This new generation of BMW X5 is easily the biggest design departure from the family lineage, as it borrows styling from the new Neue Klasse line of EVs, despite not actually being a Neue Klasse model. In isolation, the new X5 might not seem all that radical looking, since it fits in line with other new Bimmers, like the iX3. When you see it against the original E53-generation, though, the differences are shocking, not just in terms of design but also design philosophy.
In this new video from The Fast Lane Classics, you get to see the newest and the oldest X5s side-by-side and it’s pretty wild to see. I’m not one to always just hate on the new car (even though it can seem like that with modern Bimmers sometimes), but this new X5 makes me appreciate the original so much more.
The original in question is specifically a 2003 BMW X5 4.6is, making it not only a facelifted model but also the most desirable, as it packed a 4.6-liter V8 with 342 horsepower. It’s also in perfect condition, since it’s always been in BMW’s collection, without every being sold, so don’t expect the E53 you find on Facebook Marketplace to look like this one. Back in 1999, when the X5 first launched, it seemed like heresy to the BMW faithful. But looking at it now, it feels like it sat perfectly in the lineup back then. Its kidney grilles are small and delicate, its headlights are two simple circles, and its overall shape and simple body lines look homogenous with cars like the E46 3 Series and E39 5 Series. Time has been kind to the E53’s design, and it looks better than ever.
On the other side, the new X5 isn’t so subtle anymore. Its grilles, mercifully, are rather small, but its entire front end is bigger, brasher, and far more high-tech. The headlights are big “Xs” instead of circles and they’re built into big shiny black panels. It isn’t bad looking, but compared to the old one it just looks so… busy. Out back, it looks like an iX, with super wide taillights and wide rear hips. It looks athletic, even though it also looks like it weighs as much as a small elephant.
Inside is where the comparison get out of hand. Obviously, the newer car is going to far more high-tech inside, since technology has obviously moved on so much. But the ethos seems different, too. The E53 is so simple, with minimal shapes and few frills. The new X5 punches you in the face with stuff. The doors have tons of little dashes on them, the dashboard has three screens, the steering wheel isn’t only square, it has four spokes, like a crosshair aiming the airbag at your face. There are crystal touches on the steering wheel and shift switch, too. It’s a cool and interesting interior, even though I’ll never like that steering wheel, and customers who spend big bucks on luxury cars will appreciate the extravagance. But it’s hard not to yearn for the simpler times of the E53’s subtle but high-quality cabin.
None of this is to shame the new X5, it’s a product of its time. All modern luxury cars are flashier, techier, and a bit more ridiculous than their early ’00s ancestors. Still, though, old Bimmers just hit differently and it’s hard to not want to go back to those days.
