5 Pros

1. The BMW X5 remains the end word in on road performance for a big SUV. Its performance around corners has been described as “staggering” given its enormous size
2. 5 out of 5 star safety as you would expect in a tank
3. You can have 7 seats in this car
4. All the engines are crazy fast and the diesels are very efficient (the xDrive40d does a particularly good job at both)
5. Loads of interior space and most of the models are very well equipped (although the base model is under equipped for the price and misses out on sat nav and a rear view camera)

5 Cons

1. Built in the US (so don’t get all snooty European on me) 
2. The new Mercedes-Benz ML is almost $20k cheaper and better in many respects
3. The underlying model is getting old and due to be replaced next year
4. Not as capable off-road as the excellent Land Rover Discovery 4 (which probably has just as much street cred and is up to $30k cheaper)
5. The ride can be a little firm and there is no spare tyre in 7 seat versions (a slight problem if you try and go off-road)

Concluding personality type: Diamonds: Incredible yes, but you get the feeling they are massively overpriced

X5 owner unsurprisingly misses the apex