BMW X5 (G05) xDrive40i M Sport LCI Review: When Conventional Looks Great

What we like:

Brilliant drivetrain that's now a mild hybrid

Build quality

Reliability - B58 likely to do well

What we dislike:

Not the most dynamic in its class

After seeing a great number of surprising designs from BMW, the G05 X5 is a breath of fresh air in how naturally good looking it is. No elongated kidney grilles here - just familiar cues that work so well just as they are. Its headlights have been slimmed down by 35 mm, so it looks more like an angry squint, but that’s fine by me.

But there are more updates to the X5 than just the cosmetics, so let’s jump right in.

What else has changed?

OS 8 is now standard for the X5, which means the famed BMW Curved Display also makes an appearance here. Unlike the interactive light bar in, say, the new 7 Series, the X5 makes do with a backlit light bar that just says X5. Overall quality and build is good, though.

Drivetrain wise, there is a now mild-hybrid technology incorporated with the brilliant B58 and 8-speed ZF gearbox - offering boost of up to 12 hp and 200 Nm.

Even the B58 itself has been updated to produce 47 hp and 70 Nm more to 381 hp and 520 Nm respectively. To be frank, these feel like V8 outputs and the X5 goes like a scalded cat, finishing 0-100 km/h in 5.4 seconds.

Is the G05 X5 LCI a 7-seater vehicle?

7 seats are an option, however for the LCI only the 5-seat version is offered in Singapore. Air suspension and head-up display options are no longer standard as well. Blame the high COE prices, then.

At least you still get the split-folding rear hatch, which is superbly useful.

How does it drive?

You sit high on the road so there’s a commanding view. The drivetrain is utterly brilliant and you’d not want for more - it sounds great, it’s muscular and even reasonably efficient.

However, the chassis can feel it’s getting on with age now, with dynamics that are good but perhaps not class-leading. No doubt though, build quality and reliability is probably the best the X5’s ever been.

How much is the G05 X5 in Singapore?

It’s $547k at press time - bear in mind that only M Sport variants are available now.

Photos by New Gen Marketing

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