Previous generations of the X5 might have tried to maintain up the ‘sports SUV’ pretense by sitting the motive force pretty low, however the brand new one has firmly gone for a commanding driving place. You don’t tower over different vehicles fairly as a lot as in a Range Rover Sport, however the X5 instantly and resolutely appears like an SUV.

When we initially street examined the G05 X5, we mentioned that its inside was “a luxury cabin of greater ambition than we’re used to from a big BMW” due to its electroplated chrome garnishes, its neatly corralled button consoles, its visually interesting trim and its imaginatively formed options.

Much if not all of that continues to be true for the facelifted vehicles, which get an extensively redesigned dashboard that actually appears recent and extra trendy, however take a noticeable step again in perceived high quality and value. The previous faired-in gauge cluster and multimedia display screen annex have been changed with a big curved show on prime of the sprint. It’s composed of a 12.3in driver show and a 14.9in multimedia display screen and has swallowed up the row of bodily local weather management buttons on the identical time. The line of configurable shortcut buttons has gone as properly.

There are different indicators of cheapening to be discovered: the redesigned air vents really feel much less substantial, the crystal gear selector has been changed with a plasticky-feeling toggle and throughout the sprint now runs a strip of clear plastic. This remains to be a convincing luxurious automotive cabin, however one that’s barely much less spectacular and extra gimmicky than earlier than.

The transformation actually hasn’t made this automotive any simpler to make use of. The temperature controls are completely on display screen, however the heated seats require multiple prod. The thought is that they’re adaptive and know when to warmth up and funky down, however the system doesn’t at all times get it proper, prompting extra fiddling.

The gauge cluster has related style-over-substance issues, prioritising flashy graphics over presenting the knowledge you need in an simply glanceable structure. There’s not a lot in the way in which of configurability, and even scrolling between completely different screens is extra difficult than it must be. It additionally insists on displaying you an influence gauge moderately than a tachometer until you’re in Sport mode.

Space within the rear is aggressive with rivals, however not overly beneficiant in comparison with equally sized EVs. In our check automotive, rear passengers loved a lot of the luxuries of these in entrance, with heated seats and extra USB ports than we cared to depend. There are solely the 2 ordinary Isofix factors, moderately than three like within the Audi Q7. A seven-seat cabin structure is accessible on the diesel at further value (the additional two seats take up the identical area the hybrid’s battery pack would possibly in any other case occupy).

The diesel mannequin has 650 litres of boot capability – pretty large, however not fairly as large as in a few of its SUV rivals (the Land Rover Discovery, Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 all provide extra carrying area). In the case of the 50e, that shrinks to 500 litres as a result of battery. It’s higher built-in than on some Mercedes plug-in hybrids, nevertheless, retaining a flat ground and even a small underfloor compartment.

A cut up tailgate has been a characteristic on X5s for the reason that starting – a helpful characteristic BMW borrowed from the Range Rover. It doesn’t simply create a bench when down, but additionally makes it simpler to open the boot in tight spots. We discovered that the hands-free opening perform labored with uncommon accuracy.

Multimedia system – 3.5 stars

BMWs used to get an nearly computerized 5 stars right here for his or her logical iDrive interface with each a touchscreen and a rotary controller. The iDrive 8 working system that options on the facelifted X5, nevertheless, has been a supply of frustration in a number of current fashions such because the BMW i5. It appears nice, however its interface now not appears designed with the rotary selector in thoughts, and settings are divided between various completely different ‘apps’ that sit in a loosely organised ‘app drawer’ with each different perform. There are too many submenus too, making particular info onerous to seek out. Unlike the cheaper BMW X1, the X5 does retain the rotary controller and some shortcuts for the map, media, residence, and so on. While they’ve a much less central position than earlier than, they’re what retains this method usable.