KATHMANDU: BMW has explained why it chose not to make the next-generation 2027 X5 significantly more off-road focused, saying most customers never use the SUV to its full off-road potential.
Speaking at the global debut of the new X5, Philip Koehn, BMW’s Senior Vice President for the Luxury Class, Alpina and Rolls-Royce, said enhancing the X5’s off-road capability was not a key development priority,BMWBlog reports.
According to Koehn, the new X5 is the most capable version of the model yet, but BMW focused on improving its overall performance rather than turning it into a dedicated off-road SUV.
The outgoing X5 was available with an Off-Road Package that included air suspension, a locking rear differential, underbody protection and all-terrain tires. BMW believes those features already exceeded the needs of most owners.
Instead of making the X5 more rugged, the German automaker is reportedly considering a separate off-road SUV designed to compete with models such as the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
