when the redesigned 2019 bmw x5 goes on sale some two weeks before thanksgiving, the top-end, v-8-powered xdrive50i will set you back $76,745 with destination, or about as much as america's priciest restaurant turkey dinner. unlike the latter, the x5 does not proffer foie gras stuffing or caviar-topped potatoes. but it does pack a 456-horsepower, turbocharged v-8 and standard all-wheel drive, plus two 12.3-inch dashboard screens, adaptive led headlights and a panoramic moonroof.
minus the v-8, the six-cylinder x5 xdrive40i serves as the base model for 2019 as of this writing, and it starts at $61,695. that gets you a turbo six-cylinder used engine good for 335 hp, plus all the other features at a price that's $1,200 north of the outgoing, turbo six-cylinder x5 xdrive35i.
standard features in the five-seat suv include the dashboard screens, leds and moonroof mentioned above, plus driver-adjustable shock absorbers, a navigation system, a blind spot warning system and forward collision warning with low-speed automatic emergency braking. optional features are air springs and active stabilizer bars, as well as cabin comforts like heated armrests, bowers & wilkins premium audio, and heated and cooled cupholders. (balk all you want, but the trick cupholders have been around for a while.) eventually, a third-row seat will also join the options.
with the outgoing x5, bmw offered a base rear-drive variant called the sdrive35i that started at $58,195 — $3,500 less than the least expensive 2019 x5. the automaker may yet reprise the lower-priced variant, however, as spokesman oleg satanovsky told us bmw plans to offer a rear-drive x5 40i at some point. it also plans to cook up plug-in hybrid and higher-performance versions of the suv — both available with the outgoing generation — but announcements are still to come. a diesel version for the u.s. "is a possibility," satanovsky added, but a decision is pending. the 2019 x5 goes on sale nov. 10.
's editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. in line with 's long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don't accept gifts or free trips from automakers. the editorial department is independent of 's advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.