X5 vs GLE

It is the question we hear most from new members considering the Prestige level: BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GLE? Both seat five in genuine comfort, both will tow, both shrug off a wet motorway at 70mph. The differences are in character, and character is what you live with.

The X5 is the driver's choice. Its steering has more weight and more to say, the chassis feels tauter, and the whole car is happier being hurried. The cabin is logical and beautifully built, if a little austere. Choose it if the school run occasionally becomes the long way home on purpose.

The GLE counters with serenity. The ride is softer, the cabin warmer and more theatrical — twin widescreen displays, ambient lighting, seats that feel designed rather than specified. It is the car for members who measure a journey in how they feel at the end of it, not how quickly it passed.

Our honest answer: you cannot choose wrong. If you drive for the drive, take the X5. If you drive to arrive, take the GLE. And because membership lets you switch, you can spend six months with each and decide for yourself — which is rather the point.