BMW X5 Scores Carbon Armour And 23-Inch M Performance Wheels

The fifth-generation BMW X5 has barely landed, and Munich has already opened the parts catalogue. Two fresh ranges arrive alongside the new X5 and its all-electric sibling, the first BMW iX5. One sharpens the look. The other makes the big SUV work harder on a Friday afternoon. Both are available from launch, so buyers can spec the car once and be done.

Start with the M Performance hardware. Carbon front trims wrap the surfaces inside the illuminated frame of the redesigned Iconic Glow kidney grille. Below sits a three-part carbon fibre front splitter that trims kerb weight while tidying airflow. A high-gloss black roof spoiler caps the tailgate, and carbon flow blades flank the rear diffuser on either side. The clever bit is the material choice further back. Both the mirror caps and the rear diffuser are moulded in aramid rather than carbon. It looks and behaves much like the real thing, yet electromagnetic waves pass straight through it. That keeps the mirror-mounted sensors and the tailgate antennas working exactly as BMW intended.

Wheels run from 21 to 23 inches, offered as complete summer and winter sets. The pick of the bunch is a 23-inch Y-spoke 1110 M Bicolour alloy in Jet Black with a gloss-milled face. Fill those arches and the X5 looks considerably meaner from fifty paces. There is an exhaust note to chase, too. A dedicated M Performance silencer system is planned for the forthcoming V8-engined M Performance model, though regulations mean it stays off the menu in Europe. Carbon fibre tailpipe finishers are on the list for the V8 and for the X5 M60e xDrive.

The functional side is less shouty and arguably more useful. New Aero roof boxes come in 350, 450 and 550-litre sizes, each swallowing 30 litres more than the box it replaces while cutting through the air more cleanly. Matching Aero and Flex luggage bags slot inside to stop the load shifting about. A rear box adds another 300 litres when mounted on the cycle carrier, and two Flex bags drop straight into it. The bags themselves are cut from ballistic polyester with nubuck trim, and come with moulded handles, a padded shoulder strap, side and inner pockets and a separate shoe bag.

Rear passengers get looked after as well. The Travel and Comfort System already mounts a magnetic phone holder to the back of each front seat as standard. Two optional tablet holders join it, the Pro version gaining an extra joint for more adjustment plus silver detailing. A separate smartphone adapter clicks into either one and takes handsets up to seven inches while leaving the charging ports clear. Waterproof all-weather mats front and rear, plus a matching boot mat, round the range off for anyone who treats an X5 as a working vehicle rather than an ornament.