Video: 2019 BMW X5: First Drive

And since 2016, Volvo has reset the benchmark for what this clash be. Simply being a nice luxury SUV is no longer good enough. Enter the 2019 BMW X5, redesigned and we're driving it at BMW's media introduction in the Atlanta area to see if all the new goods BMW added with to this new car take it to that next level. The 2019 may not look very different than the 2018, but here are some key differentiators. The front kidney grilles are longer, wider, much larger than before. And you have these optional fricking laser beam headlights. You can tell them because they have the blue inserts and also, it says BMW laser right there. In the back, there's much more noticeable change and it's with the taillights. Instead of short and stocky, they are wide and long and have kind of a three-dimensional shape and light to them and they also protrude a little farther into the rear quarter panels, but the outside is not what's significant and what's changed. The old X5's interior was of high quality, but kind of simple. There weren't a lot of standout luxury features or really nice materials that would make you go, wow. That's changed for 2019. Although some of it is optional. This X5 has the optional glass hardware, not crystal (Joe coughs politely) Volvo. Volvo. It's glass, it's on the gear selector. It's on the start-stop and it's on the volume control as well as the center dial controller. It's a nice little bit of a flash pizazz. And then on the gear selector, the X lights up. There are available heated and cooled cup holders which are not new. We've seen these in Chrysler products a few years ago and they work about the same there. It's a really steamy day today and this ginger beer not real beer is reasonably cool. (beer sloshing) And on our hour long commute today, the coffee in a paper cups stayed relatively warm, not hot, but drinkable. Some cars like the XC90 have switched to a touchscreen to integrate a lot of controls. In the X5 though, there are still a lot of physical knobs and dials and they're covered nicely in materials and textures that add a lot of character to the interior that I don't think you get when you go to a complete touchscreen system. BMW is settling on a very good multimedia system integration. I call it multimedia system, but it's really just a vehicle control interface. It's a lot more than just changing the radio station. So you have your primary controller here to navigate the system. It's something you'll be used to if you've driven older BMWs or other luxury cars, but there's also a touch screen. So, you know, automakers can put everything in the touch screen and we don't like it. Or they put everything in a buttons and we don't like it. I feel like this is a good compromise. If you don't like using the controller, you can use the touch screen. If you don't like using the touch screen, you can use the controller and it gives you options. You don't have to use all of them, but you have options. Like there are three ways to change your radio station. You can use the steering wheel to change radio station. You can use the track change button over here, or you can use gesture control. (radio beeps) (radio beeps) One of the unique features in the center display is the 3D view function and more than just the backup camera and even more than just a 360 degree top-down view, this is a ground level view of the X5 that's viewed three-dimensionally and you can follow around the vehicle, you can move it and see what's around the car and it works really well. This is not the only big screen in the car. The gauge cluster is also fully digital. The display does everything pretty well, but I wish it was more customizable or it would change in the sport modes. It'd be nice to have a large tachometer for when you're in Sport+ mode, but overall it has a pretty well laid out digital display. It's very sharp. It's very easy to read and just a little more customization especially because digitally you have infinite customization would've been a nice little extra step. An optional third row will be available in December 2018, but we tested the two row model. And that backseat is roomy with good leg room, thigh support, headroom, but there's no adjustability. So it doesn't slide fore-and-aft and it doesn't recline. When you do opt for the third row model, you will get that electric sliding second row. But in the two row, you have this back seat that folds flat, but doesn't have any other adjustability. The cargo area is flat. it's wide, it's deep, and you can fold the second row through release handles in the cargo area. You can also take advantage of the optional air suspension when you hit a button to lower the rear for easier access. The backend drops to the ground and you have a much lower load in height, and you're gonna need that because the split tailgate carries over for 2019 and an optional package includes power open and closed for the top part of the tailgate and the lower part of the tailgate, there's also a hands-free option. The lower tailgate does extend the cargo area out a little farther, but it does make digging for cargo items in the very back near the back seat more difficult. If you have an X5, this is no news to you, but if you don't, this might be something to consider. If you're used to a typical tailgate without that bottom section folding. The interior is much snazzier than before. But how does it drive? Well, there are two engines available in the X5 for 2019. In the U.S., we get a 335 horsepower turbocharged six-cylinder, and we get a 462 horsepower twin turbocharged V8. I'm driving the xDrive40, which is the 335 horsepower six-cylinder. Now BMW says this new model does zero to 60 in 5.3 seconds versus 6.1 seconds of the old car. And I think some of that has to do with the launch control. Launch control is kind of an odd feature to have on this car. One, it's not the V8. Two, it's not even the M Sport Edition. This is the X line, which is the more luxury-oriented trim level and it has launch control. So launch control is Sport+ mode stability in sport traction, and the gear selector in sport mode, hold the brake, hold the gas, let off the brake and go. (engine roaring) (engine whirring ) Our car is equipped with both the optional air suspension and 21 inch wheels. Now cars.com owned the 2016 Volvo XC90 for a year. We put 22,000 miles on it and spent a lot of time in that car. It had an optional air suspension, and optional 21 inch wheels, and this car rides so much cleaner. Road isolation is better. There's not as much harshness over bumps. The highway ride is fantastic and it's overall, just a much more sophisticated riding car than that XC90. The X5 also outdoes the XC90 as far as engine noise. So the XC90 has a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder. and it was grainy sounding and it's not the best luxury experience. It just sounded more like an economy engine than electric car engine. Well, the X5 with its turbocharged six-cylinder has a nice hum to it. And of course, it's augmented by electronic noise inside the cabin, but it's not that noticeable, has a very nice tone to it and on the highway, it is near silent. Accelerating, you don't get that graininess, you get a nice smooth hum and that combined with the better ride quality really makes the X5 the better driving. (engine roaring) The 40i's engine may be the entry level engine, but it's delightful and a lot of that is because it pairs perfectly with that eight-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is not a dual clutch automatic transmission, but you could have fooled me if you told me it was, it shifts smooth, fast and cleanly. So the shifts in the more comfort-oriented modes are nearly seamless, but when you get into the sport and the Sport+ modes, they are crisp and they are tight and it feels like a much fancier transmission than what it actually has. The programming works really well too, when you're in that Sport+ mode, and you're driving these curvy roads, you step on the brakes and the transmission will rev match, downshift and put you in that gear that you need to be in. Again, it is the entry level engine in transmission package, and it's not even the M Sport package and to get that kind of seamlessness just out of the everyday volume seller engine is mighty impressive. While this is the base engine now, I wouldn't be surprised to see more engine options in the future. The 40i and the 50i are coming first. There'll be a plug-in hybrid later, and maybe you'll see a diesel at some point. Maybe you'll see a four-cylinder at some point, but when this car goes on sale later in 2018, that 40i will be the base engine. BMW's Driving Assistance Pro is their semi-autonomous driving feature that on the X5 is optional and keeps the car centered in the lane and pairs with a bunch of other systems to give you a more carefree driving experience in stop-and-go traffic. It will bring the car all the way down to a stop and it will resume in speed up to highway speeds, keeping the car, or at least the intended purpose is to keep the car centered in the lane with minimal steering interaction. You know it could be just the roads around Atlanta and it's how they're marked, but the car didn't say stay centered in the lane very well. It bounced around, it wandered back and forth. If a feature like this interests you, it is optional on the X5. Definitely, try it before you buy it on the roads around you. (stones rumbling) New for 2019 is an off-road package that we previewed through the muddy hills of Western Georgia. The package includes the air suspension, a new electronic locking rear differential, front and rear skid plates and an off-road driving mode with selectable terrain settings. The off-road package doesn't turn the X5 into a Jeep Wrangler. Its street tires aren't especially grabby, and like on the street, the steering isn't that communicative. So it made it challenging to find grooves with traction when presented with a muddy trail, like in our experience. The experience while it was capable, wasn't confidence inspiring. BMW has definitely added more wow factor to the X5 for 2019, but it does come ahead of price. The X5 we tested costs $81,000. Our XC90, where I made a lot of comparisons between the driving experience, that was a $66,000 car. So you ask yourself, is it worth it? That all depends on how much you value the driving experience, which is where the X5 gets top marks. (mellow music)