Update brings revised engine options, with more power and a more efficient plug-in hybrid On sale April Price from £66,320
George Hill george.hill@haymarket.com
IN SOME WAYS, the revisions to the new BMW X5 are very similar to what you might experience after updating your smartphone’s operating system. It closely resembles what you’re used to, but it has a sharper look and suddenly packs more power than before.
Let’s start with what’s under the bonnet.As before, the X5 will offer plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power as well as six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines that employ mild hybrid technology. This means they have small electric motors to assist under hard acceleration, improving both performance and fuel economy. New, though, is that the range-topping V8 gains that technology for the first time.
Power-wise, the xDrive40i’s 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine now produces 375bhp (up 46bhp from before) and 383lb ft of torque (up 53lb ft), enabling a 0-62mph time of just 5.4sec. Its diesel equivalent – the xDrive30d – produces 294bhp and 364lb ft of torque. While its 0-62mph time is slightly slower than the petrol at 6.1sec, its official combined fuel economy is slightly higher at 39.8mpg, against the xDrive40i’s 33.2mpg.
Meanwhile, the new xDrive50e PHEV combines a 309bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with a 194bhp electric motor and a 25.7kWh (usable) battery.This set-up produces 483bhp when petrol and electric power combine, and it can officially travel for up to 67 miles on electric power alone.
That’s up from 54 miles with the outgoing xDrive45e, but it’s trumped by the 70 miles the Range Rover Sport P440e can officially achieve.This means the latter will remain slightly cheaper to tax than the X5 for company car drivers, although the X5 is still cheap at around £210 per month.
At the top of the range, a new M60i xDrive replaces the old M50i, using a 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine from BMW’s M performance division. With 523bhp and 553lb ft of torque, it can whip from 0-62mph in just 4.3sec, making it a touch quicker than its Range Rover Sport P530 rival, which takes 4.5sec.
Inside, the X5 gets the eighth generation of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system, which uses a 14.9in touchscreen that abuts a 12.3in digital driver’s display in a curved housing.As with other BMWs that use this system, physical climate controls are no more; all functions are now accessed via the touchscreen. We think this is a backwards step, because it’ll be much trickier to make adjustments while driving than it is with physical buttons.
Thankfully, unlike in the sma
