BMW’s Ultimate Driving Machine nickname is typically thought of in reference to small sports coupes and sedans. However, that’s not all the brand is good at nowadays. In fact, BMW is excellent at making SUVs, an idea that seemed laughable a few decades ago. Now, some of BMW’s absolute best cars are actually big SUVs or crossovers. For instance, the new BMW X5 is one of the very best car the Bavarians make. How good is it? Carwow recently found out by putting it up against its main rivals.
In this new four-way comparison test, Carwow’s Mat Watson pits the new BMW X5 against the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7. Among these cars, almost all of them are very new, having come out within about a year or so. All except the Audi Q7, which debuted four years ago now and is the old man in the segment. So how do these four cars compare?
Well, it’s worth watching the video because it’s quite in depth. Watson shows off each cars’ interior, second row, third row (if available), cargo space and driving dynamics and it’s worth checking out the entire video. However, we will say that the BMW X5 does win the entire test. Its interior is the best of the bunch, despite not being the prettiest, due to its impeccable build quality, material quality and class-leading technology. It’s also the nicest to drive, as it’s the sportiest by far but not down much on comfort compared to the other cars.
While the other cars in this test are also very good, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, they’re just not as well-rounded or as fun to drive as the BMW X5. So, like it or not, the Ultimate Driving Machine nickname now includes SUVs.
