2020 BMW X5 xDrive45e Plug-In Hybrid First Drive: Large and Recharged – MotorTrend

On paper, developing a plug-in hybrid is pretty straightforward. You take a regular hybrid, find room for a bigger battery, add a charge port, and there you go. EPA-rated fuel economy jumps, owners have the option to make short trips on electric power, and the price doesn’t jump nearly as much as it would if you’d gone all electric. Job done, right?

Not necessarily. You also have to consider how buyers will use the vehicle and how choosing the plug-in version can benefit them. Those factors need to then influence the way you integrate the electric powertrain. Some PHEVs are better if the powertrain improves performance. Others are better if it’s all about efficiency.

With the new X5, though, BMW seems to have focused on something different—transparency. The hybrid powertrain still delivers better fuel economy. It just fades into the background instead of being the star of the show.

First, let’s cover the basics. BMW redesigned the X5 for 2019, and we found it to be a relatively luxurious, practical daily driver with good power. It also happens to be a surprisingly good off-roader. The plug-in hybrid version, the X5 xDrive45e iPerformance, uses an electric motor paired with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six to make a system total of 394 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. By BMW’s estimates, that’s enough to launch from 0 to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds.

BMW hasn’t released official EPA numbers yet, but on Europe’s WLTP cycle, it has a range of 80 kilometers. Because of differences in the testing procedure, expect that to work out to around 40 miles in the U.S. In electric-only mode, the X5 has a top speed of 87 mph. Interestingly, the X5 has the biggest battery and can go the fastest under electric power in the entire BMW plug-in lineup. It even tops the plug-in version of the new 7 Series.



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