Compare the2022 Bentley BentaygaVS 2022 BMW X5 xDrive45e

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Bentley Bentayga have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Bentley Bentayga 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 xDrive45e doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Bentayga and X5 xDrive45e have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Bentayga has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X5 xDrive45e’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Bentayga has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Bentayga helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then projects the image on the windshield, near the driver’s line of sight. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Bentayga and the X5 xDrive45e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available collision warning systems and lane departure warning systems.

The Bentayga comes with a full 3-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The X5 xDrive45e’s 50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

The Bentayga’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 153 more horsepower (542 vs. 389) and 125 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 443) than the X5 xDrive45e’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Bentayga SPEED’s standard 6.0 turbo 12-cylinder produces 237 more horsepower (626 vs. 389) and 221 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 443) than the X5 xDrive45e’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Bentayga’s fuel efficiency. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Bentayga and the X5 xDrive45e have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Bentayga’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Bentayga has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the X5 xDrive45e (22.5 vs. 18.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bentayga offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

For better traction, the Bentayga has larger tires than the X5 xDrive45e (285/45R21 vs. 265/50R19). The Bentayga’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X5 xDrive45e (285/45R21 vs. 275/40R21).

The Bentayga’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the X5 xDrive45e’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Bentayga has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the X5 xDrive45e. The Bentayga’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the X5 xDrive45e.

The Bentayga offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Bentayga offers an available active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. BMW doesn’t offer an active suspension on the X5 xDrive45e.

For better maneuverability, the Bentayga SPEED’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the X5 xDrive45e’s (39 feet vs. 41.4 feet). The Bentayga’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the X5 xDrive45e’s (40.6 feet vs. 41.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bentayga has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the X5 xDrive45e (9.7 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Bentayga to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Bentley Bentayga may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 350 pounds less than the BMW X5 xDrive45e.

The Bentayga is 68.7 inches shorter in height than the X5 xDrive45e, making the Bentayga much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The Bentayga has 1.9 inches more front legroom and 3.5 inches more rear legroom than the X5 xDrive45e.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Bentayga’s middle row seats recline. The X5 xDrive45e’s middle row seats don’t recline.

The Bentayga’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X5 xDrive45e’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.

Standard Trailer Sway Mitigation on the Bentayga uses the Electronic 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 xDrive45e doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Bentayga has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X5 xDrive45e (1510 vs. 937 lbs.).

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the X5 xDrive45e, the Bentayga has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Bentayga to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Bentayga has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Bentayga has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the X5 xDrive45e.

Both the Bentayga and the X5 xDrive45e offer optional massaging front seats. The Bentayga also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the X5 xDrive45e.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Bentley Bentayga has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) on the dashboard. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.