After significant updates including a full exterior and interior makeover last year, the mighty M SUV marches into 2025 mostly unchanged. The 2025 BMW X5 M Competition offers little customization: two packages (Executive and Driver Assistance Professional), a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, your choice of brake caliper color, a no-charge Mobility Kit, and the ever-present $2,500 M Driver’s Package. Our review of the X5 M facelift is overall favorable, even if nothing changes year-over-year.
2025 BMW X5 M Competition Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The newest X5 M Competition uses a 4.4-liter V8 engine (S68) with twin turbochargers and 48-volt hybridization that smooths acceleration and improves efficiency. Its 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque allow the SUV to fly from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. M xDrive all-wheel drive and a snappy eight-speed automatic transmission with Launch Control help there. Acceleration is identical to that of the competing AMG GLE 63 S and Audi’s RS Q8.
2025 BMW X5 M Competition Fuel Economy and MPG
The EPA says that the 2025 BMW X5 M Competition chugs fuel at a rate of 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg when cruising the highways. Combined, 15 mpg is a safe bet. The 2024 RS Q8 – which is due for an update this year – returns similar figures, 13/19 for a combined 15 mpg. The Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 63 S improves on it even more, for 15 mpg city and 19 mpg highway (16 combined). Fairly obviously, this is the wrong segment for efficiency-minded shoppers to be shopping in.
Interior and Cargo Space
Last year’s LCI (Life Cycle Impulse; BMW-speak for mid-life cycle refresh) to the X5 M brought it a striking new interior. It retains a curved display – like what you’ll find in the iX and i5 – powered by iDrive 8.5. M-specific details like badging, sport seats, configurable M1 and M2 buttons, and generous use of carbon fiber set it apart from more pedestrian versions of the truck. The Executive Package ($3,100) adds a panoramic LED roof, soft-close doors, massaging and heated seats, sunshades, and more. It’s worth adding. With 72.3 cubic feet of space to play with, the X5 M falls a foot or so short of the GLE 63 S (74.9 cubic feet). It bests the RS Q8 and its coupe-like roofline, allowing only 60.7 cubic feet of space.
2025 BMW X5 M Competition Technology and Connectivity
The standard curved display comprises a 14.9-inch center display and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Some M-specific goodies, like MDM (M Dynamic Mode, essentially a 50/50 traction control setting), a special head-up display, and M Drive allow pilots to customize the driving experience slightly more.
Every 2025 BMW X5 M Competition comes with voice controls, navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, MyBMW app integration, a wireless device charger, and a personal hotspot. While this laundry list of features sounds impressive—and it is—there isn’t much that separates the vehicle from the GLE 63. The X5 M has a bit more built-in than the Audi RS Q8, and as an added bonus, the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system ($3,400) is $1,500 less.
Safety and Driver Assistance Features
The usual driver aids come standard on the 2025 X5 M Competition. Active Driving Assistant, BMW’s name for its suite of driver assistance features, includes Frontal Collision Warning, Active Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning, and Speed Limit Info displayed in the gauge cluster/HUD. BMW Assist eCall and a surround-view camera system are also standard. The Driving Assistance Professional Package adds Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Active Lane Keeping Assistant, and Traffic Jam Assistant. At $1,700, we’d skip it unless you plan to cart your X5 M through traffic frequently.
2025 BMW X5 M Competition Pricing
The biggest and baddest BMW M SUV starts at $124,800. A Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid sets you back around $25K more and is 0.2 seconds quicker to 60 mph. The Audi RS Q8 starts at $125,800 and offers a very similar powertrain and features with less storage space. The GLE 63 S starts at $127,700. The X5 M60i – a step below but still using a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 – starts at $90,000. It’s not a bad in-between, but if you’re really looking for the most dynamic SUV, the true-blue X5 M is the only way to go.
2025 BMW X5 M FAQ
The BMW X5 M is quick, thanks to 617 horsepower under the hood. It can hit speeds of up to 180 mph when equipped with the M Driver’s Package.
The 2025 BMW X5 M starts at $124,800 before taxes, destination, and handling.
The 2025 X5 M has a unique front grille, available staggered wheel and tire setup, oval quad exhaust tips, special badging, and bumper designs that set it apart from every other trim.
Since its inception, the X5 M has only been powered by a V8 engine, and the new 2025 model is no exception.
BMW says the super-SUV accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
