BMW Just Killed One Of The X5’s Best Features

A Signature Feature

Some cars have a defining feature that sticks with them throughout their lives. There’s the Porsche 911’s rear-mounted engine, the Range Rover’s split tailgate, the Honda CR-V‘s vertical tail lights, and so on. It’s almost a crime to imagine some of these cars without them, and when it does happen, it feels like a part of the car’s personality has been lost.

That brings us neatly to the new-generation BMW X5. Internally known as the G65, the radical redesign has had pretty divided opinions, but one of our bigger worries has been confirmed. In case you missed it, the split tailgate is gone.

Pour One Out for the Split Tailgate

From the very beginning, the X5 always had a split tailgate. Now, we don’t know the reason why BMW started with that, but it eventually became one of the SUV’s distinct features. Perhaps it was influenced by the time BMW owned Land Rover, but we’re glad it reached production.

The G65 X5 now gets a one-piece tailgate, just like any other crossover. It’s yet another SUV that had lost the trick tailgate, just like the Lexus LX and the full-size Land Cruiser that Toyota won’t sell in the U.S. So, what’s BMW’s excuse for ditching it? Read on.

First Reason: The Sleeker Design

Speaking to BMWBlog, X5 project head Michael Ahlerssaid that the redesigned model’s sleeker roofline was a factor in that. At the same time, BMW wanted the seam that split the tailgate to be eliminated, hence the move.

“[The other bit is that] the new X5 has a bit faster roofline, hence the top end of the tailgate has come down a bit, and therefore the overall height of the tailgate actually has been reduced, but by contrary, we’ve opened, we’ve increased the width of the aperture,” added Philip Koehn, BMW’s senior vice president of Product Line Luxury Class, this time speaking to Motor1.

Second Reason: Claims of Inconvenience

Koehn also effectively said the split tailgate wasn’t exactly friendly for persons of ‘normal’ height, which, of course, varies from country to country. Project head Ahlers echoed Koehn’s sentiments, saying the opening at the bottom makes it more difficult to reach the back of the cargo area.

“Any average person with average arm length is actually struggling. If you’re perfectly honest, the split tailgate is in itself a cool thing with the low-end opening, and a normal-sized person will really struggle to load, or even more importantly, unload the boot,” said Koehn.

Convinced?

Both sound like valid explanations, but we can’t help but suspect the true reason for the loss of the X5’s split tailgate was cost. After all, it’s more complex to produce, as it requires an extra pair of hinges and struts, as well as an additional motor to keep both halves power-operated. But whatever the reason, voices across the web have expressed disappointment that the X5 has lost one of its defining features.

Now, this isn’t the first time BMW got rid of a tailgate feature. The 5 Series Touring lost its pop-out glass hatch in its current iteration, something it had for over 30 years. With that in mind, it’s starting to look like the future X7 might get a one-piece, too, and the next-gen 3 Series Touring could lose the openable glass hatch.