We Took a BMW X5 Rock-Crawling. It’s Better Than You Think

BMW has never been in the business of off-roading. Its crossovers perform best on pavement, with the looks, ride quality, and performance you expect from the German luxury automaker. That is, until now.

BMW launched an $11,000 off-road package last year for its ever-popular X5, dubbed the “xOffroad Package.” It adds useful features like all-terrain tires, a five-level air suspension, and a rear limited-slip differential lifted from the X5 M60i. Curious to see whether this was just some flashy way to rein in posh buyers too scared to scale their gravel driveway or an actual off-road machine, we took it to a rock-crawling course.

Let’s get this out of the way: The X5 will never be a true rock crawler. It doesn’t have low-range gearing, and there are no locking differentials. This package, available only with the xDrive40i, relies on the standard car’s full-time all-wheel-drive system with a clutch-type transfer case. That’s good enough for low-grip situations like rain or snow, but not for scaling cliff sides. 

That meant my expectations when visiting North East Off-Road Adventures (NORA), an off-roading park in upstate New York, were low. I knew this X5 wouldn’t be able to reach the same trails as the Lexus LX700h we brought along (or trucks like the Tacoma Trailhunter and Colorado ZR2 Bison we’ve tested there previously). So I figured we’d take it through some straightforward obstacles to see if it could manage. If the car failed, we could easily pull it out, no harm done.

Photo by: DW Burnett

Pros: Surprisingly Capable Off-Road, Still Nice on Pavement

To my surprise, the X5 didn’t fall completely flat. NORA’s easiest course, meant for AWD cars like Subarus, presents a selection of rock climbs, descents, and challenging turns, all of which were coated in a thin layer of slick, dead leaves. I decided not to air down the General Grabber AT tires, simply because the 20-inch wheels didn’t provide for much sidewall, and I didn’t want to curb them. 

Despite running at street pressure, the rubber was the star here; the X5 might not have conquered half of the obstacles without it. On uphill climbs, the X5’s off-road package made quick work of uneven surfaces, using the tire’s blocky tread and the car’s exclusive suite of off-road drive modes to modulate torque through brake vectoring. Not having low range sucked, though. Having it allows you to rely on engine braking and makes it easier to modulate the throttle at low speeds. But I never felt like this truck was going to get stuck. 

Photo by: DW Burnett

Photo by: DW Burnett

Through these obstacles, nothing worked better than a boot full of throttle, letting the traction control and the LSD sort everything out. The B58 turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six might be the X5’s base engine, but with 375 horsepower on tap, it’s more than enough for this type of driving.

Traversing steep descents is a bit simpler. The X5 comes standard with hill descent control, which, when activated, will automatically use the brakes to hold the vehicle at a pre-set speed while traveling down an incline. All you have to do is steer. You can set it to travel at anywhere between 2 and 20 miles per hour, which is nice for slippery stuff like mud or snow. 

There are times when I want to be traveling even slower than that, though, just to ensure I wouldn’t bottom out and damage this vehicle I don’t own. Thankfully, the brakes are well-tuned to ultra-low-speed modulation, making our few true rock-crawling efforts a relative breeze. With what little equipment the X5 had, it impressed everyone on the course. Even with the air suspension in its highest setting. It was ground clearance that held this thing back, not traction.

Photo by: DW Burnett

Cons: No Low-Range or Locking Differentials, Not a True Off-Roader

The off-road package is a strong value, too. In addition to the equipment I mentioned earlier, it adds things like roof rails, a tow hitch, a head-up display, a Harman Kardon sound system, and a bunch of blacked-out trim. The package also comes standard with Lime Rock Gray paint, a BMW Individual color you’d normally have to pay thousands extra to have. 

The X5 xDrive40i normally starts at $69,175. With this off-road package and a $900 parking assistant package, our tester came in at $81,075. That’s pretty reasonable. Sure, you can get a top-of-the-line Lexus GX for the same money, and it would walk away from this X5 on a challenging trail. But even with the off-road pack, this BMW drives better than the GX on the road, and its interior is a far nicer place to spend time. 

This package is perfect for someone who wants all the greatness of the X5 but needs a bit more support to make it that last mile up an unmaintained road or a long, challenging driveway buried deep in the forest or desert. It’ll do a bit of the true rock-crawling stuff, but it doesn’t feel at home there. It still feels best on the highway, but with these little upgrades, you won’t have to panic when the going gets tough.

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Source: DW Burnett