BMW X5

BMW has revamped the X5 to fend off the challenge from refreshed or all-new competitors in the premium SUV segment, although a cursory glance might miss the changes.

On the outside the changes amount to little more than new bumpers front and rear, revised headlights with bi-xenons at the front and LEDs at the rear, plus a larger choice of exterior paint colours.

It is still a handsome machine, if less discreet than a Volkswagen Touareg.

There are more important changes under the bonnet, where both petrol and diesel engine options are either new or revised.

The entry-level 3.0-litre xDrive30d has 4% more power and torque, yet fuel economy is improved and C02 emissions are down 10% to 195g/km, matching the figures produced by the Volkswagen Touareg.

More impressive is the twin-turbo 3.0-litre xDrive40d, which also has gains of 7% and 3.5% in power and torque over the previous xDrive35d to cut its 0-62mph time to just 6.6 seconds. Despite the extra performance it also dips under the 200g/km mark, recording 198g/km with a combined fuel economy of 37.7mpg.

The mild nature of the X5’s facelift confirms BMW’s confidence in its SUV, and a few hundred miles behind the wheel are enough to demonstrate its all-round competence.

The new eight-speed transmission helps to extract the maximum from the diesel engine while keeping revs low. Switch to sport mode and the full performance is easily exploited, especially when shifting manually.

The X5 also retains its impressive dynamics, sacrificing a fraction in terms of ride comfort for composed behaviour in corners.

Inside there’s little change over the previous well-executed effort, which is comfortable and well-constructed if a little short on storage space.

Verdict

BMW has leapt ahead of the competition with the performance of its diesel engines, and the economy and emissions figures will result in significant savings.