According to Autoblog quoting Filip Köhn, BMW’s Lead Engineer for Medium and Large Vehicles, the upcoming new generation of the X5 SUV was designed with little regard for its off-road qualities.
Köhn argues that the target audience of the BMW 5-Series crossover looks for a large, comfortable and agile vehicle with solid fuel economy. Driving it on poor country roads isn’t a priority for most buyers, so the company hasn’t dedicated too much development time to this aspect.
Autoblog believes that BMW may be secretly developing an advanced off-roader to compete with the likes of Mercedes G-Class and Land Rover Defender. Rumors claim it’s being designed on the same platform as the X5, but with an added frame and other major modifications.
In this case, it makes sense for the company to put some distance between the city-bound X5 and its more adventurous counterpart.