hybrid on a mission
BMW electrifi es the X5: Plug- in hybrid SUV defi es stereotypes, doesn’t compromise
The BMW X5 does things SUVs aren’t supposed to do. That’s been its mission from the beginning.
SUVs shouldn’t be this fast. They shouldn’t feel so good from the driver’s seat. And most of all, they shouldn’t handle corners this well, hugging turns almost as gloriously as BMW’s famous sports sedans.
The X5 even adds another item to that checklist this year: SUVs shouldn’t be able to drive without burning any gasoline.
Yet the X5 does all that and more, thanks to a new plug- in hybrid version with the Germanically awkward name of xDrive40e. This option lets you enjoy the X5’ s brilliant handling when you want to have some fun or, in a total change of personality, scoot around town as a silent electric car for up to 14 miles.
That’s a big deal for people who want to help the planet but don’t want to compromise on style, capability or performance.
Keep in mind, that electric- range number is in an ideal world. In realworld driving, you’ll be lucky to hit that fi gure regularly, but at least your grocery and school runs can be done under electric power. Thomas Edison would be proud.
If you’re looking to save money, though, the xDrive40e is a terrible way to do it. This model starts at more than $ 62,000, and my tester rang up closer to $ 80k with options ( including a few that drive me crazy, like $ 200 for smartphone integration and $ 400 for a rear- view camera — things that come for free on cheaper economy cars these days). What you’re paying for with a BMW, though, is cutting- edge engineering. The X5 feels like it comes from a different planet than most SUVs, almost like it defi es the laws of physics with the way it moves over the road. It’s roomy on the inside, with a high stance and lots of glass wrapped around the cabin to give you outstanding visibility, and it epitomizes the solid, carved- fromstone feeling that the best German luxury cars give you.
Unfortunately for BMW, there’s some fresh competition in this space — a newly designed Volvo XC90 that’s so good I’d sell my children to get one ( which is ironic because its top goal is keeping my children alive). And it’s even available as a plug- in hybrid.
But the X5 punches the Volvo in its one weak spot — handling. The BMW is off- the- charts fun to drive, compared to the softer, more lumbering XC90. I think the two vehicles are designed for totally different types of drivers coming from totally different mindsets.
For me, my head belongs to the XC90, but my heart beats for the X5. The X5 pushes all my emotional buttons in a much more visceral way. That’s not to say the electrifi ed X5 doesn’t intrigue my nerdy side. Its very existence gives BMW some bragging rights over the rest of the world’s automotive brainpower, using lithium ion batteries and integrating a powerful electric motor with its eightspeed automatic transmission to turn this heavy SUV into a roadgoing rocket ship.
BMW claims the X5 hybrid can go from 0- 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds, and I surely believe it after my week driving this beast. It might even be a conservative number.
One thing I love about BMWs, and the plug- in X5 in particular, is how they let you customize the driving experience. The X5 engages Auto eDrive by default, letting the car decide how much battery power or gasoline power to use at any given time. But you can also set it to Max eDrive to go on purely electric power when you want, or put it in Save Battery mode to rely solely on the 2.0- liter gasoline engine.
The X5 plug- in lets the driver stay in control, something that’s becoming increasingly rare in a world where cars are getting more automated, to the point of almost driving themselves, with each passing year.