It is a beautiful interior, no doubt about that – the days when BMW’s cabins used to be well thought out but quite staid are gone, and though it’s much more subtle than it once was, the driver-angled centre console on the dash is present and correct. Shame, then, that even though it is of a high quality, it’s not quite as special inside as the Porsche, Audi, Range Rover or even Volvo equivalents; it doesn’t move the game on considerably from its immediate predecessor. There’s plenty of space, although naturally the option of fitting two seats in the back (£1410) reduces the X5’s 650/1870-litre cargo capacity (seats up or down) in five-seat format.
Despite being well-equipped, luxurious and reasonably expensive, there’s a long list of options on which you can drop several thousands of pounds, meaning you could quickly end up with an X5 that’s deep into Range Rover Vogue price territory. Things such as Head-up Display (£995), sound systems that range from £485 for the BMW upgrade, £895 for the Harman Kardon and £3345 for a Bang & Olufsen set-up, rear-seat entertainment (£2130), a panoramic glass sunroof (£1295), soft-close doors (£485), night vision (£1750)… all of these are very nice, but will bump the BMW’s price up significantly.
