BMW X5 M Competition 2024 review – 616bhp super-SUV takes on Porsche’s Cayenne

If you cross out the (gargantuan) 2475kg weight figure, the spec sheet of the new BMW X5 M reads very similar to that of an F90 M5 Competition. It has a closely-related 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, identical outputs of 616bhp and 553lb ft, and both use an eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Their M xDrive four-wheel drive systems are similar too, using an active M differential to apportion power at the rear. Does all that make the X5 M feel like a M5? Not entirely. 

To be clear, in certain scenarios the X5 M is a riot. It’s one of the more explosive and more expressive high-performance SUVs on the market, and there are glimpses of the M5 in its character. It’s just that in being forced to move and perform like a supersaloon while still being a heavy, high-riding car, it’s not as deft, rounded or ultimately as enjoyable as it could be. 

The latest X5 M Competition comes as part of a range-wide facelift for the X5 line-up, and packs a new black front fascia, a curved dual-screen iDrive infotainment system and new mild-hybrid tech for the powertrain. The latter consists of a 12bhp 48-volt electric motor housed in the gearbox to support the combustion engine, which itself gains a reinforced crankshaft, a new intake duct and a revised oil system. The peak outputs are actually the same as the pre-facelift car, but after experiencing the hammerblow from that V8 at full throttle, you won’t mind that. 

Once above 2000rpm the motor rips towards the redline with animalistic urgency, and before you know it it’s time to pull a paddle for the next gear. The ratios – shorter in this new model – pop home with a boom from the exhaust, and while the gearbox feels smooth and a touch lazy when left in auto, the shifts become crisper when you’re putting some energy through the drivetrain. The engine really is a force of nature, and it responds to the slightest twitch of the throttle when fully lit in Sport Plus mode (if anything, it’s a little too jumpy in this setting). 62mph is taken care of in 3.9sec and the top speed is limited to 155mph, but can be raised to 190mph with the £2400 M Driver’s Pack. 

In the sound department, the V8 doesn’t release the same kind of fury as a Urus, and the X5 M is heavily reliant on artificial augmentation in the cabin. The bassy synthesised noise isn’t exactly musical, but the engine sounds flat without it so we preferred to leave it on. 

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The X5 M’s chassis has the unenviable job of not only harnessing all that power, but making 2.5 tons of SUV grip, stop and steer properly. Adaptive dampers, active anti-roll bars and M-specific brakes come as standard, along with body-strengthening struts and monster 295 and 315 section tyres at the front and rear respectively. The result is an aggressive, full-on driving experience that can be as exciting as it is jarring at times. 

It’s immediately clear that the X5 M doesn’t have the broadest repertoire when it comes to fast SUVs. It thumps over road imperfections, the tyres kick up a fair amount of noise and it generally feels too active and fidgety, keen to unleash its pent up energy. It’s not quite as uncouth as the mechanically very similar X6 M, but it ought to have more of a dual personality as a practical, day-to-day performance car.

The flip side is that on a smooth road in the right conditions, the X5 M is able to throw up thrilling moments that few other SUVs can. From the explosiveness of the engine to the tightly-wound chassis, there’s real aggression – if not much finesse – to the way it decimates a road. The harder you drive the more the weight begins to slosh and dive across the axles, but the X5 M doesn’t seem to care – it continues to dig in and find grip, inviting you to turn in harder and get on the throttle earlier to find the point where physics take over. 

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When they do, it’s the rear that gets moving when you’re in the rear-biased 4WD Sport mode, flicking out under power and carving a wider arc all the way to the exit. Without much feedback coming through the controls you need to have quick hands to catch the onset of a slide, but once tuned into the car, you learn to use this throttle adjustability to catapult out of corners in a neutral four-wheel drift as you might in an M5. Despite a slightly synthetic feel from the pedal, the brakes are progressive and easy to modulate, too.

Not that many or any X5 M owners will care for such antics. Like most of its rivals the X5 M sits at the top of the aspirational tree, where how it drives isn’t high on the priority list. If you want the fastest, most dynamic X5, go for the M. If you want the best performance SUV, however, you’ll need to look elsewhere. 

Price and rivals

Where does that leave the X5 M? In some ways it’s one of the most aggressive, exciting performance SUVs out there, but it delivers these highlights in quite specific circumstances. A car of this type needs to perform across a wider range of roads and use cases, and while the X5 absolutely delivers in terms of its tech, practicality and fantastic interior quality, we wish it could soften off and settle down a bit when required. Particularly given that it costs £128,845…

Audi’s RSQ8 is more restrained to drive and less powerful, but still comes with a ballistic 592bhp 4-litre twin-turbo V8. Its cabin is more clinical against the BMW’s extravagantly-styled interior, but it’s still beautifully built and costs nearly £20k less. The Range Rover Sport P550e is more relaxing than both, and comes with a BMW twin-turbo V8 related to that of the X5 M (albeit in a less powerful 542bhp state of tune). The Sport is less dynamic than the BMW (unless you go for the SV version) but its more sedate character is appealing in its own right, and it’ll cost you £114,050. 

Bentley’s Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus sit well beyond the BMW’s price point, but Porsche’s latest Cayenne offers the same core hardware as those two for a lot less money. In Turbo E-Hybrid form it costs £132,600 and offers a storming 729bhp electrified V8 powertrain. The optional GT Package (£21,400), meanwhile, unlocks the Cayenne’s maximum potential with a unique chassis tune and carbonfibre parts. We haven’t driven it yet and it is hugely expensive, but if the previous Turbo GT is anything to go by, the most focused Cayenne of all will give the X5 M a very hard time.