TESTED: 2024 BMW X5 M60I NICELY BALANCES PERFORMANCE AND COMFORT
In the case of the 2024 BMW X5 M60i, it's not hard to see why Bimmer pilots earn disrepute among car folk. When a large luxury SUV can deliver this much power this smoothly and consistently across the speedometer, it's not hard to overshoot your targeted velocity, nor is it difficult to keep pulling water from that well until flashing red and blue lights appear in the rearview. But raw motive force is only part of the appeal; this longtime favorite manages to do everything with grace, landing in the sweet spot between the need for speed and daily-driving compliance.
In these times of cylinder downsizing, there's comfort to be found under the X5 M60i's hood. The twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 hiding in there produces a meaty 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, which in our testing was enough to shove this 5360-pound SUV to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. That puts it three-tenths ahead of the latest Porsche Cayenne S Coupe, which also rocks a V-8 (albeit one that makes just 468 ponies) and boasts a curb weight advantage of about 250 pounds. The BMW's still that far ahead at the quarter-mile mark, as well, which it reaches in 12.1 seconds at 113 mph.
But stoplight drags only cover a part of what makes the X5 M60i's powertrain so rewarding. Combined with a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, there's never a bad spot in the rev range; even though we found some response delay in our 4.7-second run between five and 60 mph, the X5 still outperformed the Cayenne S Coupe in all three of our passing tests. In commuting situations, it means the only thing standing between a late departure and an early arrival at the office is your tolerance for scofflaw behavior. And, again, the engine practically begs to push the envelope at any opportunity.
Thankfully, braking is equally strong, with stops from 70 mph taking 157 feet and from 100 mph needing 325 feet. Here, the Cayenne S Coupe has the Bimmer beat, but not by much, and that's to be expected given the mass delta. Fuel economy exceeds expectations, with the X5 achieving 24 mpg on our 75-mph highway test loop, 2 mpg higher than the EPA highway estimate.
The X5 M may still be the track star of the family, but the M60i has some pretty good moves around town. Handling is as flat as any other performance-oriented BMW, but the steering's quickness might catch a driver off guard, especially if their second vehicle is something a bit lazier; it's easy to dial in a bit too much angle and point the nose more severely than desired.
However, the X5's commuting athletics don't really translate to the skidpad, where we recorded an underwhelming 0.86 g and a wave of excessive understeer that stands in stark contrast to the Cayenne S. Perhaps it's alignment, perhaps there's something else afoot with the X5's combination of big wheels—22 inches, in our test car's case—and Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires (275/35R-22 front, 315/30R-22 rear). But either way, disappointing skidpad results are a trend we've noticed on several X5s over the last few years.
Despite those Italian rubber-band tires, the X5 exhibits a surprisingly comfortable ride in daily driving. There's a hint of stiffness making its way through the electronically controlled dampers that make up the standard Adaptive M Suspension, but the manifold road imperfections around our Ann Arbor office never rise to the level of bothersome. Moving through the drive modes will bring more of that feel to the driver, but we think everything is best left in its default Comfort setting; there's still plenty of fun to be had within those limits.
Even if your passengers aren't wowed by the M60i's performance chops, they'll dig the interior. The seats are comfortable, and every single inch of real estate looks and feels like the near-six-figure (for starters) cabin that this is. BMW refreshed the X5 for 2024, but some unfortunate vestiges remain—namely gesture control, which is frustrating to use intentionally and easy to activate accidentally.
The biggest cabin update is that the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster combines with a 14.9-inch central touchscreen in one giant curved installation rising from the dashboard. We love the latest iteration of iDrive, which is info-dense but easy to learn over time, but we dislike that nearly all climate functions require a trip through on-screen menus. The wireless device charger, which is tucked inside the center console behind a sliding lid, could use some additional ventilation, we think; your author's phone heat-bricked itself in there while running wireless Apple CarPlay. Thankfully, time in the open air hooked up to a nearby USB-C port allowed us to juice up while keeping the volume up.
As with most German luxo-tanks, the BMW X5 M60i is an expensive proposition even before its countless potential options are factored in. Starting at $90,295, our test car picked up frivolities like a $5000 British Racing Green paint job, a $1950 upcharge for fancier Merino leather, and $1900 for the larger 22-inch wheels. Throw another five packages into the mix that add things like surround-view cameras, four-zone climate control, and the aforementioned cursed gesture control, and we're choking down a $105,745 pill. That's still a far cry from the X5 M's $123,295 pre-options price, so if you're willing to forgo the 617-hp V-8, you can save a fair bit of scratch by sticking with the M60i, which still delivers impressive street performance with fewer comfort-related drawbacks.
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