Used BMW X5M review

Pros

Immense levels of driving enjoyment.
Huge performance with all the practicality of an X5.
Almost all the tech and features you’d ever require.
Arguably peak BMW SUV.

Cons

Major reliability concerns.
Very expensive ownership, repair and maintenance costs.
Huge depreciation.
Asking a lot more than a lower-spec X5 for talents you’ll hardly ever use.

Verdict

We wouldn't...

We'd be cautious

We would...

For most of us, sorry but it’s a no.

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More info

What is the car's build year?

2020

Loan Amount

$5,000

Finance estimate ~

$30

Per week*

8.49%

Comparison rate p.a#

*#Based on $5000 loan. 5 years, $0 deposit

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Publish: February 3, 2023

The X5 M is not only the very top-of-the-line X5, featuring not only all of the premium accommodation and practicality of a normal X5, it provides more bells and whistles than your local orchestra and it is also the most performance focussed variant of BMW’s original SUV model.

While the 2015 to 2018 F85 x5 M may look very similar to a normal run-of-the-mill X5, under its beautifully sculpted and muscular bodywork, things are quite different.

Engine-wise, the X5 M gets an M-tuned and enhanced 4.4-Liter twin-turbo V8 which at the time, made it the most powerful engine ever developed for an all-wheel-drive BMW.

To control this immense firepower through the corners, M sorted the suspension and brakes to suit, combined with the M-tuned xDrive all-wheel drive system, super sticky performance tyres and BMW’s Dynamic Performance Control systems.

But, if you’re thinking of buying an X5 M because you just must have a European SUV and the X5 M surely must be close to the pinnacle of German manufacturing, the X5 M is not made in Germany, it’s not even made in Europe. It is manufactured in a township called Greer in South Carolina, that’s in the United States. Interesting.

While the 2015 to 2018 F85 x5 M may look very similar to a normal run-of-the-mill X5, under its beautifully sculpted and muscular bodywork, things are quite different.

Engine-wise, the X5 M gets an M-tuned and enhanced 4.4-Liter twin-turbo V8 which at the time, made it the most powerful engine ever developed for an all-wheel-drive BMW.

While the 2015 to 2018 F85 x5 M may look very similar to a normal run-of-the-mill X5, under its beautifully sculpted and muscular bodywork, things are quite different.

Engine-wise, the X5 M gets an M-tuned and enhanced 4.4-Liter twin-turbo V8 which at the time, made it the most powerful engine ever developed for an all-wheel-drive BMW.

Exterior:

Some owners have complained about excessive road noise entering the car from the driver’s side door due to poorly fitted insulation/sound fitting from the factory.

Panoramic sunroofs are known to suffer from leaks due to the drains clogging easily. When sorting this, it’s a good idea to make sure the drainage under the windscreen is clean too.

The reversing camera is known to have a few issues, with the display not being clear or the screen turning off when reverse is selected.

Hex screws attaching the underbody shields can come loose.

There is also a range of sporadic reports regarding various electronic issues, lights acting up, door lock actuators and window motors failing, although not what we’d call common but there can be issues.

Interior:

There are multiple reports of the steering wheel and steering wheel columns making harsh grinding or creaking noises.

The leather on the side of the driver’s seat is known to crack and split however, we question those owners’ techniques for getting in and out possibly more than the quality of the leather.

Also, like the exterior, there’s a long list of sporadic electronic gremlins that can occur which is a concern as the X5 M is loaded with interior electronics.

Mechanically:

The S63 twin-turbo petrol V8 is an evolution of the N63 and it should be noted, the early versions of the N63 are regarded as arguably one of the least reliable of all modern BMW engines.

Is the S63 any better? And have BMW fixed all the problems? Sort of. They have many of the same types of problems the early versions had albeit much less common, but still, plenty of problems.

The worst of them is con-rod bearing failure. If you hear any ticking or knocking sounds, it is too late and you’re up for tens of thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

The entire valve train is very complex and timing chain issues are not unheard of, but also expensive.

Problems with the VANOS solenoids are fairly common and luckily, relatively inexpensive to repair.

They are prone to oil consumption. BMW says this is normal but reports have shown, some can use up to 4 litres between 10,000km service intervals and that’s frightening in an engine that’s known to have big-end bearing failures when starved of oil.

Speaking of oil starvation, that’s what kills turbos and there are plenty of reports of that.

There are probably 30 different coolant hoses and if any of them become soft from oil leaking onto them (which they’re prone to do) be prepared to replace these hoses fairly regularly.

The ZF 8-speed transmission is considered reliable (when serviced properly) although they do have some oil

Exterior:

Some owners have complained about excessive road noise entering the car from the driver’s side door due to poorly fitted insulation/sound fitting from the factory.

Panoramic sunroofs are known to suffer from leaks due to the drains clogging easily. When sorting this, it’s a good idea to make sure the drainage under the windscreen is clean too.

The reversing camera is known to have a few issues, with the display not being clear or the screen turning off when reverse is selected.

Hex screws attaching the underbody shields can come loose.

Interior:

There are multiple reports of the steering wheel and steering wheel columns making harsh grinding or creaking noises.

The leather on the side of the driver’s seat is known to crack and split however, we question those owners’ techniques for getting in and out possibly more than the quality of the leather.

Also, like the exterior, there’s a long list of sporadic electronic gremlins that can occur which is a concern as the X5 M is loaded with interior electronics.

Mechanically:

The S63 twin-turbo petrol V8 is an evolution of the N63 and it should be noted, the early versions of the N63 are regarded as arguably one of the least reliable of all modern BMW engines.

Is the S63 any better? And have BMW fixed all the problems? Sort of. They have many of the same types of problems the early versions had albeit much less common, but still, plenty of problems.

The worst of them is con-rod bearing failure. If you hear any ticking or knocking sounds, it is too late and you’re up for tens of thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

The entire valve train is very complex and timing chain issues are not unheard of, but also expensive.

Problems with the VANOS solenoids are fairly common and luckily, relatively inexpensive to repair.

Speaking of oil starvation, that’s what kills turbos and there are plenty of reports of that.

There are probably 30 different coolant hoses and if any of them become soft from oil leaking onto them (which they’re prone to do) be prepared to replace these hoses fairly regularly.

The ZF 8-speed transmission is considered reliable (when serviced properly) although they do have some oil leak issues and oil cooler complications.

The list of potential problems here is immense but the good news is, if you service them religiously (and we mean every 5000km) you’re less likely to have problems with it.

Yes, there are some lucky owners out there that have had very few problems but having said that anything over 150,000km is a ticking bomb.

Recalls:

29 January 2021 – It was discovered that a fault during welding process meant a seam on the front axle wasn’t welded properly. This can result in complete separation of the right side tension strut. It affected 14 examples in the X5, X6 and X7 range.
29 January 2021 – Foreign bodies were found to have entered the battery cells which could lead to a short circuit in a fully-charged high-voltage battery. This issue affected 62 examples across the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, X5 & MINI Countryman.