A disappointing test drive in a X5 45e.

[cerb4.5lee]

I left a deposit yesterday on a very nicely specced 2021 X5 45e(HUD/HK/sun lounge pan roof/massage comfort seats with upgraded leather/heated rear seats/steering wheel/clarity controls etc etc). I was properly excited to see it/drive it today, but it was completely meh though sadly for me. Plus my missus felt exactly the same too.

I was really looking forward to it because I'm a fan of the B58 engine, and all the reviews I'd read were pretty much universally glowing. Yet for me it didn't feel all that quick even in sport mode(where you have both the battery/engine giving their best), and it properly felt its 2500kg weight when you were driving it I thought. It left us both really flat sadly, even the salesman was gutted for us because he knew how much we were looking forward to taking one out.

In the end we popped into Mercedes and we purchased a brand new GLE400d premium plus instead. The interior was in a different league to the X5 we thought, and you know what you will get with a Mercedes because they are very good at feeling that bit more premium, plus they do the comfort/relaxing bit very well too I reckon.

I really thought that I'd be buying my 9th BMW(so I'm clearly a fanboy), but I ended up buying a 2nd Mercedes instead. I'm excited about the incoming Mercedes now though.

[Lozw86]

What had you expected from the X5 that didn’t transpire? Did the GLE feel quicker?

[cerb4.5lee]

Lozw86 said:

What had you expected from the X5 that didn’t transpire? Did the GLE feel quicker?

For something with nearly 400bhp the X5 just didn't feel it to me. The GLE did feel quicker(it has more torque and it is lighter), but real world I'm guessing that they are very similar though.

I think for the money(the X5 was up for £73k used/and the GLE is £76k new), the X5 just didn't feel like it was worth the money for me, whereas as soon as I sat in the GLE in comparison it felt really special.

I think that what disappointed me the most was that I absolutely loved the E53 X5 4.8iS that I had because it gave me a massive feel good factor, whereas the X5 45e just didn't offer that today for some reason in comparison.

We both expected to fall in love with the X5, but we both said how meh it was. We've both said that the future of cars will certainly be very dull, because there isn't any fizz with a hybrid, and I'd imagine that full electric will be even worse too.

Today's experience has taught us that we both like an ICE too much to dip our toe into any else currently. We both said that the future is definitely dull for sure.

[Maxus]

We often comment on the same topics with very similar views. Same again here! I recently hired a "Range Rover Sport or equivalent" and was disappointed to be given a GLE. HOWEVER, what a fantastic car. It was such a nice thing to travel about in with a very nice interior. It felt much bigger inside that it looks on the road. This was only a GLE 300 but in that nice metallic blue and AMG spec. I really enjoyed it. The 400 will be a step up again.

Following that I thought I would love an X5 so test drove one when looking at buying. Felt a real let down compared to the Mercedes. My wife hated it. Decided I didn't really need an SUV so bought the 6 GC whilst they aren't too old which I had always fancied. I would definitely choose a GLE if I was after that sort of car.

I also know someone who has an X5 45e. He has had lots of problems with the hybrid side of the car. Not sure if it is even fixed now.

Congratulations and enjoy the car.

[cerb4.5lee]

Maxus said:

We often comment on the same topics with very similar views. Same again here! I recently hired a "Range Rover Sport or equivalent" and was disappointed to be given a GLE. HOWEVER, what a fantastic car. It was such a nice thing to travel about in with a very nice interior. It felt much bigger inside that it looks on the road. This was only a GLE 300 but in that nice metallic blue and AMG spec. I really enjoyed it. The 400 will be a step up again.

Following that I thought I would love an X5 so test drove one when looking at buying. Felt a real let down compared to the Mercedes. My wife hated it. Decided I didn't really need an SUV so bought the 6 GC whilst they aren't too old which I had always fancied. I would definitely choose a GLE if I was after that sort of car.

I also know someone who has an X5 45e. He has had lots of problems with the hybrid side of the car. Not sure if it is even fixed now.

Congratulations and enjoy the car.

Thanks very much!

The 6GCs are absolutely lovely motors I reckon, and I still miss the F13 640d that I had.

There was a warning sign for the battery on the 45e that we went to see and we couldn't go out in that, so we ended up in the dealer principals 45e instead. I do think that the hybrid set up can lead to a world of problems from what I read. So it is definitely something that you have to consider I think.