01-04-2025
Shopping for a 2025 BMW X5? Here's What Experts Say You Should Look at Instead
Don't look now, but the BMW X5 is celebrating a quarter century as a luxurious two-row, athletic SUV. Its power and agility make it a righteous family hauler, one that pampers as well as pleases.
It's offered as the rear-wheel-drive sDrive40i or the all-wheel-drive xDrive40i, powered by a turbocharged, 3.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine that sends 375 horsepower through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That package gives it a 0-to-60 mph run of 5.2 seconds, according to BMW. Need more speed? Consider the all-wheel-drive M60i xDrive, with its 523-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 mild hybrid, also hitched to the eight-speed with all-wheel drive and one second faster to 60 mph. There's also the xDrive50e plug-in hybrid with up to 40 miles of pure electric range, but that's reviewed elsewhere as it's a different animal.
All 2025 BMW X5s require premium fuel and sport a towing capacity of 7,200 pounds. Some notable techy features include rear-wheel steering and Highway Assistant, a semi-autonomous driving system, in the M60i xDrive. Going off-road? The X5 has an approach angle of 25 degrees, a ramp breakover angle of 20 degrees, and a departure angle of 22 degrees. The X-Offroad package adds a wading depth of around 20 inches and a ground clearance of 8.3 inches.
The interior features a mammoth curved display that includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a sizable 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen. The updated user interface takes a step backward in ease of use, and the instrument cluster graphics are unnecessarily busy. The tech works well otherwise, and Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and a 5G Wi-Fi hotspot are standard.
The cabin provides 106 cubic feet of passenger space and 36 cubic feet of cargo space that expands to 72 cubic feet with the rear seats stowed, which is typical of this segment. Its roof can also carry an additional 165 pounds of gear. But say all of your friends and neighbors drive an X5, and you'd like something different. Here are some different options that might fit your needs.
The Genesis is riced below rival luxury automakers, but it does equal much of their luxury experience while undercutting their prices. That said, the Genesis GV80 wears its humble corporate origins in its base model and its unassuming 300-horsepower, turbocharged, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. Since when is a four-cylinder engine luxurious?
It's better to opt for the 375-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 if you favor smoothness and refinement. Both engines come with an eight-speed transmission, all-wheel drive, and require premium fuel. Towing is rated at 6,000 pounds with trailer brakes. The 2025 Genesis GV80 has an approach angle of 19 degrees, a breakover angle of 18.5 degrees, a departure angle of 23 degrees, and ground clearance of 8.1 inches. The GV80's aftermarket roof rack is designed to carry up to 220 pounds.
The interior is larger than most of its competition, with 108.7 cubic feet of passenger space and 36.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Opting for the 3.5T Advance trim nets a third-row seat good only for people you despise and reduces cargo space to 11.5 cubic feet.
The GV80 comforts and coddles while delivering surprisingly adept handling. Its cabin is quiet, and although the interior trim is traditional, it succeeds in being something special, and that's what great luxury vehicles are all about.
SUVS rarely get posher than Land Rover's Range Rover, and the Range Rover Sport is its shorter, two-row sibling. Model choices include the 355-horsepower P360 with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six mild hybrid powertrain, the 395-horsepower P400 with an inline-six, and the 523-horsepower P530's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. The P550e plug-in-hybrid and high-performance Range Rover Sport SV are reviewed elsewhere. All Range Rover Sports come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and an adaptive air suspension. An optional Stormer Handling package adds rear-wheel steering and a torque vectoring rear differential.
The Range Rover Sport's smaller stature doesn't diminish its capability, proving perfectly competent when hardcore off-roading, yet delivering confident on-road athleticism and ride control with its air suspension. There's a seriousness to its feel, and a solidity that speaks to its capability.
Towing is rated at 7,716 pounds, with a roof rack capacity of 220 pounds. Its approach angle is 33 degrees, its departure angle is 30 degrees, and its ramp breakover angle is 27 degrees. The wading depth is an impressive 35.4 inches with an equally as impressive 11.1-inch ground clearance.
Passenger space is average for the class at 105 cubic feet, as is cargo space at 32 cubic feet, expanding to 66 cubic feet with the rear seats down. Its cabin, however, is positively posh. There's a 13.7-inch instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. The cabin's finishes are artfully sleek and modern, with an ambience that's unmistakably Range Rover.
There's a Teutonic grandeur to the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class that, like the Range Rover Sport, is uniquely its own. Its quality is apparent through its use of fine materials that are rich but not flashy. It also has the roomiest cabin here, with 111 cubic feet of passenger space and 33 cubic feet of cargo space. The infotainment screen measures 12.3 inches, as does the digital instrument cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a mobile 4G Wi-Fi hotspot are standard.
Like the Genesis, its trim levels start with the 255-hp, turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder GLE350, but why would you deny yourself? Better to choose the GLE450, with its 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder mild hybrid system and all-wheel drive. Why stop there, though? Go for the GLE580 with its 504-horsepower twin-turbocharged mild hybrid system. It yields a 4.3-second 0-60 mph run, 2.3 seconds quicker than the GLE350. A nine-speed automatic is standard on all trims, with both rear- and all-wheel drive models available.
Towing is rated at an impressive 7,700 pounds. Heading off-road? The GLE-Class has a 25-degree approach angle, a 25-degree departure angle, a 17-degree ramp breakover angle, and a wading depth of 20 inches. Its minimum ground clearance is 8 inches. Overall, its performance is competitive, and it proves to be beautifully balanced, comfortable, and quiet. Some competitors are more athletic, others more cossetting. This one is Goldilocks—just right.
It's no surprise that the Porsche Cayenne is the sportiest of this bunch. If you like to haul ass as much as you like to haul people and cargo, this is your SUV. It's the sports cars of SUVs, possessing the speed and agility you expect of the marque.
The Cayenne is offered in traditional SUV, Coupe, and Hybrid models, with the latter two covered elsewhere. The Cayenne comes with a 348-horsepower 3.0-liter V6, while the Cayenne S has a 468-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. There's also a Cayenne Turbo GT, but that's in a far different class and covered elsewhere as well. An eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and all-wheel drive are standard. Reaching 60 mph takes 5.4 seconds in the base Cayenne and 4.5 seconds in the Cayenne S.
Towing is rated at 7,716 pounds. It has a 25-degree approach angle, a 22.3-degree departure angle, an 18.9-degree ramp breakover angle, and a wading depth of 19.6 inches. Its minimum ground clearance is 8 inches.
The cabin size is slightly smaller than the others here, at 104 cubic feet, as is the cargo space, at 24 cubic feet, or 52 cubic feet with the rear seats stowed. The instrument panel features a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a 5G WI-FI hotspot. A 10.9-inch passenger touchscreen is optional, but the 12.3-inch instrument cluster is standard.
The Cayenne's smaller space should be expected in what is easily the sports car of SUVs. That a sporting car has this much space speaks to today's technology and what it's capable of. It's an amazingly fun-to-drive SUV.
Despite not being the spry athlete it once was, the 2025 BMW X5 has an expertly balanced driving persona that falls somewhere between the Porsche Cayenne's extreme agility and the luxuriously indulgent Genesis GV80. It's certainly among the best in its class, but that doesn't preclude one of its rivals, which may be more appealing to you. The Range Rover Sport is a perfectly sized posh off-roader, yet one that can get down and dirty. The Mercedes-Benz GLE is easily the best balanced, with a harder edge and more artful interior than the BMW. But it's the Porsche Cayenne that will grab the hearts of driving enthusiasts. Which one is best depends on what you require in a midsize luxury SUV.
