Jeep Wrangler vs BMW X5

What's the difference?

The changes to this updated Jeep Wrangler are small but meaningful. The inclusion of airbags, the updated media screen, and a feisty engine which suits the plucky nature of this off-roader make it a better Wrangler than ever.  

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

This is a luxurious prestige five-seater brimming with BMW’s latest design and technology that’s not only practical for weekly family duties but can also embrace spirited driving with the push of a button. A great all-rounder for families that like a sporty edge. 

The Jeep Wrangler looks like a cartoon of a four-wheel drive, that’s how familiar and well-known the design is. It’s almost generic, like the word Jeep.

You could say the design is iconic, given that the roots of this SUV stretch back to the little Willys off-roader built for the US army in World War II. And to this day the slotted grille, pronounced wheel guards, short and upright windscreen, even the removable doors are still with us in this latest incarnation.

That’s why each generation of the Wrangler only sees very subtle tweaks to famous shape and look, in much the same way a Porsche 911’s design changes at the rate of dripping water reshaping a rock.

Changing the styling completely would destroy the look which connects the Wrangler to its past and the nostalgic appeal would be over. 

So, this update sees more than subtle styling changes in the form of a tweak to the grille with the addition of a metallic-look trim around each of the slots while the mesh insert now has larger openings.   

Along with this there’s a new front bumper. The Wranglers we tested had the optional heavy duty steel front bumpers.

There’s also some interior changes in the form of a new dashboard trim, horizontal air vents and then there’s the 12.3-inch media display which goes a long way to making the cabin look more modern.

Still, the interior is busy with buttons and switches in a design that seems to mix the look of heavy machinery controls with a prestige car. The Nappa leather of the Rubicon grade lifts the quality feel higher.

All Wrangler interiors also have an internal roll-over cage which covers the entire cabin, for the fixed metal roof and removable roof body style which are standard on the Overland and Rubicon.

Only the Rubicon is offered in a two-door and a four-door, while the Overland and Sport S are four-door only.

The Rubicon two-door looks cute and fun to my eyes, while the four-door versions look a bit more serious and beefy, but both definitely still give off tough and adventurous vibes.

The wheelbase difference between the two is as giant as it looks. The Rubicon two-door’s wheelbase is 2459mm while the four-door Rubicon’s, along with the Sport S and Overland, is 3008mm.

The Wrangler ranges in length from 4334mm for the Rubicon two-door to 4882mm for the four-door Wranglers. Width is the same for all Wranglers at 1894mm and the height ranges from 1879mm in the Rubicon two-door to 1901mm in the four-door versions.

The latest front-end design features subtle revisions to BMW’s signature 'kidney' grille theme, highlighted by slimmer matrix LED headlights with chevron-shaped DRLs that incorporate the turn indicators.

There’s also an ‘iconic glow’ function, which illuminates the twin-grilles at night in-sync with the external courtesy lights when approaching and departing the vehicle. Lower front air-intake and tail-light treatments have also been revised.

The dash features a new curved instrument panel. Based on BMW’s latest generation 'iDrive' operating system, it consists of a 12.3-inch driver’s info display and 14.9-inch control display presented across the same seamless glass surface.

The control display’s touchscreen functionality has allowed dash buttons and switches to be minimised.

This new design dash has a blend of synthetic leather trim and dark brown/high-gloss woodgrain surfaces, along with new LED ambient lighting and gear-selector design.

The rear seat is sumptuous and spacious, even for someone my height (186cm). There’s ample knee and headroom and it can seat three kids in comfort, but for adult passengers wanting that 'business class' feel it would be ideal for two.

My only criticism of the new instrument display is that with more than 30 applications displayed on the expansive control screen, it can be distracting at times trying to visually locate and operate these functions while driving.

And, depending on sun angle, there were also complaints from different front seat passengers on different days about blinding glare caused by the dash’s high-gloss woodgrain inserts. Fortunately, the driver is unaffected by these reflections.

When we review most SUVs practicality is scored on things like legroom, storage space and boot size. But in the case of a vehicle with removable doors and roof, and a cabin that has one-way drainage valves so you can hose the interior out, practicality takes on a different meaning.

The Wrangler’s practicality seems focussed on serving adventurous folks in search of a muddy off-road expedition and, so, while there is storage it’s mainly nets for door pockets, moulded wells on top of the dash, and smaller hidey holes to makes sure loose items don’t get flung around the cabin.

Given the roof can be removed there’s also a lockable glove box and centre console storage box.

When it comes to cabin space the Wrangler’s interior feels a bit cramped. The footwells up front don’t offer much space and headroom throughout is restricted by the roll cage which stretches from the front to the boot.

The four-door Wrangler has five seats and good legroom in the second row, even for me at 189cm tall. As mentioned above, headroom is limited in places because of the safety structure. Boot space behind those rear seats is 898 litres.

The two-door Rubicon has four seats. The back ones aren’t the most spacious and the boot behind them is almost too small to mention at 365L, Two pieces of carry-on luggage wouldn’t fit back there and we had to put our bags on the rear seats.

The rear tailgate for all Wranglers is side-hinged (opening left to right) and splits to allow just the window section or lower part to open separately.

For charging and powering devices all Wranglers have two USB ports up front (one -A and one -C) and four USB ports in the second row (two -A and two -C). There are also two 12V outlets on board (front and rear).  

There are two cupholders, seatback map nets and directional air vents for the second row.

The Wrangler sits high and climbing into the rear seats might be a challenge for smaller kids or even fully-grown humans, but there are chunky handholds at the pillars for extra help.

So, the Wrangler has excellent practicality, but this is geared more to its intended purpose of adventuring off-road rather than the city commute and school pick-up.

With its 2165kg kerb weight and maximum allowable weight of 2885kg, our test vehicle can legally carry up to 720kg.

That should be ample for five adults (even better for kids) and their luggage, of which up to 100kg can be carried on the roof rails using a rack or roof box (both in BMW's accessory range).

Powered upper and lower tailgates provide good access to the luggage area, which is carpeted and equipped with a roll-out privacy screen, load securing hooks, a 12-volt accessory outlet and a first-aid kit stored behind a removable side panel.

The space-saver spare and tools are stored below the hinged load floor, so all luggage must be removed to access them.

Internal luggage space with the rear seat upright is 650 litres (0.65 cubic metres) which expands to 1870 litres (1.87 cubic metres) with the rear seat folded flat.

A useful load-carrying feature when the rear seat’s backrest is upright is a hinged centre section that folds forward and flat to carry long and narrow items.

These can stretch all the way from the tailgate to the dash if need be, which could be handy for carting anything from skis to home hardware purchases (firmly secured, of course).

It’s also rated to tow up to an impressive 3500kg of braked trailer, which matches the class benchmark for one-tonne utes.

However, given that tow-ball download (TBD) is usually around 10 per cent of trailer weight, the X5’s maximum TBD rating of only 140kg could be a challenge if 3500kg towing is required.

Front of cabin storage includes a big bottle-holder and bin in each front door, a glove box and on the right-hand side of the dash a pull-out driver’s bin, both of which are felt-lined.

The centre console, in addition to its wireless phone-charging pad, USB-A port and 12-volt outlet, has two small-bottle/cupholders up front and a large box at the rear, housing a USB-C port and topped by a padded dual 'brochure fold' lid that double as an elbow-rest for driver and front passenger.

Rear seat storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each door and pockets on each front seat backrest. The rear of the centre console has two storage nooks for small items in addition to its air-vents, two USB-C ports and a 12-volt outlet. There’s also a handy tablet-mount and USB-C port on each front seat backrest, which is great for long trips.

Folding down the rear seat’s centre armrest reveals two pop-out small-bottle/cupholders. And under its hinged lid is a hidden felt-lined compartment that’s ideal for storing slim screened devices away from prying eyes.

Our test vehicle, to use its full name, is the X5 xDrive 40i M Sport. That breaks down to xDrive (intelligent all-wheel drive) and 40i (3.0L turbo in-line petrol six) with eight-speed automatic transmission.

M Sport denotes a package that's included as standard equipment which contains desirable goodies like enormous multi-piston M Sport brakes/adaptive suspension/aerodynamics, M leather-rimmed steering wheel, high-gloss black roof-rails and more.

All up, the list price is $138,900. However, our example has an optional ‘Enhancement Package’ which for another $6000 adds your choice of selected 22-inch alloy wheels (fitted with 275/35 R22 Continental tyres on ours), a tyre pressure monitoring system, metallic paint ('Skyscraper Grey' on ours), Harman Kardon 16-speaker surround-sound audio and 'Crafted Clarity' glass application (glass-handled shifter).

And this is on top of many standard features including three-zone climate control, automatic two-piece tailgate, digital radio, a head-up driver display, adaptive LED headlights with high beam assist, a panoramic full-length sunroof, wireless Apple/Android integration, 'Verino' quilted synthetic leather upholstery, numerous USB ports/12v outlets and more. However, there’s only a space-saver spare.

Numerous options include self-levelling air suspension, 'Merino' leather upholstery, active seat ventilation and massage functions, thermo-adjustable cupholders, LED-illuminated ‘sky lounge’ panoramic glass sunroof and Bowers & Wilkins premium surround sound to name a few.

One of the biggest changes Jeep could make to the Wrangler without causing complete mayhem for fans is to the engine and even then there will be folks who don’t like what they’re about to read.

Deep breaths, okay? Right, so, in this update the V6 petrol engine has been replaced by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder. 

At 200kW the new four-cylinder makes a smidge less power than the V6 but more torque at 400Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts gears and sends the drive to all four wheels.

If you’re a Wrangler fan you’ll most likely know about this engine swap, but you’re wondering how this four-cylinder feels.

The answer is, really good. Jeep has got it right. It’s a torquey, responsive engine that feels energetic and suits the Wrangler's personality well.

In the short time I’ve spent on and off the road I’m convinced this turbo-four will be a good companion wherever you decide to go.

And go pretty much anywhere you can, with all Wranglers being ridiculously capable off-road thanks to their ladder frame chassis, high- and low-range gears, outstanding ground clearance (233mm-257mm, depending on variant ), excellent approach angle (41.4 to 44 degrees, depending on variant) and a departure angle to match (37 degrees for the both Rubicons; 36.1 for the Sport S and Overland).  

The Rubicon comes standard with Jeep’s 'Rock-Trac' on-demand four-wheel drive system and this update adds a full float rear axle. Sport S and Overland grades have Jeep’s 'Selec-Trac Active' on-demand 4WD set-up.

The X5 xDrive40i is powered by BMW’s legendary 3.0-litre DOHC 24-valve in-line six with state-of-the-art technology.

This includes twin-scroll turbocharging, variable valve/camshaft timing and 48-volt mild hybrid technology (delivering up to 9.0kW and 200Nm) using an electric motor integrated with the transmission.

The combined effect is optimised power and throttle response (0-100km/h in 5.4 secs) with minimal fuel consumption and Euro 6d emissions.

It produces 280kW between 5200-6250rpm and 520Nm of torque (this can reach 540Nm with hybrid input) across a remarkably wide and flat peak torque band between 1850-5000rpm, which showcases its flexibility. There’s also auto start-stop and selectable drive modes.

This is paired with BMW’s smooth and sharp-shifting eight-speed torque converter automatic, which combines the best characteristics of a dual-clutch and traditional torque converter transmission.

There’s overdrive on the seventh and eighth gears to optimise fuel economy and the choice of rapid manual-shifting using the steering wheel paddles.

Power reaches its wide tyres through the xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system, which actively varies the engine’s torque distribution between the front and rear wheels to optimise traction at all times.

BMW’s ‘Efficient Dynamics’ also includes brake energy regeneration with recuperation display and many other standard features to enhance driving safety and efficiency.

The new turbo-petrol, four-cylinder means better fuel economy than the V6 it replaces. We have yet to test Jeep’s claims that after a combination of open and urban roads the four cylinder uses 9.2L/100km in the sport S and Overland grades and 9.9L/100km in the Rubicon.

In comparison, Jeep says the previous V6 uses 10.1L/100km in the Rubicon and 9.9L/100km in the Overland. Our own testing saw consumption closer to 13L/100km.

We’ll have the new Wrangler in our garage soon and we’ll be able to put the fuel consumption claims to a real world test.

In terms of range, the two-door Rubicon has a 61-litre fuel tank and in theory a range of up to 680km. The Sport S and Overland have an 81-litre tank and can get up to 880km, while the four-door Rubicon’s 81-litre tank should manage 830km.

Of course if you’re off-roading you’ll use more fuel and the range will drop accordingly.

BMW claims combined average (WLTP) fuel consumption of 9.9-8.5L/100km. Our 415km test comprised a mix of suburban and highway driving and when we stopped to refuel the dash display was showing 10.2L/100km which was line-ball with our own 10.6L/100km figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings.

So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 780km from its 83-litre tank using standard 91-octane petrol.

Every one of the Jeep launches I’ve attended over the past 15 years has involved a pretty decent off-road component and it’s clear the company has a lot of faith in its product.

This Wrangler launch’s off-road test had been scaled back due to days of flooding rain beforehand, but the section that was passable was enough to remind us of what we already know and that is the Wrangler is formidable.

A Queensland bush off-road course full of steep, muddy hills, ruts, rocks, dirt and slippery descents was still all there for us to test the Wrangler Rubicon four-door.

Fun and comfortable are the first words that pop into my head when recalling how the Rubicon fares. This is a super-capable beastie that feels planted, secure and adept at all times.

We tested low- and high-range four-wheel drive, locked the rear differential and let the hill descent mode do its thing and get us down the sides of hills that felt so close to vertical all we could see through the windscreen was the ground.

What's also clear is the new turbo-petrol, four-cylinder feels well suited to the job, with plenty of torque along with a feisty and responsive nature that fits the Wrangler better than the old V6.

There was also plenty of time spent on the road in the four-door Rubicon and its smaller two-door sibling. And was here it was also super clear the Wrangler felt like we’d taken it out of its natural habitat.

At 110km/h on the motorway the two door Rubicon feels light and floaty in its suspension, with steering adjustments having to be made constantly, like actors pretending to drive cars in movies, as the Wrangler wanders around in its lane. The Wrangler wander is a known trait and isn’t specific to this updated car. 

And even though our launch drive took us on some great winding country roads which would have been perfect for a Mazda MX-5, the Wranglers found the fast tight turns difficult to handle.

I’m sure I heard a sigh of relief from our Rubicon as we pulled off the road and selected low-range four-wheel drive before bouncing up what looked to be a sheer cliff, with ease.  

Of course, our Adventure Expert Marcus 'Crafty' Craft will put the Wrangler though its paces once we have one in the CarsGuide garage.

It’s supremely comfortable, with front bucket seats that offer powered-adjustment of height, reach and backrest angle along with side bolsters that can tighten their grip of your upper torso.

There’s also two-way lumbar support, that adjusts not only how far it pushes your spine forward but also allows that pressure point to be raised or lowered.

Combined with its power-adjustable leather-rimmed steering wheel, it would be hard not to find a comfortable driving position.

Eyelines to all mirrors are good and over-shoulder blind-spots are minimal. Front and rear occupants can talk without raised voices thanks to low engine, wind and tyre noise at highway speeds.

As you’d expect, it has high build quality and a tangibly solid feel as though it was machined from a single block of steel, from the satisfying thuds of its closing doors to the absence of shudders or rattles on a variety of roads.

It also has two personalities, which can be switched in an instant. In 'Comfort' mode it will happily cruise around city and suburbs as a mild-mannered family car, fulfilling daily duties like work commutes, school drop-offs and pick-ups, supermarket shopping and the like.

However, flick the drive mode to 'Sport Plus' and you awaken, well, if not ‘the ultimate driving machine’ then something close.

Its optimised drivetrain and handling settings feel more like a sports sedan than a family car, which can turn any winding mountain road into an engaging experience.

It has impressive reserves of cornering grip and braking force, combined with sparkling engine response and fast sequential manual-shifting at your fingertips.

It feels impressively agile, with all-round response that belies its 2.0-tonne-plus kerb weight, backed by a symphony of sounds from its sublime in-line six.

Five-star ANCAP (awarded in 2018) includes front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, plus head airbags for front and rear seats.

The comprehensive 'Driver Assistant Professional' active safety menu includes AEB (city, interurban and vulnerable road user) and a multitude of others.

It also has 'Parking Assist Professional' and for young families there are ISOFIX child seat anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions and top-tethers for all three.

The Wrangler is covered by Jeep's five-year/100,000km warranty, which is off the mainstream market standard of five years/unlimited km.

Service intervals are recommended every 12 months and 12,000km and service prices are capped at $399. Jeep also offers lifetime roadside assistance if you service your Wrangler though Jeep. 

BMW covers the X5 with a five year/unlimited km warranty and offers several service plans to suit different budgets and requirements.

For example, the 'Service Inclusive Basic' package covers all scheduled services over five years/80,000km for a total of $3450, or an average of $690 per year.