BMW finally lifted the veil on the G65 BMW X5, and that means it’s time to take a look at how the SUV compares to rivals from as many angles as we can think of. And to accurately compare any BMW, you need to look at how it stacks up against the brand’s longest-running foe: Mercedes-Benz. In the G65’s case, that means comparing it to the Mercedes-Benz GLE. Benz’s big SUV, like Audi’s, also entered a new generation this year, so it should be a perfectly fair race.
Exterior Design
A commonality shared with Audi’s Q7, the Mercedes-Benz GLE suffers from a design that looks very “forward from five years ago” next to the G65 X5. An even larger front grille looks silly next to BMW’s svelte, conservative but sporty X5 front end. Funny enough, both SUVs don unique headlight signatures, and we don’t think the Merc’s are necessarily bad. From the back, the Mercedes again looks already dated, thanks to what is effectively a light bar running the width of the hatch and exhaust outlets poking out underneath the diffusor. The Mercedes-Benz GLE holds up better from a side glance. It trades the BMW’s sleek and sporty look for one decidedly “bigger” and more imposing overall. That impression lines up with reality. The GLE is 3 inches (76.2 mm) shorter, around one inch (25 mm) wider, and two inches (51 mm) taller than the X5.
Interior Design
The next-gen GLE modernizes its interior layout, bringing it more in-line with what we see elsewhere from the brand. That means an interior dominated by the infamous Hyperscreen, but there’s a little more to the story. Poking about the cabin, you notice a surprising number of real buttons. Merc’s iconic seat adjustments — inelegantly and quietly co-opted by BMW in the early 2020s — remain in place. The climate control seems to have at least some real buttons attached to it, and switches and scroll wheels populate the center console. Mercedes has (almost) always done interiors well; and aside from the giant screen, we don’t see anything egregious here. Before you ask: yes, the giant glass sunroof opens on both models.
Performance
Performance is a very different story: there won’t be much of a contest here. The Mercedes-Benz GLE has always been a more luxury-first experience than the X5, and that won’t change with this generation. The base car in fact ships with a paltry turbocharged four-cylinder making 255 horsepower; compare to the base gas X5 that makes 400 horsepower from its legendary B58 inline-six engine. Even the top end of the GLE range taps out at 530 hp, less than both the M performance hybrid model (612 hp) and the first of the EV models (578 hp). This race was over before it started.
Technology
Despite going about it in very different ways, the Mercedes-Benz GLE and G65 X5 offer roughly the same tech experience. Digital Keys, built-in navigation, voice assistance, and even augmented reality features are at your disposal regardless of the SUV you choose. Both trucks offer a passenger-side screen with streaming from apps for music, video, and more. Benz offers a 360-degree camera system as standard, however, which is a nice value boom. Meanwhile, only BMW offers an interior camera. Both companies are integrating AI into driving/parking assistance systems.
So, how does the new GLE compare to the G65 X5? It’s actually closer than initial impressions might suggest. Mercedes’ interior quality — assuming you can get past the screen — gives it a solid edge over the X5, in pictures anyway. Cross-shopping the two might prove to be a testing experience, especially for those unconcerned with how quick their luxury SUV is. For us, the design and performance are reason enough to jump headlong into the G65. What about you?
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
