BMW is celebrating 15 successful years of the X5 by taking a look back at the popular model.

BMW X5 Popularity

Described as a “unique success story,” the X5 was first introduced in 1999 to compete with the Mercedes M-Class that was launched two years earlier. Over the years, the X5 has turned out to be so popular that the company has built nearly 620 000 units of the first-generation.

That success was followed by the development of a range of other BMW X models including the X1, X3, X4 and X6. Those models have also been successful in their own rights as BMW has sold more than 3.3 million X models worldwide, with almost a third of all BMWs sold today being an X model.

To further extend the X range, BMW has confirmed a 2017 X7 is on the way and that it will be “exceptionally large and luxurious.”

Take a look our video of the X5 M5od going against a Range Rover Sport.