Compare the2023 Volvo XC90VS 2023 BMW X5

Safety
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 and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC90 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC90 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.

Both the XC90 and X5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC90 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’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 Volvo XC90 offers an optional built in child booster seat. It’s more crash worthy than an added child seat because of its direct attachment to the seat. BMW doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the X5. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC90 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC90’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The X5’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the XC90. But it costs extra on the X5.

Both the XC90 and the X5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC90 is safer than the BMW X5:

	XC90	X5
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	137	209
Neck Injury Risk	27%	34%
Neck Stress	252 lbs.	308 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	112 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	567/631 lbs.	636/584 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	217	342
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	35%
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	220 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	383/334 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 Volvo XC90 is safer than the BMW X5:

	XC90	X5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	51	72
Hip Force	255 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	209	308
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	383 lbs.	796 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC90 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X5 was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the X5:

			MPGe
XC90
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	64 city/68 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	58 city/53 hwy
X5
			MPG
	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

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the X5:

			MPG
XC90
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/28 hwy
		Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	20 city/26 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

The XC90 can travel with zero emissions for 18 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The X5 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The XC90 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC90 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the BMW X5 (3). This means the XC90 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X5 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The XC90 stops much shorter than the X5:

	XC90	X5
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The XC90 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC90’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The X5 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The XC90 B6 Core handles at .85 G’s, while the X5 xDrive40i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC90 B6 Core executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the X5 xDrive40i (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC90’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the X5’s (39.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC90 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X5 (8.8 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the XC90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC90 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the X5 (9.9 vs. 8.7 inches).

Chassis

The Volvo XC90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the BMW X5.

The design of the Volvo XC90 amounts to more than styling. The XC90 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the X5 (.36 to .38) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the XC90 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the XC90 is 3.7 inches lower than the X5 (15.8” vs. 19.5”). The XC90’s rear step up height is 4 inches lower than the X5’s (16” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The XC90’s cargo area provides more volume than the X5.

	XC90	X5
Third Seat Folded	35.6 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	85.7 cubic feet	72.3 cubic feet

The XC90’s cargo area is larger than the X5’s in every dimension:

	XC90	X5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	21.8”/49.6”/80.3”	n.a./40.7”/70”
Max Width	54.7”	49”
Min Width	44.5”	44”
Height	35”	31.5”

The XC90’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 Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC90 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction 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 XC90 has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X5 (1210 vs. 827 lbs.).

The XC90 has a higher maximum payload capacity than the X5 (1210 vs. 1030 lbs.).

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC90 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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC90 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC90 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X5.

The XC90 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 XC90 is less expensive to operate than the X5 because it costs $10 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XC90 than the X5, including $1570 less for a muffler, $76 less for front brake pads, $74 less for a starter, $120 less for fuel injection, $247 less for front struts, $1308 less for a timing belt/chain and $1015 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Car Book by Jack Gillis recommends the Volvo XC90, based on economy, maintenance, safety and complaint levels.

Motor Trend selected the XC90 as their 2016 Sport Utility of the Year. The X5 has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC90 as the 2016 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The X5 has never been chosen.