X5 M Competition

Because Sardinia is one of the few destinations where a 625 hp SUV earns its keep every single day. The coast road between Alghero and Bosa changes rhythm at every bend, the climb to Capo Caccia rewards a chassis that can keep two tonnes honest, and the long straights of the Anglona towards Castelsardo finally let the V8 breathe. The X5 M Competition stitches all of it together without asking you to leave the family behind.

Then there is the practicality, which matters on holiday: a generous boot for hard-shell luggage and beach kit, five real seats, four-zone climate control for the heat of August. To understand what living with a high-performance SUV on the island actually feels like, our guide to luxury SUVs in Sardinia — space and comfort explains why this category is the smartest call for parties of four or five.

At start-up the 4.4-litre twin-turbo announces itself with a low, almost polite murmur. Then you select one of the M modes from the red tabs on the steering wheel and everything tightens: the steering gains weight, the eight-speed M Steptronic shortens its shifts until they crack like a whip, the exhaust valves open and on the overrun comes that crackle that ricochets off the granite walls.

The 3.9-second 0–100 km/h sprint is the figure you quote at dinner; what stays with you is the rear-biased M xDrive all-wheel drive, which pivots the X5 around its centre of gravity like a sports saloon on stilts. On the hairpins dropping into the Temo valley, the adaptive suspension keeps the body so flat that, seen from outside, it looks impossible for an SUV of this size.

The X5 M Competition in our fleet, finished in Carbon Black, sits at the absolute summit of the X5 range: extended Merino leather, multifunction M seats that hold you through corners and cosset you on the motorway, and an adjustable character that makes it a resort SUV in the morning and a driver's machine at sunset — all at the press of a button.

It is why we so often recommend it to guests who land with the family in tow but refuse to abdicate the pleasure of driving: within our selection of luxury SUVs for rent in Sardinia, this is the choice for those who want both. And if the roundel is your touchstone, the full BMW rental range offers alternatives across saloons, coupés and convertibles.