BMW is launching a plug-in hybrid version of its X5 SUV.
[Not a valid template]Perhaps emboldened by the rapturous reception for the i8, BMW has decided to release a plug-in hybrid version of its X5 SUV; the first time the technology has been used in a ‘core’ BMW.
The US-built X5 xDrive40e will get its world debut at the New York Motor Show next month and go on sale in selected markets later this year. The powertrain combines a 242bhp, 2-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with electric drive, generating an output of 313bhp to a permanent all-wheel drive system through an eight-speed auto transmission. The gives performance figures of 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds, while using a claimed 2.7l/100km of fuel and emitting just 77g/km of CO2.
The system means the X5 xDrive40e can travel on electricity power only for up to 30km at up to 120kph, depending on the setting it’s in. Other settings combine engine and electric power for better acceleration, or more efficiency.
The battery can be topped up with mains electricity from a standard socket, or more quickly from BMW’s i Wallbox, and also at public charging stations, if you can find one. The battery is located under the luggage compartment floor, but BMW says it hardly compromises the X5’s load space.
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