Compare the2024 Bentley BentaygaVS 2023 BMW X5 xDrive45e

For enhanced safety, the front and rear 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 its second-row 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.

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 X5 xDrive45e have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Bentayga has Reversing Traffic Warning (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The X5 xDrive45e’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

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 and available 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 Hybrid’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 67 more horsepower (456 vs. 389) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 443) than the X5 xDrive45e’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. 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.

On the EPA test cycle the Bentayga Hybrid 3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the X5 xDrive45e running its gasoline engine (18 city/24 hwy vs. 19 city/22 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Bentayga V8’s fuel efficiency. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

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

The Bentayga Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the X5 xDrive45e (19.8 vs. 18.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Bentayga’s standard fuel tank has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the X5 xDrive45e (22.5 vs. 18.2 gallons).

The Bentayga SPEED 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bentayga’s wheelbase is .8 inches longer than on the X5 xDrive45e (117.9 inches vs. 117.1 inches). The Bentayga EWB’s wheelbase is 7.9 inches longer than on the X5 xDrive45e (125 inches vs. 117.1 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Bentayga EWB’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the X5 xDrive45e’s (38.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet). The Bentayga’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the X5 xDrive45e’s (40.6 feet vs. 41.3 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 up to about 300 pounds less than the BMW X5 xDrive45e.

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.

The Bentayga’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the X5 xDrive45e’s (7165 vs. 5952 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Mitigation on the Bentayga (except Hybrid) 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. 996 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.

The Bentayga EWB’s optional power side swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the sport utility. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer a power rear door.

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.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Bentayga offers optional dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Bentayga’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The X5 xDrive45e doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

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 rear 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 and one for the rear passengers. Wireless charging costs extra on the X5 xDrive45e.