When we first drove BMW’s first Neue Klasse model, the iX3, it quickly revealed that BMW knows how to make a good electric vehicle. A clean-sheet design, it featured the automaker’s sixth-generation electric powertrain, a completely reimagined dashboard, and powerful computers to run the whole show. Now, much of that technology is being ported over to the larger X5 line.
But BMW knows not all its customers are ready to go electric, especially in the US, so it’s sticking with its powertrain-agnostic CLAR platform, as used in cars as diverse as the large 7 Series and the new gasoline 3 Series. Which means in addition to the all-electric iX5, there are also mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid X5s available, and in time, even a hydrogen-powered option. For now, as I’ll explain, I think the EV is the pick of the bunch.
The most conventional option is the X5 40 xDrive, powered by a 3.0 L turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that generates 394 hp (294 kW) and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm). The 48 V mild hybrid system can contribute a decent slug of torque (148 lb-ft/200 Nm) if necessary, and the engine operates under the Miller cycle for better efficiency, as well as featuring the usual BMW engine technology, like variable valve timing. Expect around 26 mpg (9 L/100 km) from this powertrain and a full-to-empty range of 569 miles (915 km).
In time, a 400 V plug-in hybrid X5 50e xDrive will join the mix on the production line at Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a 26.5 kWh battery pack and about 44 miles (71 km) of electric range. And eventually, BMW’s hydrogen fuel cell tech will find its way under the hood of the new-generation X5 too. But those wanting something more efficient than the X5 40 can consider the iX5.
BMW is sticking with its strategy of an asynchronous motor for the front axle and an electrically excited synchronous motor for the rear drive unit, thanks to the lower losses of these motor types compared to motors that use permanent magnets. There is a combined output of 570 hp (425 kW) and 593 lb-ft (804 Nm): The front motor generates 245 hp (183 kW) and 225 lb-ft (305 Nm); the rear produces up to 325 hp (242 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).
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