The 2024 BMW X5 luxury SUV seats five passengers but it’s sized big enough to compete with other three-row luxury models such as the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and Genesis GV80. In M grades, it vies with the Porsche Cayenne.
The 2024 X5 returns with even more standard tech and convenience features, as well as a standard mild-hybrid powertrain. The tech upgrades keep it fresh, and the style and powertrain tweaks should help it maintain its edge over luxury rivals. The updates may boost last year’s TCC Rating of 6.8 out of 10, but we won’t adjust the rating until we drive it this summer. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
A major refresh welcomes the 2024 BMW X5, with the introduction of a new user interface headlined by a 14.9-inch touchscreen. The front and rear ends get a mild makeover, and electrification spans the engine lineup for less emissions and greater power.
This generation of the X5 launched in 2019, and the thorough refresh modernizes BMW’s bestselling model on the inside and out. BMW turns up the corners of its face into a smile with vertical air intakes that move the wide and low look into a chunkier SUV vibe. BMW didn’t go full beaver teeth on the grille, as it did on its M3/M4, opting instead to just illuminate it, if desired. The narrower LED headlights represent the biggest change, with arrow-shaped DRLs that double as indicators sweeping to the side. A thinner taillight design parts like lips kissing the back end.
Inside marks a much bigger change, with a horizontal theme stretching open the cockpit. Like other new BMWs, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen curves under a single pane glass toward the driver. Most of the climate control buttons migrate into the touchscreen, leaving only a tiny band of controls for the hazards, defrosters, and volume knob. Slim center vents sit in between the touchscreen and climate bar, jutting out as the rest of the central dash recedes to the corners and underscored by a light bar. A controller dial and drive mode buttons remain in the console, which now has a push button gear selector instead of a lever.
The selector engages a revised turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that controls the start/stop function and cuts engine power while coasting in Eco mode. This new powertrain makes 40 hp and 51 lb-ft of torque more than its predecessor, to 375 hp and as much as 398 lb-ft with the mild-hybrid engaged. BMW quotes a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds. Only the base X5 sDrive40i is rear-wheel drive; every other X5 is all-wheel drive and comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission. It rides on 20-inch wheels with run-flat tires, though 21-inch wheels with performance run-flat tires and 22-inch wheels with performance tires are options.
The X5 xDrive50e plug-in hybrid also receives critical updates. A larger 25.7-kwh battery pack helps bump the electric range by 10 miles to 40 miles total, which should satisfy most daily commuters in EV power only. The new inline-6 embraces greater efficiency with a new injection system and improved exhaust components, while a new synchronous motor increases output by 83 horsepower. Together, the powertrain produces 483 hp and 516 lb-ft, resulting in a 0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds. Additionally, at a max charge rate of 7.4 kw on a 240-volt connection, the xDrive50e can charge to full in three hours and 15 minutes.
The X5 M60i xDrive receives a mild-hybrid system with its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. Output is 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, and it hits 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. That mild-hybrid powertrain migrates for the first time to the X5 M Competition that makes 617 hp on its way to a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time.
Fuel economy increases 2 mpg and there’s no penalty for all-wheel drive on 40i models; they both have EPA ratings of 23 mpg city, 27 highway, 25 combined. The M60i drops to a 17/22/19 mpg slash line, and the X5 M Competition gets 13/18/15 mpg. The X5 plug-in hybrid has not been certified yet.
The X5 only comes with five seats this year, and the lack of a third row optimizes the cargo space better. It’s roomier, and the standard front sport buckets are as comfy as they are supportive. They can be upgraded with seat cooling and massagers, and heated armrests remain a BMW charm on par with the heated steering wheel. In back, a split tailgate makes grocery runs all the more secure.
How much does the 2024 BMW X5 cost?
The X5 costs about $3,500 more than the 2023 model, at $66,195 including a modest $995 destination fee. Riding on 20-inch wheels with run-flat tires, the base X5 sDrive40i comes with a digital key, a one-year satellite radio trial, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.9-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone connectivity as well as wireless smartphone charging, and an updated infotainment system with greater data processing. Standard comfort features include heated front sport seats covered in synthetic leather and a panoramic sunroof. That’s a pretty good haul for the increased price.
Standard driver-assist features include automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic high beams, a driver attention monitor, and an automatic reverse parking that can back the SUV out of a tight spot without the driver in the vehicle. Adaptive cruise control costs extra.
All-wheel drive costs $2,300 more on the X5 xDrive40i.
The 2024 X5 xDrive50e plug-in hybrid runs $5,000 more to $73,495, and in addition to the increased range, it has an air suspension on both axles and a running soundtrack that changes with the throttle inputs.
The 2024 X5 M tops the performance and price charts at $123,295.
Where is the 2024 BMW X5 made?
In Spartanburg, South Carolina.
