newbmb

Hi. New here. I am looking at the X5 and GLE. I think the GLE fits what I want better but right or wrong, I am more concerned about GLE 450 reliability vs the X5.

I'm interested to hear what swayed people to choose the GLE over other cars.

Thanks.

shotgun_banjo

More comfortable

mikapen

The X5 was rated good for reliability because it was the oldest and least developed of the competition. Now the new generation will join the other models with advanced technology, which confuses reviewers and owners, and may have its own set of issues.

Both have gone through their 48v battery problems (resulting from Tesla's theft of IP and manufacturing facilities).

​​​​​​Choose the one you like, and don't worry about reliability.
ALso consider the Dealer's service reputation from the one you'll be using.

mikapen

A more direct answer as to why I chose MB -
BMW's handling was so atrocious that I had to check tire pressures during a test drive. It just wouldn't turn and brake at the same time is the best I can describe.
BMW harsh ride - runflats? Awkward appearance. I didn't fit on the car.

But I haven't driven a new one.

OldMerc94

I owned a 2021 X5 xDrive45e and traded it in for a 2020 GLE450.

The Good:
- Interior quality was better than MB in terms of material, fit, and finish (no rattles, better leather etc).
- Hybrid drivetrain was phenomenal in operation and averaged 45mpg (excluding electricity since it cost $13/mo to charge)
- 45e was quicker than you’d expect - more like the GLE53 instead of GLE450
- Backup Assistant was nice - used it frequently
- iDrive was better than MBUX for me
- Tires were all the same size (square setup) - and lasted longer since I could rotate them
- Great headlights and decent interior LED scheme with the light up sunroof at night.
- Controls on the steering wheel were more intuitive and I could enable / disable steering assist for cruise control with a button on the wheel (used it all the time)

The Bad:
- X5 body control was terrible in Comfort Drive Mode - very wallowy and poorly controlled over slow heave bumps. Head toss was annoying. Sport Mode was a little too choppy. Just not a great air suspension configuration and it felt under damped - and surprisingly didn’t corner all that well despite all the low down weight.
- Noisy - X5 was way noisier than I expected - I do a lot of road trips and I sometimes wore noise cancelling buds
- Slow charging for older hybrid (this has been addressed in the LCI) - 3.9kW charging rate took 4-7hours to hit full charge for 35mi of range

The Ugly:
- Air Conditioning couldn’t keep the cabin cool and comfortable above 90deg - known issue with the 45e variant, was a deal breaker for me
- Confusing HVAC controls - seriously, BMW needs to redesign their HVAC control scheme. It’s terrible and not intuitive - requires too much menu diving to get things adjusted right.
- Back seat leg room was embarrassingly small for such a huge vehicle - like laughably bad

I am way happier with the GLE because it better fits my driving style and wants - the eABC suspension is the best setup I’ve had for the highway…seriously, it erases head toss and side to side motion completely. Speed bumps get erased. It floats over the highway. Can drive for 5hrs straight without getting sore or exhausted. Just a better vehicle for crossing continents. However, it does crash a little harder over sharp bumps in the city compared to the X5. Massage seats are way better. Interior noise levels with the Acoustic Comfort Package is light years better.

Both are good cars - but the GLE met my expectations better in terms of comfort, noise, and interior space.

MBguy013

What reliability concerns do you have? I've had my 2021 450 with 20k miles for almost 2 years and have not had any major concerns that has left me questioning why I bought it.

HotRodW

I preferred the X5's inline six engine and ZF gearbox, but I chose the GLE for its slightly easier entry for my petite wife, larger rear seat, styling, and because my last BMW experience was an absolute disaster. Unfortunately I've had a lot of issues with my GLE, so I can say with 100% confidence I made the wrong choice. If I could have a do-over, I'd go with the X5, or more likely skip both and look elsewhere. The 2024 X5 is of no interest to me, so it won't be a consideration when/if I get fed up with my GLE and the lousy dealership experience.

djgiovanni

I would consider a Porsche Cayenne before a BMW X5. Just throwing it out there.

j_house_

That’s easy!

BMW = Luxury Sports Car
MB = Sporty Luxury Car

elbekko

Tow capacity. One of the only proper plug-in hybrids that'll tow 3500kg.

BlueYonder

I have a 2015 X5 diesel. Very uncomfortable seats. Lots of problems, multiple recalls for exhaust system. I have had to replace a coolant sensor, fuel injector, and oil filter attachment gasket in the last 3 months. $2200 for the injector alone. Service manager says when one injector goes, the others are likely to follow. A/C system is difficult to operate. Automatic temperature control is a joke. The interior door handle disintegrated (a known problem and not covered by BMW). On the plus side, I love the diesel engine (minus the problems), the X5 drives well and the dash layout is well designed. I wish Mercedes would adopt the rear tailgate design of the X5.

I also had a 2018 GLE 550e. Much more comfortable than my X5. Seats were much better. Interior material quality was well above the X5. I had far less trouble with the GLE. They replaced the transmission valve body early on under warranty to fix the hard shifting problem. Other than that, no major issues.

I looked at both cars as a replacement for my 2018 GLE. The 2024 GLE 450 and 2024 X5 have comparable power and acceleration. I found the GLE to be more comfortable, quieter, and had better seats. The X5 had a smoother transmission. Both cars drive well. The GLE would be my first choice for a long road trip. I especially disliked the new dash design for the X5. The new 2024 X5 LCI looks like they designed it, realized they forgot the instrument display, and just slapped one on top of the dash.

The X5 is my daily driver/grocery getter. There would have been little advantage to a new X5 PHEV as around town local driving is where the electric drive shines. As I learned with my GLE 550e, on long highway trips, once the battery is depleted, there is not much, if any, advantage over the straight ICE version. I always dreaded the possibility of a battery failure out of warranty.

RockChips

Have you had BMWs before?

They aren't reliable.

Currently, I have a F15 X5.

The sunroof leaks on every F15.

The steering column breaks on every F15.

And the newer X5 is supposed to be even more unreliable. 😂

manbeing

We tested drive , x5, 350 and 450.
My wife likes 450 because its interior and 6 cylinder engine.
I have to say x5 has better driving experience than 450, but interior is not good. Honestly, GLE is a good choice for women ( my sales person also said that)
If you have a tight budget, go with a x5 as x5 is less expensive than 450 ( don't consider 350 as it is a 4 cylinder engine car ) for the similar options.

Frenetic

I owned a 2020 X5 M50i and a 2022 GLE53 and the X5 was superior imo.

It was way, way faster, had a smoother ride/suspension, much better transmission, higher quality interior, didn’t skip and take chunks out of your front tires on slow speed turns, and the overall build quality and fit and finish was vastly superior. The only drawback to the X5 vs GLE was rear seat legroom. I would choose the X5 over the GLE.

MBArizona

Great question! I am currently going back and forth with ordering a new GLE 53 or the 24 BMW X5 M60i. Overall, I'm leaning towards the GLE since I've previously owned a BMW but the X5 has the GLE beat with features/options:

• Digital Key Plus and key card
• Seemingly better incentives and lease numbers
• S68 engine with 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque
• Seat color in one solid color vs the 2-tone color
• Panoramic sky lounge roof with LED lights
• Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Audio System with 20 speakers ( The Burmester 3D is still not available on the GLEs)
• I prefer the flush gloss black roof rails on the X5 but the GLE roof rails seem more functional.

mb2be

IMO, this guy sums it up
I don't have a 450 but I currently have a 350 and a 40i.I prefer X5 as my DD and take her GLE for family long trips.
GLE is extremely comfortable for long drives. Nice soft suspension with very comfortable first and second rows . X5 is very tight.
GLE with AMG line looks more luxury while X5 looks sportier IMO.
X5 does come with staggered tires. I feel X5 is more planted. GLE floats too much for me. I feel at similar high speeds, GLE feels much faster. I feel X5 corners better.
X5 is noisier because for the same wheel size, GLE has higher sidewalls. And it's also because of BMW's RFs. Once you switch to regular similar size walls, they ride about the same except suspension on GLE is a lot softer. Too soft for my taste actually. One time we went over a drop and it wasn't fun.
AC in X5 is fine for me. Set to the fan speed, temp with auto on, the system does the rest. It also has Max AC button that can get the car cool down faster if needed. I hate MB's recirculation rule. It doesn't let you keep recirculation on long.
X5 lets you remote start with the fob and engine stays on when door is opened. It also does not care about your fuel level. MB would not start if fuel is below (I think) 1/3.
You can use a phone as a key on the X5 and it also comes with a plastic key. Both of these are super convenient when going to the pool/beaches. You can also share "the key" to another person via a text when needed.
The tilted (now curved) display is much better than the big flat screen on the GLE
Not all GLE's head units can play video.
If CarPlay is your thing, X5 is better.
If you want to be able to change couple of hidden settings on your car, X5 is better. Bimmercode works wonderfully.

newbmb

In terms of reliability for any brand, it's pretty difficult to come up with an accurate picture. The combination of forum posts here and elsewhere, consumer reports ranking the gle low for some recent years and JD Power ranking MB fifth or sixth from the bottom is sort of how I'm piecing it together. I realize there are each of these sources are to be taken with a huge grain of salt for different reasons but I don't have much else to go on. Land Rover ranks last in JD Power and I believe that but I also have friends who love their recent RRS's and have not had problems.

It seems like the GLE suits my use better which is to eat up miles comfortably and in a semi-automated way on road trips- not that the x5 is bad at that.

pmrob

I have a 2022 X5 and my wife has a 2020 GLE 350. First, what I think does not matter. Do what works for you. Both are decent vehicles and will serve the purpose. My 2 cents:

Infotainment: I have the iDrive 7. I much prefer that interface to the MBUX as I can do a lot more without taking my eyes of the road. The new X5 is less user friendly I have heard as many hard buttons are now screen based. IDrive controller still there which is preferred to the MB method but the userfiendlieness is probably closer than it was than when I purchased mine.

Interior quality: BMW is a step above. If you do not tap the door cards or push the bottom of the dash to see how solid and squishy it is, you may never know or care.

Seats: Base MB fine. Base BMW not so fine. Multi contour on BMW work better for me than base seats in wife's GLE 350. I never sat in MB seat upgrade. Probably more comfortable if you want to spend $4k + (since it requires other options you can exclude in BMW). MB allows more seat and steering adjustment. BMW pleather a bit nicer than MB pleather.

Engine/tranny: Adequate power in the GLE 350. Transmission tuning downright dangerous and can make the car a hazard. Seems to be an MB issue. BMW drivetrain is simply superlative. Never drove a GLE 450. I suspect it is good but not quite as good as X5 engine/tranny in mine or LCI. Most will probably not care who have MB. I care and that is one of the reasons I have this instead of wife's car.

Ride/Handling (base): Both ride mediocre in base, BMW a bit better. Reviews suggest BMW has a better air suspension IF YOU CAN GET IT. MB supposed to not react that quickly. BMW supposed to be superlative (but other poster thought too floaty so opinions mixed). It can be ordered on GLE 450. Has not been available on base X5 since 2020. Is std. on X50e and optional on M60. Options matter a great deal on these cars. You buy 22 in. tires and base suspension, expect a poor ride. 19s and air ride, probably pretty good. Handling of my car marginally better than GLE 350. Both handle safely. M/AMG probably handle better than the way you should be driving these behemoths but will be stiff. The lack of an air suspension option on the X5 is definitely going to have me considering other vehicles if this is not resolved in the next two years when my lease is up. Steering sucks in both cars. BMW structure feels stiffer but both are solid.

Reliability: Totally anecdotal. I watch both forums. BMW much more active forum. It would appear more reliability issues with MB and BMW tries harder to fix problems when they occur. No empirical data, just anecdotal from reading posts for 6 years. Both very expensive to fix outside warranty. Neither is as reliable as a Lexus and you know that.

Value: BMW as normally equipped used to be a better value. Not so sure with the LCI and price increases. Probably not enough difference to worry about if you are shopping in this market.

Interior room: MB by a mile. BMW should be ashamed the rear seat legroom is tighter than a CRV. That being said, my family of sub 6 footers fits fine. Cargo is similar.

Voice Control: Better in my 2 year newer X5. I suspect the 2024 GLE has improvements here.

Sound system: I like the base upgrade in wife GLE a bit better.

To respond to another poster: Bimmercode has been neutered on LCI so you cannot do much with it.

Availability of go flat tires in 19 inch on MB an advantage for me.

Both are quiet. BMW better on some road surfaces, MB on others. A wash. BMW no longer has optional acoustic glass. Advantage MB.

***: Sucks on both. My 2022 mild hybrid is better than the 2020 GLE 350 but the new 350 is upgraded. I have heard it is more seamless on GLE 450.

HVAC: MB more powerful AC but BMW does the job. Heated seats and steering wheel (and armrests) better on Bimmer.

I still prefer BMW because I am the guy who taps the door cards and pushes the lower dash. I also prefer the styling of the X5 (but the GLE is certainly a decent looking vehicle) but that is personal. I looooooovvvvvveee the drivetrain and the slightly more planted handling. But I am getting old and I want a better ride. If BMW does not deal with that I may suck it up and downgrade to something less fun for me and get the wife a new Cayenne with air suspension which will ride and handle and be built better than either BMW or MB and pay the Porsche Tax (i.e 20% higher cost for comparable equipment).

Options/Speed of Manufacture: If you order MB will take a lot longer. If dealer has an allocation you will have your Bimmer in less than 6 weeks in most parts of US. MB takes much longer. But you have more choice of available options today on MB. Again, for me, the availability of 19 inch go flats with air suspension may have me shopping at the MB dealer unless BMW stops screwing american buyers (air suspension and acoustic glass are available on base X5 outside of US).

As hard as it is today, come up with your priorities and try to find 2 cars to drive that are similar. And order the vehicle the way you want it. Think about how you drive and where. I am SE PA where the roads suck. I also drive suburban and city where roads suck. If all I drove was highway (where the X5 does better) the issues that bother me now may not be issues.

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your purchase.

Frenetic

I’ll be very honest and blunt to anyone comparing the two: do not get the GLE. I regretted getting rid of my X5 to get the GLE. A tremendous mistake. That factory has major quality control issues. Brand new cars with the wrong exhaust tips. Brand new cars worth the incorrect rear bumper that ended up melting. Dealer techs openly admitting on Reddit the car is a POS. That says a lot and I agree with everything they say having lived through it myself.

MBguy013

Everyone needs to conduct their own research and weigh the pros and cons. I do not think you will find many individuals complaining about their GLE as Frenetic has. Maybe he got the vehicle that was built on a week of Sundays but everyone is entitled to their opinion and beliefs but I do not believe this car is a POS. Regardless if the build was done by a real person or robots, things happen and nothing is ever perfect.

I thought the mismatched exhaust tips were recently debunked as being photoshopped?

manbeing

this is your car's problem , not a GLE problem.
It was your responsibility to take a look at your car to ensure everything was fine before signing the papereork to let dealer release the car, for example, the wrong exhaust tips issue can be easily identified if you just took a quick look before signing the paperwork.

Frenetic

The wrong exhaust tips wasn’t mine. It was a dealership car on the lot and someone already forensically looked at the photo here on this forum to discount any photoshopping.

Are you saying that it’s the person’s fault for buying a car that came from the factory with the wrong bumper or wrong exhaust tip? There’s nothing wrong with the fact that these cars made it from the factory to the dealership without anyone noticing? They’re both bad, but frankly I would give the buyer a pass since it’s sometimes hard to notice those things, but the factory should know better.

mikapen

<sigh>

BenzNika

That's it! GLE 450 is a Sporty Luxury Car. That's why I chose it.

PLINYELDER

I thought you moved on to another vehicle? How’s that forum doing?