2018 BMW X5 vs Lexus RX350

What's the difference?

Favoured by everyone from governments requiring bullet-proof security vehicles to parents doing the school drop-off run, BMW's X5 is the limo of the German maker's now extensive SUV range, and the xDrive40d sits close to the top of the line-up.

As if that's not enough pressure, the X5 is up against fierce rivals in the form of the Mercedes-Benz GLE, the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.

You'd expect an X5 to be luxurious, come loaded with advanced technology, and be dynamic, because it's a BMW, and that's the brand's shtick. But it's an SUV, so it should also be practical.

That's a lot to ask, but after living with the X5 xDrive40d for two weeks, it gave me the answers.

For those of us unlucky enough to remember the first Lexus RX to launch in Australia, the memories aren’t the fondest.

If you can’t remember it, just picture the stodgiest-looking SUV you can - make it so bland a mere picture of one could cure insomnia - dragging a glass-walled cube behind the rear wheels. 

All of which makes the current-generation RX so incredible. I mean, just look at it; those big rims, the 3D-effect grille, the outrageous lines and creases. It’s about as far removed from its snooze-worthy predecessors as it is possible to get.

Little wonder, then, it has emerged as the second-strongest performer in the Lexus line-up. And with the RX recently refreshed (and with a seven-seat RX L model added for the first time) its high time we took a closer look at the Japanese premium brand’s large SUV.