UK BMW X5 45e PHEV Review Calls It ‘A Complete Package’

It’s praised for its driving dynamics, electric range and impressive towing capability.

The BMW X5 45e is a plug-in hybrid that has as big a battery pack as the first generation Nissan Leaf pure-electric vehicle. That 24 kWh pack grants it impressive electric range, even if it’s a big and quite heavy sporty SUV.

If you’ve had the chance to drive the latest X5, then you’ll know that it’s one of the most fun to drive vehicles in its segment. And even though the PHEV variant adds extra weight to be lugged around, it still does an admirable job of steering and stopping, proving quite enjoyable on a twisty road.

Driving Electric had a go in one recently and ended up recommending it for its blend of qualities. There is a lot to like about it and it shows BMW is on a bit of a roll with its latest crop of plug-in vehicles, like the 330e PHEV that we recently tried and were really impressed by.

The X5 45e is a bit more expensive than the 330e and with a six-cylinder engine, nowhere near as efficient, but both are highly competent in their respective segments. The only problem with both of them is that they can only charge at a rate of 3.7 kW, which means it takes too long even in the 330e, so the X5 45e’s battery, which has twice the capacity, takes twice as long to charge (from empty to 80 percent in 5 hours or to 100 percent in nearly 7 hours).

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