Sector: Lower Medium Price: £14,340–£18,900 Fuel: 48.7–70.6mpg CO2: 104–134g/km

It wasn’t so very long ago that driving something the size and magnitude of the new BMW X5 would carry the same level of public intolerance as leaving your child in a locked room with a rabid Rottweiler.

Thankfully, those days are well behind us. Not least in part by the fact carmakers have got their act together, proving it is possible for these type of vehicles to be as kind and caring to the environment as a standard family hatchback.

So then, it shouldn’t come as complete shock to learn the latest X5 diesel derivative, the M50d, delivers the sort of efficiency which means you can raise a two-fingered salute to the Green Party while smugly driving around in BMW’s flagship SUV.

Like the rest of new X5 range, which we will be introduced to later in the year, the M50d is lighter than its predecessors, explaining one of the reasons why it’s now, overall, 12% more efficient than before. The other and more salient reason has to be attributed to the re-engineered 3.0-litre diesel engine in it. Even though outputs remain unchanged – 375bhp and 546lb.ft of torque – this triple-turbocharged unit does boast a reduction in CO2 emissions, down from the previous 199g/km to 177g/km. Fuel consumption has been improved too. It’ll now average 42.2mpg (compared to 37.7mpg), while being marginally faster in the sprint: 0-62mph is covered in 5.3 seconds. 

BMW has anointed the M50d with the “M Performance” badge, the only model in the X5 range to carry such a moniker; neatly shoehorning it between those cars fitted with the M Sport package and the high-performance models built by BMW’s M division. To match this newly found trim level, it comes equipped with more standard kit than ever before, which goes some way to justify the £4,425 price hike. Now, at £63,715, it’s only £200 shy of being the most expensive in the X5 range. With that said, and when compared against its market rivals, on a like-for-like basis, it still represents quite good value for money.

Visually, it wears the full M Sport bodykit with great aplomb with deeper bumpers, gaping air intakes and flared sideskirts, and gives the appearance which would make you think it means business. Its eight-speed automatic transmission shifts seamlessly and responds quickly to manually selected gears. There’s plenty of grip too, enhanced by the four-wheel drive system which seems equally confident tackling a high-speed, sharp right-handed bend or being asked to plough its way across a boggy field.

However, while it is quite happy flexing its muscles, either off or on-road, it never truly feels overtly sporty – not sporty in a way that the M badge would first suggest. The only time this big SUV becomes remotely more responsive is when the Sport+ mode is engaged. Does any of this really matter? Well, given that it’ll always be compared against the similarly powered Range Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne, it does.

And if it’s not being bought as a true driving machine then there’s a good case to argue for opting for the X5 30d, which is over £11,000 cheaper.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a big, fuel-efficient SUV, where price or true driving dynamics aren’t an issue, then there’s little not to like about the X5 50d.