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This week brought the debut of an all-new Bavarian automobile. The fourth installment of the X5 is a meaningful one for a variety of reasons.

Mostly, it's because of how important it is to the brand. THINK: Consumers are buying sport-utility vehicles in record numbers AND the X5 is the volume selling SUV for BMW. This isn't a vehicle that BMW can afford to botch.

BMW X5

There's just one problem, however. BMW may have botched it by playing it safe.

Looking back into the X5, this is a vehicle that hasn't been reinvented since the second-generation X5. It's largely been a carry over for quite some time now. Sure, there's been a lot of incremental improvements but we don't think that's what truly defines a great product. You have to swing for the fences, especially when Mercedes-Benz continues upping its game and Tesla is — literally — changing what buyers want in a vehicle.

The more I look at the latest X5 I think it's a neat, trim design. Its interior is tasteful. But it's not something we haven't seen before and it has zero sizzle. It just is what it is. If you can't afford a Land Rover Range Rover and you want to slide into something that'll get the job done, it will suffice.

But, I am pretty sure that's not what BMW's were always about: Being good enough to merit a sale.

That said, I've got to ask: Is the all-new X5 simply the ultimate EVOLUTION machine? Could BMW have done something even greater?


BMW X5

































Is The All-new 2019 BMW X5 The Ultimate EVOLUTION Machine? Could BMW Have Done MORE?

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