Rather overshadowed in recent months by new arrivals from Volvo and Audi, the X5 remains a surprisingly sensible luxury SUV purchase. Pricey and posh it may be, but you can still have it with seven seats for the (private, fee-paying) school run, and its overall build quality bespeaks of a long and fruitful relationship.
Best of all, its running costs are not excessive. In fact, the 2.0-litre, twin-turbo X5 25d has CO2 emissions of just 139g/km, so it’ll cost you just €280 a year to tax. BMW’s skill at evading the dead hand of the motor tax-man is still strong.
You’ll want the 3.0-litre straight-six diesel though, of course. Even that’s not too bad on CO2 (158g/km) and it has all the power and refinement you could need, obviating the need to upgrade to the 40d or M50d. Not that it will stop you wanting to.
Handling is brilliant for one so large and hefty, and the ride quality is a little more gentle than on previous versions. Plugin hybrid 40e model has low emissions and clever tech but feels oddly flat-footed to drive.
Price range: €66,510 to €165,940
CO2 emissions: 77 to 258g/km
Which one? 30d xDrive M-Sport
PCP from POA