Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2022 BMW X5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The X5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Highlander and the X5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the BMW X5:

	Highlander	X5
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	112 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	321/243 lbs.	636/584 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	328	342
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.4%	35%
Neck Stress	179 lbs.	220 lbs.
Neck Compression	90 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	545/323 lbs.	527/418 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the BMW X5:

	Highlander	X5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	72
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	79 G’s	130 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	152 lbs.	584 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	664 lbs.	796 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X5 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 23 points higher than the X5.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The X5 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. BMW is ranked 12th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander gets better mileage than the X5:

			MPG
Highlander
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
X5
	RWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/25 hwy
		4.4 turbo V8	16 city/22 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X5 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Highlander higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW X5 (3). This means the Highlander produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X5 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Highlander stops much shorter than the X5:

	Highlander	X5
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the X5 xDrive40i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the X5’s (37.4 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 800 pounds less than the BMW X5.

Passenger Space

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the X5 can only carry up to 7.

The Highlander has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the X5.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The X5’s middle row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the X5.

	Highlander	X5
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	72.3 cubic feet

The Highlander’s cargo area is larger than the X5’s in almost every dimension:

	Highlander	X5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.8”/48”/80.7”	n.a./40.7”/70”
Max Width	50”	49”
Min Width	45.8”	44”
Height	31”	31.5”

The Highlander’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X5’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Payload and Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X5 (1330 vs. 1014 lbs.).

The Highlander has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X5 (1330 vs. 1030 lbs.).

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Highlander’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the X5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Highlander XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The X5 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Highlander is less expensive to operate than the X5 because it costs $337 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Highlander than the X5, including $504 less for a water pump, $1904 less for a muffler, $179 less for front brake pads, $199 less for a starter, $90 less for fuel injection, $63 less for a fuel pump, $466 less for front struts, $64 less for a timing belt/chain and $1752 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Highlander and the BMW X5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the BMW X5 by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.