2018 BMW X5 vs Volvo XC90

What's the difference?

Big, powerful, practical and prestigious, the xDrive40d is just what a flagship SUV should be, and that M Sport package doesn't just provide tougher looks but better performance in the handling department, too.

If you're in need of something larger then the X7 is coming soon, and so is a new-generation X5, which will arrive with more advanced safety equipment, more modern technology, a different platform and new looks.

If it was me, I'd wait for that new-gen X5 and harass my BMW dealer about when I can put my order in: Storm Trooper White or Russian Oil Oligarch Black? That's the question. M Sport package for sure.

The XC90 may have been the first of Volvo's new breed of cars, but it remains exceptional in its styling, refinement, technology and safety. The R-Design trim level makes it the burger with almost the lot in that it still gives you room to option more and doesn't assume you want, say a sunroof, when you might not.

The T6 engine is excellent – powerful, with plenty of torque. All that's missing is a beefy soundtrack to go with this brute of an SUV. A cool alternative to a large SUV from BMW, Benz and Audi.

The X5 looks large but elegant. There's that long BMW family nose, the set-back cabin and from behind it looks as wide and as tall as The Hulk.

But the dimensions show it's not as massive as it might appear. End-to-end the X5 measures 4886mm long, it's 1938mm wide and 1762mm tall. The Benz GLE is just 67mm shorter in length, pretty much the same width and 34mm shorter in height.

If you're looking for something bigger but still with a BMW badge, you'll be happy to hear the first X7 will land in the next 12 months and it's a monster at more than 5.2m long.

This current X5 is the third generation of a model line that kicked off in 1999. Some things haven't changed – the profile has stayed boxy, the windows large, there are those fog lights peering out through circular wells in the front bumper, and a split tailgate.

Where is the X5 made? Spartanburg, South Carolina in the U-S of A, and this X5 is getting old, well... older, for two reasons. First, car years are like dog years and this X5 arrived in 2013 which makes it a senior citizen; and second, the platform used in this one was carried over from the second generation X5.

So, it's doubly old, but still excellent. When will the new one arrive? It's close; we're talking late 2018, and it'll have the same platform as the 7 Series.

Fear not though, the cabin of the current X5 doesn't feel dated – that large screen, the virtual instrument cluster, the familiar BMW slab-like dashboard, and the luxurious seating add up to a prestigious cockpit worthy of a primo SUV.

I'd say the Mercedes-Benz GLE feels more plush on the inside and boasts a more modern exterior design, but both have a mighty road presence which is all part of the experience.

Can you believe the current Volvo XC90 came into the world in 2014 and still looks this good? Signature elements are the giant grille with its oversized badge, the 'Hammer of Thor' headlights, the unmistakable Volvo tail-lights and the tall profile with enormous windows. Yup, the XC90 is still a futuristic, stylish and elegant-looking brute.

The R-Design trim level enhances the look by adding a gloss-black grille, body-coloured side skirts and bumpers, silver wing mirror caps, aluminium roof rails, a roof-top spoiler, fog lights in the front spoiler, dual tail pipes and the 20-inch alloys you can see in the images.

The modern, minimalist design cabin has also aged well – although the portrait-orientated screen now feels a bit small. I remember writing about how outrageously large it was when it was launched – and then I sat in a Tesla with its mega touchscreen, taking displays to a whole new level.

The R-Design spec makes its presence known in the cabin, too, with the R-Design steering wheel, R-Design Sport pedals and R-Design carpet; it also adds carbon-fibre door inlays and a leather illuminated gearshift knob.

The R-Design trim level also gives buyers two seat trim choices – Nappa leather/Nubuck or Nappa perforated leather. Both are no-cost options and our test car featured the perforated hide.

How big is the XC90? Let's take a look at this seven-seater SUV's dimensions. The XC90 is just less than 5.0m long, more than 2.0m wide (with mirrors) and nearly 1.8m tall.

As far as prestige seven-seat rivals go there's Audi's Q7, Mercedes-Benz's GLS, the Land Rover Discovery and the soon-to-arrive BMW X7.

The X5 is the most practical SUV in BMW's line-up. That's an obvious statement, but I'm not just saying it. In the last six weeks, I've road tested the X1, X2, X3, X4 and X5, and the X6 before them.

There have been day-care drop-offs, trips to the airport, furniture hauling, grocery shopping, and nothing in BMW's range beats this giant box on wheels for practicality.

For starters that split-fold tailgate means you have a seat or table or an awning, and it can be opened in confined spaces.

Inside, the X5's cargo capacity is 650 litres, while the GLE has 550 litres of boot space, but you can fit a recliner chair in both. I know this because in 2015 I bought one of these giant seats second-hand online and brought it home in a Benz GLE. Then three years later I took it to the tip in this BMW X5, which proves it's not just about volume but the size of the boot's aperture, too, and that nobody wants a third hand recliner.

All X5s come with a luggage net, but from the 30d grade upwards the 'storage compartment package' comes standard and includes a glove box net, sunglasses holder, centre armrest strap and hooks in the cargo area.

Storage elsewhere is good with a large split-opening centre console armrest and two cupholders up front, plus another two cupholders in the back row in the rear fold down armrest which also contains a compartment. All doors have giant bottle holders, too.

Space for people is excellent. There aren't many cars that have this much legroom in the back. I'm 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position with about 100mm to spare. Headroom is also excellent.

A third row can be optioned $4600, making the xDrive40d a seven-seater.

There are five 12-volt power outlets – two up front, two in the rear row and another in the boot. There's only one USB port, however, which these days is one less than satisfactory.

It's a giant box on wheels, how could be it be impractical? Actually, there are ways it could be more practical, but first the good points.

There's plenty of room. This is one of the few seven-seat SUVs where even at 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position with space to spare, and then behind that position in the third row with just enough room for my legs. Headroom in the second row is excellent, but the third row is getting tight although my head still isn't touching the roof.

The doors to the second row are large providing a tall and wide opening for easy entry and exit. The third row is a bit tricky to get into, but I haven't met a single seven-seat SUV where entry into the third-row is a breeze.

Even though the XC90 does well to slide and fold its second row (40/20/40 split) forward, I still ended up crawling in on my hands and knees. Older kids will be able to leap in, so put them back there.

The boot is enormous and with the optional air suspension the XC90 can lower itself like an elephant getting down on its knees to make it easier for you to load stuff into the back. Yup, with all seats up you have 314 litres of boot space; with the third row folded flat you'll have a cargo capacity of 1019 litres, and with all of the seats folded (no not the front ones), there's 1868 litres. Those are measured in ISO litres which are different to the VDA litres used by many other car makers.

Storage throughout the cabin is good but could be better. There are two cupholders in the third row, two in the second and another two up front, and while the storage boxes in the armrests in the third row are an excellent idea, the second row just has small door pockets and seat-back cargo nets. It would be good to see drawers under the seats or even a fold out tray from the centre console.

Storage in the front isn't great either – that long sliding panel next to the shifter (you can see it in the images) houses the cupholders, the glove box is also on the smaller side and so is the storage area under that armrest – but it does contain two USB ports. There's one 12-volt power outlet in the second row, another in the boot and a cigarette lighter (or another 12-volt) in the front.

There's four zone climate control – and directional air vents in all three rows.

The Volvo XC90 R-Design T6 lists for $104,900, plus on-road costs. The trim level below, with the T6 engine, is the Inscription which lists for $102,900, and the entry-model is the Momentum for $96,900.

So, while nearly $105K might seem like a lot (especially once you add the on-road costs) you can feel comfortable knowing it's actually mighty fine value for money considering the amount of equipment you're given in return.

Coming standard is the 9.0-inch portrait touchscreen and the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display and sat nav, there's a 10-speaker 330W stereo, Bluetooth and internet connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android auto, digital radio, 360-degree parking camera, gear shifting paddles, power and heated front seats, four-zone climate control, a pop-out booster child seat in the second row, bending LED headlights, fog lights and a proximity key.

That's along with all the R-Design gear which we covered in the section above and the extensive safety equipment list which we'll cover below.

Our test car was fitted with the $8000 'Premium Package' which brings sunblinds for the rear doors, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, air suspension, plus tailored dashboard and door trims. The 'Bursting Blue' metallic paint our car wore is a $1900 option.

Worried you're paying too much? Fear not, because relative to most other prestige seven-seat SUVs the XC90 R-Design T6 is at the more affordable end of the pricing spectrum.

Audi's Q7 3.0TDI Quattro lists for $106,900, Mercedes-Benz's GLS 350d is $118,729, while the Land Rover Discovery TD6 HSE manages to undercut it at $103,000.

It's interesting to note that while the XC90 T6 has a petrol engine, those rivals are diesels. Audi doesn't make a petrol Q7, Land Rover does make petrol Discoveries but only sell diesel ones in Australia, and as for a Benz GLS petrol there's only one - the GLS 500 and that lists for $165,129, which is $60K higher than our Volvo XC90. 

The X5 xDrive40d has an inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine which makes 230kW of power and 630Nm of torque. You'll find the same engine in the 30d but the 40d's is tuned to produce 40kW/70Nm more.

An eight-speed automatic shifts gears seamlessly.

This engine suits the X5 well. It sounds deep and tough, and provides plenty of shove with a 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds. Want to get there faster? Well, the X5 M50d diesel does it in 5.3 seconds and the V8 petrol xDrive50i romps in at 4.9 seconds.

You might not be able to hit those 0-100km/h times while hauling a trailer but the xDrive40d has a braked towing capacity of 2700kg.

If you are covering serious kays the engine in the xDrive40d makes far more sense to me than the petrol electric hybrid xDrive40e (see my review of this one) which is really for urban warriors with daily access to charging. So, is the xDrive40d thirsty? Read on to find out.

The T6 in XC90 R-Design T6 refers to the engine – a 2.0-litre four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged petrol.

You may have noticed in the images that our test car wears a tiny blue square on its tailgate. This is the badge of Volvo's Polestar performance tuning division. All R-Design XC90s come with the 'Polestar Optimisation' package which increases the T6's power output from 235kW to 246kW and its torque from 400Nm to 440Nm.

The Polestar Optimisation package also recalibrates the XC90's throttle response and increases the shifting speed of the eight-speed automatic.

Acceleration from 0-100km/h according to Volvo is 6.4 seconds which is a tenth of a second quicker than an 'un-Polestar-optimised' T6 - say in the Inscription T6 or Momentum T6.

The XC90 R-Design T6 is all-wheel drive and for the five of you out there who will ask, including my father in-law – it's a Haldex 'Generation 5' system.

My bet is the same people will also want to know its braked towing capacity: 2400kg.

It's hard to believe that despite pushing the xDrive40d hard on my country road loop, punishing it in Sydney traffic every day, and not using the stop-start fuel saving system all the time the on-board computer was reporting it was using an average of 10.2L/100km of diesel.

Sure, that's way higher than BMW's official 6.3L/100km, but BMW calculated that number under ideal conditions over a combination of urban and open roads.

In comparison, the xDrive40e petrol-electric plug-in hybrid has an official mileage of 3.3L/100km, but if like me you're not willing or able to charge it every day that meant my fuel consumption rocketed to 15.5L/100km. That's another reason why I'd go for the diesel over the hybrid.

Volvo says the T6 four-cylinder turbo- and supercharged petrol engine with its eight-speed auto should use 8.5L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads – this goes for the Polestar Optimised T6, too.

We measured our test car's fuel economy at the petrol pump and calculated that after 246km of mainly suburban and city running we were using 14.3L/100km. The trip computer reported a slightly higher figure of 14.5L/100km.

A 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds is impressive for something that's shaped like a brick and weighs 2.1 tonnes, but what happens when you come to the first corner?

Well, those Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tyres (275/40 f - 315/35 r) grip hard, the adaptive M Sport suspension holds firm, and you corner flat enough to get on the power early to sling shot away. Great brakes and good pedal feel add to confident piloting, too.

Yes, you can feel the heavy weight, and the steering lacks decent feel, but the grip, suspension and the X5's ability to send 100 per cent of the drive to the rear wheels makes for a surprisingly agile SUV.

The ride is comfortable despite the big run-flat rubber, and the driving position is excellent.

Look, it's by no means as adept as the xDrive M50d or X5M which are real M cars, but it's a comfortable mid-point which allows you to go from cruiser to a bit of a bruiser without going hardcore.

The ride is comfortable despite the big run-flat rubber, and the driving position is excellent – you sit low enough to feel part of the car, but the X5's height means you still have a commanding view. In fact, visibility all around is clear, making the X5 easy to manoeuvre, despite its size, even in car parks.

A quick note about what this car's xDrive40e twin is like to drive while I'm here. Quite different. The hybrid is about 120kg heavier and the SUV I tested had considerable body roll in corners, while acceleration is about a second behind in the 0-100km/h sprint. Another couple of reasons I'd go for the 40d instead.

At 5.0m long, 2.0m wide and nearly 1.8m tall the XC90 R-Design T6 is big, but in comparison to other large SUVs it's one of the easiest to drive.

The images in this review were taken at the top of an eight-storey carpark: it's a good place to take photos of my review cars and at the same time test pilot them through probably the worst-designed car park you'll encounter.

Narrow ramps and tight turns are not really ideal conditions for a large SUV but the great visibility through the XC90's big windows, the excellent field of vision offered by the wing mirrors, the light steering and smooth throttle response made climbing to the summit pretty simple.

The flat, broad bonnet helps with being able to see exactly how much room you have between the concrete pylon and an insurance claim, too. Other large SUVs with curvaceous lines and noses that dip away from sight will have you sitting up like a meerkat trying to see how much room you have.

A four-cylinder petrol engine may seem small for such a large SUV but the T6 is outstanding – it's efficient and impressively powerful. Not once did I feel like it was lacking in grunt, but there were many times I wished the exhaust note sounded beefier.

Our car had the optional air suspension which for the most part turned out a composed and comfortable ride, although being fitted with fairly low profile tyres on large wheels (Continental ContiSport Contact5 275/45 R20) meant when the road surface turned bad the ride suffered.

And these aren't even the largest wheels. The R-Design T6 comes with no-cost option 22-inch wheels – they look good, but you'd be wise to try them before you buy.

The touchscreen will take some getting used to – I kept discovering more hidden 'pages' and functions the more I swiped around it.

A serenely quiet cabin, comfortable seats with uber-stylish surrounds, a commanding driving position and not being in just another German SUV made the experience even more special.

If this was Family Feud and the question was: 'Name a type of car that's safe? I'd bet the answer would be 'Volvo' every time. I'd also wonder if Volvo had paid for the question to be asked on the show.

Anyway, the reputation is justified and the brand continues to pioneer life-saving technology and equip its cars with the latest safety gear.

What's just as noble is how Volvo applies the full range of safety systems to all grades of XC90 – so even the base grade Momentum T6 comes with the same safety features as the R-Design T6.

This includes AEB which Volvo says is active from four km/h and can brake effectively to avoid a collision with a pedestrian at up to 45km/h. At speeds higher than 45km/h but below 70km/h the collision is mitigated.

According to Volvo the system will also detect cyclists and if one swerves into the path of the car, the XC 90 can reduced its speed by up to 50km/h. As for other cars, the XC90 can brake to avoid a collision if the speed difference between the cars is less than 30km/h.

The XC90 is also equipped with adaptive cruise control with stop and go function, lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert with AEB that works while reversing.

A run-off mitigation feature also brakes and uses evasive steering to pull the car back into its lane if the vehicle accidentally starts to veer off the road.

The XC90 is fitted with front airbags, side airbags, driver knee airbag, plus second and third row inflatable curtains.

For child and baby seats you'll find two ISOFIX mounts and three top tether points across the second row – there aren't any in the third row.

The XC90 R-Design T6 has a space saver spare located under the boot floor.

Chinese company Geely own Volvo, but the XC90s that are sold in Australia are made in Sweden.

The X5 xDrive40d is covered by BMW's three year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is condition based, meaning the SUV will let you know when it needs to visit the doctor.

X5 owners can also purchase a five-year/80,000km service plan. The 'Basic' plan costs $1440 and the more comprehensive 'Plus' is $2900. These are also transferable to future owners.

The XC90 is covered by Volvo's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or 12months – whichever comes first.

There are two service programs offered for the XC90. There's the 'SmartCare' plan which costs $2225 for three years/45,000km; $3500 for four years/60,000km and $4230 for five years/75,000km. Then there's the 'SmartCare Plus' plan which costs $3050 for three years/45,000km; $5350 for four years/60,000km and $6540 for five years/75,000km.

It would be good to see Volvo offer capped price servicing, which doesn't need to be purchased as an additional piece of coverage.