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Please don’t feel that I’ve lost the plot when you see me writing about the new BMW plug-in hybrid version of the X5. This is an example of a superb large hybrid SUV with permanent four-wheel-drive that I found is a truly enviable car to own.
Before I start to rave about the new BMW X5 xDrive 4.0e, just realise that this is one of the few cars that I would instantly go out to buy if I was a lucky Lotto winner. I don’t often rant widely about cars that I’ve driven, but when it comes to the BMW X5 xDrive 4.0e, I’m going to make an exception, even if it’s one that I and probably most of you cannot afford.
After last week’s hybrid comparison, this week we feature another hybrid SUV that’s considered in the luxury class. After a few days behind the wheel, the luxury and sheer driving ability of this car confirms that it is a dream to experience.
Compared to the equivalent diesel version of the BMW X5, this new plug-in hybrid version has now a lot more to offer. Like almost all hybrids, this one uses a petrol engine.
BMW has put together a 2.0-litre twin turbo petrol engine with a hybrid drive system to deliver a car that’s powerful, smooth and so impressive to drive. This hybrid X5 is a plug-in version, which means that you can plug it in at your home and charge it enough 
over about four hours to give you about 30km of full electric driving at speeds up to 120km/hr. That’s cheap motoring if it suits you.
And there’s an app to let the driver get information on the high-voltage battery’s state of charge, even when they are away from the vehicle, and it also displays the location of public charging stations.
Powerful
In truth, most of my driving was on rural roads and for me the combined hybrid and petrol power was almost always in use. The petrol engine is powerful to start with at 245bhp. Then add another smooth and torque-filled electric power pack and the X5 hybrid can accelerate to 100km/h in just 6.8 seconds. This makes this version of the X5 the second-fastest to accelerate in the range.
It’s the way that the X5 hybrid accelerates that impresses. The smoothness from the eight-speed automatic gearbox combines with huge engine power and torque that together gives 450Nm of torque to push the car effortlessly forward.
The slight downside that’s becoming obvious with most hybrids is the lower towing ability. It takes a hit from 3.5t to 2.7t when you take the hybrid option. There is a little less space in the boot, which is raised slightly to take the lithium batteries under its floor, but the difference is small. It still comes with a sizeable boot and the second row seats fold flat.
The outstanding plus factor is the fuel economy. This hybrid petrol car puts diesel economy to shame. And it’s heavy – I had it over a weighbridge and at 2,440kg, it matches what it says in the book.
While this hybrid X5 is not light in weight, it’s incredibly light on fuel. The car is rated to do 29.4km/litre (3.4/100km or 83.1mpg), which is double the performance of the X5 diesel version with the impressive six-cylinder engine. That converts to half the running costs and that’s even cheaper motoring than you would expect.
Most equivalent diesel SUVs in this price bracket will have half of this fuel economy performance, at best. This means that the hybrid X5 has impressive ownership costs for a car that is expensive to buy at the start.
The hybrid X5 is rated to deliver a driving range of 830km on a full tank of petrol, which has a capacity of 78 litres compared with 85 litres for the diesel models. My driving style, which included a bit of field work, but was generally leisurely, gave a figure of over 900km and that also impressed me. This hybrid X5’s fuel efficiency is truly outstanding, also part of the reason that I was so impressed with the car.
As you would expect, the X5 hybrid comes with loads of driving features. These include ABS and dynamic traction control (DTC), cornering brake control (CBC), dynamic brake control (DBC), dry braking function, fading compensation, start-off assistant, DSC linked to xDrive all-wheel-drive, automatic differential brake (ADB-X), hill descent control (HDC) and dynamic damper control. They seem like a mouthful and they are, but essentially they combine to make the X5 hybrid a superb car to drive with confident road holding despite its large size.
There’s loads of safety stuff included, such as front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, head airbags for front and rear seats, iso-fix system in the rear, crash-activated head restraints at the front, three-point inertia-reel seatbelts on all seats with integrated belt latch tensioner and belt force limiter at the front, crash sensors, rollover sensors and a tyre defect indicator. It is some years since the X5’s last Euro NCAP crash test. However, the package is safe as well as being frugal and luxurious.
The BMW X5 is big, while still more compact than the new Audi Q7 or the Volvo XC90. It is pricier than both, while the diesel version of the X5 is more expensive than the hybrid and does not include a €2,500 hybrid grant.
I noted that BMW has significantly increased the price of the X5 xDrive 4.0e since it was first introduced and that surprised me. The entry price is now €80,690 or £51,845 in Northern Ireland, which either way does require a deep pocket.
I’ve looked at the three-year ownership costs and found that generally BMW X5 depreciation rates are relatively low; these cars seem to look well even after some years on the road. That makes the BMW X5 xDrive 4.0e relatively cost-effective to own, if only we could get over the initial high buy-in price.
Roll on the Lotto weekend draw and if I hit the numbers, you’ll have guessed which dealership I’ll be heading to. This BMW X5 xDrive 4.0e is one of the best cars that I’ve driven in a long time; it left a lasting impression on me for all of the right reasons, other than the price.
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