The 2027 BMW X5 Drives Great, but Some Elements May Not Be for Everyone

Because the X5 is such a huge seller for BMW, the automaker has typically shied away from making radical changes to this mid-size luxury SUV. But the first indication that the new fifth-generation X5 is a bit different comes as soon as you go to open the door. Rather than traditional pull-type handles, or even the more futuristic retracting handles, BMW has eliminated handles from the 2027 X5’s doors altogether. Instead, you’ll find a fixed wingtip-shaped protrusion at the base of the windows with a haptic touch sensor that activates the electronic latch mechanism.

These handleless doors give the new X5 smooth, uninterrupted flanks. They’re part of a modern new design that incorporates BMW’s Neue Klasse styling also seen on the iX3 and 3-series. Scaled up to the larger X5, the look is a bit cartoonish up front with the X-shaped LED accent lighting, but the overall proportions are still recognizable as an X5.

Screens Everywhere You Look

Open the door, and the design risks continue. As in other Neue Klasse models, you’re greeted by a massive central screen and BMW’s latest Panoramic Vision display that stretches across the entire base of the windshield. A passenger display screen is also available. It’s a lot of digital real estate, which is common among the X5’s competitors these days, but BMW’s arrangement is particularly information-dense and configurable.

Given its placement, the Panoramic Vision almost functions more like a supersized head-up display. You can even choose to show the AI voice assistant’s animated face, which winks at you while you’re driving. A bit distracting, perhaps, but you can replace it with various navigation, audio, or trip-computer displays, or even static images of BMW’s art cars. We just wish Panoramic Vision didn’t make the cowl so high, as we would’ve liked more forward visibility.

We enjoyed touching the soft textured materials on the new X5’s dashboard and center console, but we’re not sure that BMW’s elimination of many physical controls makes the experience of interacting with the new X5 any more luxurious. Adjusting the direction of the air vents now requires a dive into the touchscreen and its climate-control menus, as in a Tesla. It’s similar for the heating or massaging functions for the front seats, which require a button press on the door that then opens a touchscreen menu. (To be fair, that was already the case on the old X5.) We’re starting to sound like a broken record when we say we miss buttons, but the pangs of nostalgia for simple controls aren’t yet fading.

Pleasant Ride, Smooth Engine

Fortunately, once you’ve managed to navigate the newfangled door handles, screens, settings, and controls, you’ll find that the best thing about the new X5 is the driving experience. BMW is launching several new powertrain configurations with this generation, such as the electric iX5 and even a hydrogen-powered model for some markets, but the combustion-engine nonhybrid X5 40 xDrive retains a trusty turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, all-wheel drive, and an eight-speed automatic.

The new X5’s B58 inline-six is enhanced to provide 394 horsepower, 19 more than before, but the identical 398 pound-feet of torque, and it has the same linear power delivery and effortless acceleration we’ve loved about BMW straight-sixes for decades. There’s an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic that produces 17 horsepower and 148 pound-feet. Teamed with the 3.0-liter, the combined horsepower remains 394, but the torque leaps to 428 pound-feet. The new model is impressively quiet, isolating the engine from the cabin almost entirely in casual driving but still letting some of the pleasant exhaust note come through when you step on it. A V-8 version is coming, which should be even quicker and more distinctive-sounding. Also in the offing is a plug-in hybrid X5 50e xDrive.

The X5 is a sizable SUV, so BMW’s continued emphasis on comfort and refinement rather than sharp-edged responsiveness fits this model’s character well. The ride quality is remarkable in its softer drive-mode settings, flattening road imperfections and letting nary a shudder into the cabin. But body motions remain tightly controlled despite this plushness, and activating Sport mode turns the X5 into a willing, if not exactly eager, partner on a twisty road. The steering is accurate and nicely weighted.

What You Get for Your Money

BMW eliminated the third-row seat from the X5 lineup a few years ago, and it won’t come back for this generation. This is strictly a five-seat affair, while competitors such as the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE-class offer three rows; BMW will direct you to the X7 if you need to fit more people. The wheelbase is longer than in the old model, which means a bit more legroom, and the rear seat is comfortable for adults.

For a starting price of $71,250 for the rear-wheel-drive model (all-wheel drive versions kick off at $73,550), you get a lot more with the new X5 compared with the old one. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. The new model’s additional refinement, interior space, and more modern appearance are appealing, but the new user interface—including the screens, the door handles, the climate controls, the AI voice assistant, and many other things you’ll interact with regularly—may require some getting used to.