BMW beefs up its SUV hybrid

BMW has bulked up the powertrain in its X5 hybrid as Jack Evans reports

The motoring world is hurtling towards electrification and every brand now incorporates electric technology in some form within its cars. BMW is no different and has electrified its ever-popular X5. The snappily titled X5 xdrive45e combines the best of what BMW has to offer; excellent engine technology and efficiency with its latest electric know-how.

WHAT’S NEW?

The main stand-out points surround that hybrid powertrain. Elsewhere, things are standardfit X5, with the latest in-car technology and top-notch build quality combining in a car which used to stand alone in BMW’S range of SUVS, but now sits alongside several others. The SUV segment is a hot one right now, that’s for sure, and there’s not only competition for the X5 from rival manufacturers but from within BMW too. This latestgeneration X5 aims to emerge top of its class, and it’s likely that this hybrid powertrain will only help to bolster its appeal.

UNDER THE BONNET?

There’s some clever stuff going on underneath this X5 hybrid. Up front, you’ll find a bread-andbutter BMW powerplant in the form of a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six. A feature in BMW models for decades, the straightsix has the edge over the piddly four-cylinder 2.0-litre that was found in the old X5 hybrid. This is then combined with an electric motor and batteries for a combined output of 389bhp and 600Nm. It makes the X5 genuinely brisk, with 0-60mph dispatched in 5.4 seconds. Of course, this isn’t being pitched as a performance model, which is why the efficiency figures are so strong, with BMW claiming 200mpg and emissions of 31g/ km CO2. Plus, because the car has been fitted with a largerthan-normal battery, it can go 54 miles on battery power alone.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

One of the greatest compliments you can pay this BMW is that it feels strikingly similar to a standard X5. The changeover from electric to petrol power is barely noticeable, and the engine is so well isolated from the cabin that you have to be quite harsh with the throttle to provoke it into making noise. Around town, it’s quiet and serene.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

The interior is superbly well made, with high-end materials used throughout. Of course, this is no cheap car - it starts from £64,475 without options - but the finish that you get in the cabin does go some way towards justifying this rather steep entry price. The BMW’S infotainment system is a huge screen, but it doesn’t seem as obviously large as in rival vehicles.

THE VERDICT

If you want a hybrid that seamlessly fits into daily life, then the X5 is a great choice. Excellent running costs, a genuinely useable all-electric range and brilliant build quality all mean that this BMW will be an appropriate option for many. Expensive it may be, but the X5 hybrid is one of the most useable cars of its type thanks to that more-than-50-mile electric range. The car is easily one of the most well-rounded hybrid SUVS on sale today.