Detailed Look at the 2019 BMW X5 in Photos

There's a fair amount of novel stuff going on underneath, however. BMW is migrating its entire lineup to just two modular platforms, and the X5 is the latest to switch to the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) that also underpins the new 3-series. Its double-wishbone front suspension and multilink rear are complemented by newly standard adaptive dampers and an optional suspension that now brings air springs to the front in addition to the rear axle; they were only available out back previously.

Rear-wheel steering is a new offering, and some of the last X5's options—including active anti-roll bars, variable-ratio steering, and an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential—continue on here.

This vast array of chassis tech is all part of BMW's assertion that the new X5 handles better on-road and is also more capable off-road.

We can't dispute this claim after initially experiencing the new X5 on a legitimately challenging off-road course as well as on some twisty two-lanes around Atlanta. It's impressive in the dirt, with all the requisite systems, including standard hill-descent control, making it easy to crawl down rocks—despite the fact that even when fitted with the new Off-Road package, the examples we drove wore decidedly street-biased Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires.

More relevant are the X5's road manners, which improve on the old model's clunky ride and loose steering with a more connected feel and a greater sense of refinement.

The primary controls are still somewhat aloof—a tall two-and-a-half-ton SUV is never going to provide the sharp responses of a sports sedan, and we don't expect it to—but there's little slop in the steering, and the brake pedal responds progressively to inputs.

An X5 we tested in Michigan on Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season tires circled the skidpad at 0.89 g and stopped from 70 mph in 170 feet, notable improvements of 0.08 g and eight feet compared with its predecessor. The nearly 400-pound-heavier 50i we tested, which was wearing the aforementioned P Zeros, managed a still respectable 0.87 g but stopped from 70 mph in a sports-sedan-like 158 feet.

With the right equipment, the X5 features one of the nicest BMW interiors in recent memory. The upright seating position of previous X5s is still here, but the dashboard is a refreshing break from tradition.

Knurled knobs, modernized climate-control buttons, and shiny bits of trim bring more flair than we're used to finding in BMW's typically dour, businesslike cabins. Optional finishes such as a leather-wrapped dash, glass controls, and no-cost open-pore wood class things up to a level that nearly matches the Volvo XC90's cabin, the segment's current posh interior of note.

The X5's instrument cluster is fully digital, and it and the 12.3-inch central display boast new software with crisp, clear graphics and easy-to-understand menu structures accessed via the familiar iDrive controller.

The larger exterior footprint provides more space inside, but unlike some competitors, the X5 is not really intended to be a seven-passenger family hauler.

The upcoming X7, which will come standard with three rows of seats, will cover that base. The X5's third row is optional, and while its second row remains quite accommodating, the sixth and seventh seats are, as they were before, for kids only.

Other nods toward practicality include an optional power-operated cargo cover and the X5's familiar two-piece tailgate, the bottom section of which is now powered just like the upper section.

Fully loaded six-cylinder X5s can exceed $80,000, while V-8 models can eke into six-figure territory. The more reasonably equipped inline-six and V-8 utes we tested stickered at $72,530 and $92,405, respectively.

You might hear a hint of the xDrive40i model's sweet-singing inline-six under hard acceleration, but the engine note is hushed, too.

Sixty mph comes up in a scant 4.2 seconds, 1.1 second quicker than in the old 35i model. Shifts from the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission are snappy, and the engine is so smooth, satisfying, and potent throughout the rev range that the 456-hp twin-turbo V-8 xDrive50i seems like overkill.

Overkill can be a good thing, though, and it certainly is in the X5. The xDrive50i we tested went from zero to 60 mph in a brisk 4.2 seconds and ran through the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds at 109 mph.

That’s nipping at the heels of some legitimate performance SUVs, and this isn’t even the full-bore X5 M that will surely return to the lineup down the road. The 50i makes a lovely sound, too, and it isn't as thirsty as you’d expect, returning 23 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, beating its EPA estimate by 1 mpg.