2011 BMW X5 Review

When you’re a manufacturer like BMW, one of your biggest competitors is yourself. Meaning, you’re in the business of producing some of the best vehicles in their respective segments, so every new model introduced must, by necessity, be an improvement over something that is already among the class leaders.

The BMW X5 has definitely been among the very best “sports-SUVs” on the market since its debut in 1999, combining an unabashedly muscular appearance with impressive driving dynamics and a fair degree of comfort thrown in for good measure. The 2011 version, recently unveiled at the 2010 New York Auto Show, continues the theme.

For the new model year, the X5 has undergone only minor changes in appearance and the average onlooker would be hard pressed to tell the 2011 version apart from its predecessor.

At the front, the BMW gains a new fascia with repositioned fog lamps and larger side air intakes. The optional Xenon headlamps feature the company’s trademark LED corona rings. The front skid plate is painted matte silver. And more of the fascia/front bumper pieces are painted in matching body colour as opposed to flat black.

To the rear, the catalogue of changes is similar. The reshaped rear bumper surrounds two new trapezoidal-shaped tailpipes. The redesigned taillights now incorporate LED light banks. The skid plate is painted—you guessed it—matte silver. And the rear fascia has traded in some black covering with body colour paint.

The net effect is subtle, yet effective: The BMW X5, in this writer’s opinion, has always been one of the more aggressive-looking sports-SUVs around and the 2011 version has added refinement without sacrificing on any of the attitude.

Inside the passenger cabin, the new X5 is a direct carryover from last year’s edition. In terms of quality, the X5 strikes a reasonable balance between function and flash—it isn’t the most luxurious SUV in this segment, but it offers all the creature comforts you’d expect.