2017 BMW X5

Car and Driver calls the 2017 X5 a year of only a few minor changes (opens in a new tab). Cars.com (opens in a new tab) lists the important one: the xLine package, which had been optional in 2016, became standard, bringing stainless-steel underbody cladding, a matte silver grille, satin aluminum roof rails and window trim, and 19-inch star-spoke wheels. Wireless phone charging and a Wi-Fi hot spot became available on every X5. Prices rose $800 on the sDrive35i, xDrive35i and xDrive50i and $1,600 on the xDrive35d, while the xDrive40e plug-in hybrid stayed where it was.

The lineup is wide. MotorTrend (opens in a new tab) measured 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds for the xDrive35i, 6.2 for both the xDrive35d diesel and the xDrive40e plug-in, 4.3 for the xDrive50i and 3.7 for the X5 M, and prices ran from a little over $56,000 for the sDrive35i to just under $100,000 for the M. The plug-in hybrid travels up to 14 miles on electricity alone before it runs like an ordinary hybrid.

NHTSA lists six campaigns for this model year. 17V189 covers passenger frontal air bag inflator modules on the sDrive35i, xDrive35i, xDrive50i, xDrive35d and xDrive40e. 17V327 is a labeling recall on the X5 M, which wears 21-inch tires while its tire label said 20. The diesel is the most affected: 18V755 (emission control, shared with several BMW diesels), 21V586 (a high-pressure fuel pump that may fail on the X5 xDrive35d) and 21V907 (diesel fuel system) all apply. The last, 24V608, is a cooling-pump recall on 2016 to 2018 xDrive40e plug-ins. Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, because each campaign applies to a specific build range and engine.

Owners filed 74 complaints with NHTSA on this model year. Electrical system leads with 17, then fuel and propulsion with 15, engine with 12, power train with 10 and service brakes with 7. Bimmerboom's reliability roundup (opens in a new tab) says V8 owners mention oil consumption and leaks as a recurring issue while inline-six owners report fewer problems, and that owners of air-suspension cars report air leaks and compressor failures that lead to a bumpy ride and costly repairs. Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) still rates it more reliable than other cars from the same model year, and notes head-unit complaints.

In practice that means three things to check on a used 2017 X5: whether the ride height sags overnight (air suspension), whether the engine, especially the xDrive50i V8, uses oil between changes, and whether every recall above shows as completed. Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) treats any single repair over $1,090 as major for this model at 96,000 to 108,000 miles, so an X5 with an unknown service history deserves a pre-purchase inspection.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) puts used 2017 X5 prices from $14,700 for the sDrive35i to $17,200 for the xDrive35d at a dealership, and CarBuzz (opens in a new tab) averages $14,974 across 185 listings. KBB's depreciation page (opens in a new tab) says a 2017 X5 has lost 19 percent in three years, leaving a resale value of $13,300 and a trade-in value of $9,575, and ranks it in the 75th to 100th percentile for depreciation among 2017 SUVs. Buying used is where the money is saved: a car that listed above $56,000 is now a fraction of that.

The 2017 X5 is rated 17 to 25 mpg combined by the EPA, with fuel costs of $3,250 to $4,550 a year on fueleconomy.gov (opens in a new tab). The 2017 Volvo XC90 rates 22 to 25 mpg ($3,100 to $3,500 a year) and the 2017 Audi Q7 21 to 22 mpg ($3,500 to $3,700), so the X5's thirstiest versions cost roughly $1,000 a year more to run than either. The efficient X5s, the diesel and the plug-in hybrid, close that gap but bring the fuel-pump and cooling-pump recalls above.

Choose the X5 if driving dynamics decide it: the xDrive35i's 5.9-second 0 to 60 time and the range from a six-cylinder to a 3.7-second X5 M is a breadth neither the Q7 nor the XC90 offers. Choose the Volvo XC90 if fuel cost and a plug-in option matter more, and the Q7 if you want the closest equivalent to the X5's six-cylinder engine choice.