rear light design, however I’m not so sure about the lower bumper. There’s quite a lot going on, with the fake vents and diffusers, and it also looks a bit too plasticky. Other than that though, I love the way the new X5 looks.
New BMW X5: interior and infotainment
It’s bloomin’ lovely inside the new BMW X5. The car I’m in is the top-spec version, and it’s really nice.
It has the same interior design as other new BMWs, including the i3 and i7, meaning you have a huge, wraparound driver’s display at the base of the windscreen and a massive infotainment screen.
That driver’s display is a bit gimmicky though, because some of the information it gives you is fairly pointless. I don’t really need to know my elevation above sea level, but I do like having my speed and navigation directions in my direct eyeline.
The touchscreen is the same as you get in the iX3, meaning it’s really bright and responsive but there are quite a lot of menus to dig through. You also have to move the vents around using the screen, which isn’t as easy as just grabbing a toggle.
You can also have a passenger display in the X5, something you can’t get on the iX3. It has apps such as YouTube built in, so your passenger can watch their favourite Carwow drag races on the go, and it has games as well.
I’m starting to like the strange new steering wheel in modern BMWs, but I do wish the spokes felt less cheap. Other than that, and some hard, scratchy plastic on the lower door cards, everything in the new X5 feels really plush.
There’s lovely soft leather on the doors, centre console and the seats, and the headlining is a posh suede material. The button panel beneath the infotainment screen is also made of slate, believe it or not. Other trim materials are available.
New BMW X5: space and practicality
There’s loads of space in the back on the new BMW X5. Legroom is even better than it is in the outgoing car, there’s loads of under-thigh support and the seats are really comfy. Adults of all shapes and sizes will be able to get comfortable, no problem.
You get decent door bins in the back as well, as well as a couple of cupholders in the centre armrest. These aren’t covered though, so you do end up resting your wrists in them. That is unless you fit the removable pillow.
Four-zone climate control is available as an option to keep all occupants at their ideal temperature, and there are some USBs and wireless chargers to keep phones topped up.
The new X5 has a 650-litre boot, which is exactly the same as the outgoing X5 but over 70 litres smaller than the new Audi Q7. At least you do get some handy storage under the boot floor, with a dedicated place for the load cover to live.
However, unlike the outgoing X5, there’s no seven-seater version on the horizon. If you need to carry seven people, you’ll need to get the Audi Q7.
New BMW X5: engines
The new BMW X5 will launch with three power options. The entry-level car will be a 3.0-litre diesel with 313hp, then there’s the plug-in hybrid petrol with a 3.0-litre engine, 612hp and 63 miles of all-electric range.
Then there’s the all-electric iX5. This car uses two electric motors to make a combined 578hp, combined with a massive 140kWh battery. BMW says this is good for up to 525 miles of range, but I’ll see how close I can get to that figure in reality when I drive the car later this year.
There’s also going to be a version of the X5 powered by hydrogen. It uses a fuel cell to turn hydrogen into electricity, which feeds a small battery and powers the two electric motors. It’ll be a while before we see this car on our shores though, because there’s not a single active hydrogen filling station in the UK right now.
New BMW X5: Mat’s initial verdict
The new BMW X5 is certainly very impressive on paper. I love the new interior, I think it looks great and the technology on board is top-notch. It’s also more practical than the outgoing car, but this BMW does have one deadly rival.
The new Audi Q7 has also recently been revealed, and having also looked around that car I think it’s going to be very close between the two. I’ll be driving both the new BMW X5 and the Audi Q7 before the end of 2026, so I’ll save my full judgement for after I’ve got them out on the road.
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