Review
BMW X5 Plug-in Hybrid
The BMW X5 xDrive40e is the first series-produced plug-in hybrid from the basic BMW brand. For this purpose, the knowledge and technology of the first BMW i models was used. The result is a nice mix between sporty driving qualities and maximum efficiency.
Plug-in hybrid
The hybrid system of the BMW X5 consists of the combination of a petrol engine and a synchronous electric motor that is integrated into the eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. The BMW TwinPower petrol engine is a four-cylinder in-line with a capacity of 1,997 cc, an output of 245 hp and a torque of 350 Nm. The electric motor delivers a power of 113 hp and a torque of 250 Nm. The system power of the hybrid is about 313 hp and the X5 goes smoothly in about 6.8 seconds. from 0 to 100 km/h. The top speed is about 210 km/h. Even in pure electric mode you can continue up to about 120 km/h, which allows you to drive electrically on most roads. BMW itself talks about an average combined consumption of 3.3l and CO² emissions of 77 g/km. To become the owner of a BMW X5 plug-in hybrid you have to pay at least 72,850 euros. For comparison, for a diesel X5 xDrive40d with 313 hp you need a comparable budget of 72,050 euros, while according to BMW it consumes about 6l.
eDrive key
As a driver, you can control the interplay between the petrol and electric motor yourself with the eDrive button on the center console. You can choose from 3 driving modes: AUTO eDrive, MAX eDrive and SAVE Battery. In all driving modes you can also choose maximum driving comfort (COMFORT), sporty driving (SPORT) or efficient consumption (ECO PRO), also via a button on the center console (Driving Experience Control).
AUTO eDrive is the standard mode of the X5 plug-in hybrid. In this mode, the petrol and electric motors work together in tandem in the most efficient way possible. In practice, this means that during normal acceleration from a standstill, only the electric motor will be used. After all, this represents a major gain in consumption. From around 70 km/h the petrol engine takes over.
However, if you as a driver accelerate smoothly, both engines are used and the full torque of 250 Nm is immediately available from a standstill thanks to the support of the electric motor to the petrol engine. To our pleasure, we were indeed able to conclude that the X5 can accelerate very quickly if you want it to and can get out of the corner very quickly. For a car of that size, the X5 is also very smooth to drive and you would not say that you are driving such a colossus.
In the MAX eDrive mode, you as a driver can choose to drive purely on electricity. It is usually best to do this in city traffic, because that is where we feel the major benefits of the plug-in hybrid lie. What we also found to be an advantage is that you can drive electrically up to a top speed of 120 km/h, which is certainly not the case with every hybrid. Acceleration naturally takes time in this mode, as the 113 hp electric motor has to get the full weight of the X5 moving. In this mode, the X5 has a theoretical driving range of 31 kilometers when the lithium-ion battery is fully charged. During our test drive this was about 20 km of autonomy. In itself this certainly seems sufficient for daily use. The advantage of this X5 lies in the great flexibility you have between, for example, sporty driving, driving as efficiently as possible, or purely electric driving when you want.
If you want to save the kilometers you can drive electrically for, for example, in the city, you can do this via the SAVE battery mode.
On the X5 plug-in hybrid you get the Professional navigation system as standard. If you have activated route guidance, the system will choose the appropriate driving modes based on your route and a number of parameters in order to use the purely electric mode where this is most efficient, for example for the parts of your journey in the city.
Charging
You can fully charge the X5 at home from a 230-volt household socket in less than four hours. If you have a charging station (BMW i Wallbox) installed, you will have more charging capacity and you can shorten the charging time even further. You can also charge the X5 while on the road via public charging stations.
Conclusion
In our opinion, the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid is a successful first series-produced plug-in hybrid from the basic BMW brand. This
Johan De Haes
Test driver
