All-new BMW X5 unveiled with up to 612hp
Out with the old and in with EV, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell and even a diesel as the Neue Klasse marches on
No one can say BMW isn’t embracing change. The new X5, revealed today, is the said to be the first BMW engineered to support five ‘drive systems’, incorporating all-electric, petrol and diesel hybrids (both plug-in and mild) and even, in time, hydrogen. Obviously, the new era is also meant to be about the ‘future-focused’ technologies of the much-trumpeted Neue Klasse - although it's BMW’s prudent continuation of combustion engine development - alongside investment in fuel cell technology - that helps to make the latest generation of Sports Activity Vehicle seem wildly ahead of the game.
As you might expect, BMW makes careful note of its long legacy when it comes to innovative, car-like SUVs (the original X5 could claim to represent genesis in that respect), and, unsurprisingly, it leads off with discussion of the new battery-powered iX5, the first of its kind. It is for this model - much as it was for the iX3 that preceded it - that the manufacturer has pioneered the car’s ‘powerful, monolithic’ styling. You will have noticed the BMW Iconic Glow vertical kidney grille (a hallmark of the Neue Klasse), though the switchable ‘double X’ daytime running lights are new and exclusive to the X5.
If nothing else, these ought to be tremendously good at warning passersby of your presence, which is useful because in the case of the iX5 60 xDrive, you will be atop a 141kWh battery in much the same way a supertanker captain is atop some oil. BMW notes the colossal pack boasts new cylindrical cells that are now 120mm in height, and will permit 460kW bidirectional charging. The 525-mile range is said to be class-leading, and with 578hp delivered via two e-motors (not to mention 594lb ft of torque), you can expect 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a limited top speed of 130mph.
Interestingly, (some might add, amazingly), the iX5 is not the quickest X5 you can order from launch. That distinction rests with the more senior of the petrol-electric plug-in hybrids. Both combine a newly overhauled 3.0-litre straight-six (hurrah!) with a 197hp e-motor and 26.5kWh battery (the combination permitting up to 63 miles of EV range), though in the case of the new M60e xDrive, you will have access to an overall output of 612hp and 590lb ft of torque. That befuddling amount will see your hybrid X5 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds and onto 155mph. (Even the lesser variant, the X5 50e xDrive, furnished with 489hp and 515lb ft, is a 5-second-flat prospect.)
Of course, if you’re one of those people who’d rather plug their fingers into a socket than attach a charger to the front of your house, BMW has just the thing: the wonderfully old-fashioned (albeit 48V mildly assisted and two-staged turbocharged) X5 40d xDrive. This gets a 3.0-litre straight-six, too, tuned to produce 313hp and 494lb ft while also sipping at a very diesel-y 40.4mpg combined. BMW warns that this was recorded via the old WLTP measure - it promises an EU7 retest before launching in the UK - though it seems reasonable to suggest that this is still the version to consider if you plan on spending most of your day on a motorway (where it will do 143mph, after cracking 62mph in 6.1 seconds).
Whichever model you opt for, BMW promises ‘outstanding’ levels of comfort. The iX3 has proved exceptionally good at getting the ride and handling compromise right, and with adaptive suspension standard and a near 50:50 weight distribution promised across the range, there’s no reason to think its bigger brother will fall far from the tree. There’s also the option of two-axle, height-adjustable air suspension and four-wheel steering if you opt for the pricier M Performance models, which also feature Adaptive M Chassis Control by default, alongside the tenth-generation dynamics management system.
Predictably, BMW says a fully electric M Performance iX5 will be available in time, though even the launch-spec 60 xDrive boasts the Heart of Joy ‘superbrain’ that the manufacturer trailered heavily in the buildup to the introduction of the Neue Klasse models. For now though, the M60e xDrive is considered the flagship iteration of X5, earning it M Yellow headlights, a rear spoiler, 22-inch wheels, chunkier air intakes and signature M quad exhaust pipes (before you even get to the carbon fibre bits you can add via the M Performance Parts catalogue). Oh and a darker brand of illumination for the kidney grille - y’know, in case that’s a consideration.
Inside the soft-close doors, expect to find the sort of interior design that has proliferated among newer BMWs; meaning, in the manufacturer’s words, ‘clear structures and uncluttered surfaces – optimised entirely around the driver’. Expect it to seem even more upmarket than normal, too, with BMW promising novel items like slate as a decorative service (yes, slate as in stone - for the first time ever, apparently) and winglet door handles that operate new electrically powered doors. Elsewhere, there will be the wraparound cockpit and ‘free-cut’ Central Display already familiar from other applications, not to mention the 3D backlit ambient light strip, a large panoramic roof and standard sports seats.
We’ll spare you a breakdown of the trim levels until pricing and UK market spec become available, although suffice it to say there are M Sport and M Sport Pro grades available beneath the top-tier M Performance model. BMW expects the new X5 to launch in this country by spring next year - at which point we ought to have some more information about the hydrogen-powered variant, which is now primed to deliver a range of up to 466 miles, when it arrives to complete the line-up in 2028. Lots to consider, in other words - but another prodigious step forward for the all-encompassing Neue Klasse strategy seems all but inevitable, no matter the colour or shape of the headlights.
My instant reaction.
Does it come with a brown paper bag with two eye holes?
This looks more like your Angry Birds pig than this iX5
How much downforce does the ironing board on the boot add?
My instant reaction.
Does it come with a brown paper bag with two eye holes?
This looks more like your Angry Birds pig than this iX5
How much downforce does the ironing board on the boot add?
I can t see it, but maybe if he asks nicely enough 
I'm a bit disappointed that the 40d version in this has less power and torque, and a slower 0 to 60 and top speed than the outgoing X5 40d model that we have though to be fair(according to this PH article anyway).
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