Bmw x5 xdrive 30d, Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC, Range Rover Sport SE

Forget Rocky. Forget Raging Bull. This is a juicier rivalry: X5 v ML. And things are about to get bloody. For 17 years these luxo SUV heavyweights have been bashing each other’s faces to a pulp for supremacy, but never landing the killer, knockout blow. Sharp, bone-crunching jabs have been the punches of choice, with both companies using evolutionary new models to fine-tune their repertoires.

But where the X5 and ML are old-school scrappers, the fresh Range Rover Sport is the new kid on the block. And, unlike the conservative Germans, this second-gen Sport marks a revolutionary mechanical and visual shake-up for Range Rover.

Always a looker, the new Sport is sleeker, more cohesive and more aggressive, thanks to a chunkier footprint; overall length is up 62mm while width has grown 55mm. It looks like an Evoque that’s swallowed a bottle of Skele-gro and hit the gym, but don’t dismiss the Sport as a fine-boned pretty boy.

On paper, this fight is close: all three cost about $100,000, use 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesels, have five seats (as standard), automatic transmissions and hit the scales on the wrong side of two tonnes.

The BMW X5 is easily the most popular of these luxury SUVs, with 3488 sales to the end of October against the Merc’s 2570 and the RR’s 2200. And the X5 30d is the cheapest car here ($99,900 against the Merc’s $101,400 and Range Rover’s lofty $113,600). Every panel on the third-generation X5 is new (despite it using a carryover platform and the same wheelbase), yet its tweaked design is somehow chunkier, uglier and more Yank than ever.

It’s a recipe stolen from the American-made ML, which is clearly aimed at the US market with its conservative exterior, bulky interior and supersized cupholders. Hardly a ground-breaking design when it was launched in April 2012, the Benz is easily the oldest of the group, and it’s all the weaker for it.

The same can’t be said of the modern and well proportioned Range Rover. It wins this fashion contest hands down, and its all-new, aluminium-intensive architecture (which chops a colossal 420kg from its predecessor) means it not only trumps the others in the style stakes, but can now match them dynamically.

This second-gen Sport marks a revolutionary
shake-up for Range Rover

It’s the BMW that lands the first blow on the move, though. Munich’s chassis engineers have worked overtime with the F15 series, not only to increase power and reduce weight (by 40kg), also to make the already driver-focused X5 even sharper.

The 30d’s handling transcends that of a two-tonne diesel, and its performance at the drag strip is more hot hatch than family hauler. Even on a greasy Heathcote drag strip under an overcast sky, the X5 decimates BMW’s 0-100km/h claim by 0.4sec, twisting and squatting its way to an impressive 6.5sec to 100km/h and a 400m run of 14.7sec at 146.6km/h. These are numbers to rival the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and smash the Merc’s and Range Rover’s 0-100km/h times by just under a second, the Sport and ML taking 7.4 and 7.5 seconds respectively.

So, while the X5 is the least powerful of the three on paper, in the real world it is easily the quickest. BMW’s gloriously flexible 190kW/560Nm straight-six diesel (up 10kW/20Nm on its predecessor) is a gem, as is the eight-speed ZF automatic that manages to be imperceptively smooth and intuitive around town, yet razor sharp and positive at speed. It’s easily the most responsive and engaging drivetrain of the trio, highlighting the different personalities of the three.

Where the BMW is sharp, muscular and responsive, the drivetrain in the Benz is refined, silky and relaxed. It’s like a well-trained butler, wafting you along in dignified, untroubled silence, a disciplined character that is Merc’s biggest strength.

The ML is the heaviest and slowest of the three, but it also has the quietest cabin by a sizeable margin, with Benz clearly placing an emphasis on comfort rather than performance. Around town and on the freeway, the big V6 hardly raises a sweat, using its massive 620Nm to hustle that 2175kg mass along with ease. It swaps cogs with creamy precision, but ask for a quick downshift and Benz’s 7G-tronic can’t match the speed of the BMW.

The downside is that the ML offers none of the BMW’s involvement or character. It’s as though Mercedes is aiming at a demographic 20 years older, and while it absolutely nails the luxo-barge brief, it’s about as sporty as Dame Edna Everage.

The Range Rover offers the best of both worlds. The best all-rounder here, chuck it at a twisty road and you realise it deserves the Sport nameplate. Almost.

As well as being nearly half a tonne lighter than its predecessor, this more expensive, higher-output Sport SDV6 is also the most powerful of the trio, its 215kW V6 outshining the 190kW German sixes. However, the base Sport TDV6, which starts at a more comparable $102,800, has a less powerful version of the same donk that exactly matches the 190kW output of the other two. Still, both tunes have a hefty 600Nm on tap, meaning the Sport’s diesel hoofs along effortlessly, yet like the Mercedes-Benz, it can't quite match the BMW’s all-round athleticism.

It’s the same story with the Sport’s eight-speed auto, which, while intuitive, isn’t as positive or as responsive at the X5’s, despite Range Rover claiming its box swaps cogs in 200 milliseconds, a number Ferrari bragged about just 10 years ago.

Where the Range Rover destroys the BMW is its steering. Feelsome and sharp enough for a car of this size, the Sport offers the connection and feedback lacking in the car from Munich. The X5 has switched to a fully electric set-up for the first time, but it’s one that feels lifeless and artificial; a massive drawback in a car with such strong sporting pretensions.

Fitted with adaptive M Sport suspension, the 30d attacks challenging roads with an eagerness that belies its 2070kg mass. Its ride is easily the firmest of the three, but it’s a suspension tune that suits the X5’s sporty character. It has minimal body roll and in Sport Plus mode, can even offer playful moments of oversteer.

While its chassis is up to the job, the disconnected, dead steering erodes driver confidence. Cycling through the X5’s chassis settings doesn’t help, either. Moving from Eco through to Sport Plus only adds weight, not feel.

The big Benz’s steering doesn’t fare much better. Woolly and light in Comfort mode (again, swapping to Sport only adds weight), it’s vague at low speed and does little to hide the ML’s sheer size. Indeed, of the three, it’s the Mercedes that feels the widest on the road, meaning you need attentive lane discipline to avoid encroaching on others.

Where the BMW’s ride is firm, particularly on our test car’s optional 20-inch hoops, the Merc’s suspension is supple, despite its bigger 21-inch wheels. Again, it suits the ML’s comfort-orientated character well, so it’s no surprise things begin to fall apart in the corners. There’s more body roll than in the BMW, and even in Sport mode the big Benz never feels comfortable when driven hard. It’s like watching your Dad dance; you know it can perform the moves, but it does so without displaying genuine poise or connection.

In Sport Plus mode the X5 can even offer
playful moments of oversteer

The Range Rover offers the best ride/handling compromise. Riding on Range Rover’s fifth-generation adaptive air suspension, which offers continuously variable damping, the Sport absorbs imperfections and speed humps better than the X5, even with bigger 21-inch rims, yet retains the engagement and fun factor lacking in the ML. It rolls more than the other two, but is predictable, and the well-sorted steering talks to the driver as it pivots onto its outside rear tyre.

The Rangie doesn’t feel as low or as connected as the X5, but while the Sport gives away a point on the black stuff, it simply monsters the other two off-road.

Boasting Land Rover’s latest Terrain Response system, which automatically analyses driving conditions and selects from one of five modes (general, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand, and rock crawl), the Sport also features a two-speed transfer case with optional low range.

Combine that with a smooth floor pan (designed to protect vulnerable mechanicals), a new, deeper wading system that draws air from the bonnet, and class-leading wheel articulation, and it’s clear the Sport takes off-road ability more seriously than the Germans.

Yes, the X5 and ML can handle light off-piste driving, but they’re more at home crowding roads in leafy suburbia than doing it tough in the Outback.

Need more proof? The Range Rover is the only car here fitted with a full-size spare. Both the X5 and ML have spacesavers.

It’s a similar story when it comes to luggage space. Despite its sleek design, the Range Rover’s 784-litre capacity (with the rear seats up) decimates the Merc’s 690 litres and the BMW’s 650.

Turn to rear passenger comfort, though, and the pecking order changes. Here the Merc, with its emphasis on comfort, offers the most room and under-thigh support for second-tier occupants. Its rear bench also reclines, as does the Range Rover’s, leaving the BMW’s fixed rear pew as the least appealing.

But if the Merc is better for the kiddies, it’s also the worst for your wallet. Two days of testing saw the ML350 BlueTec drink 11.9L/100km, while the BMW sipped just 9.9L/100km. The Sport split the two, returning 11.2L/100km.

Which brings us to the verdict, and the first TKO the Benz. In many ways it was never a fair fight, given the ML’s age, but even with its silky-smooth drivetrain and benchmark refinement, it just can’t match the sharpness of the X5 or the Range Rover’s intoxicating blend of performance and luxury. It’s also the thirstiest and slowest, so it hits the canvas first.

Choosing between the X5 and the Sport is harder. If off-roading is your thing, the Range Rover takes the gong. It’s more expensive and less fun at the limit than the X5, but as an all-round package it’s hard to fault. Think of it as the SUV equivalent of James Bond: versatile, charming and devilishly good-looking, wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit. It also has an X-factor lacking in the other two a blend of sharp design and premium materials that make it feel expensive and special, even sitting still in the driveway.

The smart money says you should buy the BMW. It’s not only substantially cheaper, but sharper to drive and uses less fuel, making it the winner on paper. But its dead steering is a disappointing Achilles’ heel in an otherwise convincing, road-focused package. So while the head says X5, the heart says Rangie Sport.