BMW’s first-ever sport activity vehicle—the X5—is now BMW’s first-ever plug-in hybrid sport activity vehicle. It’s called the BMW X5 xDrive40e which, given the dual modes of propulsion, is a mercifully short moniker.
The first of its kind within the BMW brand features xDrive—BMW’s superlative all-wheel-drive system—and eDrive—BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology that combines an internal combustion engine with an additional electric motor to allow electric-only motoring or a combination gasoline-electric mode. By the way, xDrive is active all the time, regardless of whether the vehicle is running in electric-only or combination mode.
The X5’s primary powerplant is a two-liter, four-cylinder, TwinScroll turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It is integrated through an eight-speed Steptronic transmission with a synchronous electric motor that puts out 113 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Thus, the combined power of the internal combustion/electric combination is 313 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque.
That’s enough grunt to get the two-and-a-half ton X5 from zero to 60 in about 6.8 seconds, which is remarkable in itself. Top speed of the vehicle is electronically limited to 130 miles per hour.
But wait, there’s more. The X5 xDrive40e is capable of running solely on the electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery for around 19 miles at speeds up to an electronically limited 75 miles per hour. That doesn’t sound like much, but think about all the daily errands that many people can do in fewer than 20 miles. Those quick trips to the store or school could be done without any point-of-use carbon fuel consumption. How the energy is produced that recharges the battery is another matter.
When you are driving your BMW X5 xDrive40e with the entire drivetrain engaged, BMW says your combined fuel mileage should be about 69 to 71 miles per gallon.
And we thought getting 30 mpg in the diesel X5 was good.
As you would expect, CO2 emissions are lower than a conventional X5, coming in at around 77 to 78 grams per kilometer (g/km). The European Union requirement for a carmaker’s fleet average is 130 g/km this year, dropping to 95 g/km by 2021. It would appear the BMW X5 xDrive40e is already there, but BMW makes lots of vehicles that aren’t there yet, so this X5 is helping to bring the rest of the fleet into compliance, as are cars like the i3 and i8 and any other plug-in hybrids that come along. (Hint: think 3 Series and 5 Series.)
The electric motor gets its energy from the lithium-ion battery cleverly hidden under the cargo compartment. The lithium-ion battery also uses a transformer to juice the vehicle’s 12-volt system. The battery can be recharged from any domestic electrical socket, or from a BMW i Wallbox, or from many public charging stations. The battery’s presence under the cargo floor does reduce the luggage capacity a bit. A normal X5 has around 23 cubic feet with the seats up and 66 cubic feet with the seats folded. The X5 xDrive40e’s cargo space is 17.6 and 60 cubic feet, respectively.
What’s different about driving the X5 xDrive40e? Well for one thing, this vehicle has an eDrive button on the center console so that the driver can adjust the hybrid drive’s operating mode. In the Auto eDrive basic setting, the electric drive boosts the gas engine’s power when accelerating or during quick bursts of speed. The nice thing about the electric motor is that its full 184 pound-feet of torque is available from a standstill for instantaneous power delivery.
The driver always has the opportunity—battery charge notwithstanding—to engage Max eDrive mode, during which the X5 will run purely on electric power up to about 19 miles on a full charge, all other conditions being ideal.
Or the driver can pick the Save mode, which conserves battery power and allows its recuperation. Theoretically, a driver could start out on electric only and when the battery gets low, switch to Save and run on gasoline until the batteries are recharged enough to run on electric only again. Having that twin-turbo four up front means never having to say you’re sorry that you ran the battery dead—unless you first ran the gas tank dry.
Besides the modes available with the eDrive button, the driver can use the Driving Experience Control switch to choose the more conventional modes that other BMW drivers are used to, such as Comfort, Sport, and EcoPro.
BMW has added some hybrid-specific features into its ConnectedDrive matrix. The navigation system is standard in the BMW X5 xDrive40e, and it is put to good use. When route guidance is active, route profile data and real-time traffic information are factored into powertrain control. The system can manage the lithium-ion battery’s energy reserves using Brake Energy Regeneration during medium to long driving segments so that there is sufficient power remaining to drive on electrical power alone in urban sections. That’s the plan, anyway.
BMW’s hybrid-specific version of the BMW Remote app allows the driver to use a smartphone to check the high-voltage battery’s state of charge, locate public charging stations, or call up efficiency evaluations for the BMW X5 xDrive40e. The auxiliary heating and ventilation functions can also be activated remotely.
If you have an X5 xDrive40e, you’re probably going to want a BMW i Wallbox Pure or i Wallbox Pro to charge it up. Plugging into a regular domestic socket can recharge the vehicle from a flat battery to full charge in three hours and fifty minutes. The BMW i Wallbox Pure can do it in two hours and forty-five minutes, while the BMW i Wallbox Pro can fill ‘er up in the same time as the Pure, but adds a seven-inch color monitor and touchscreen and allows customized setting for load management as well as self-produced electricity.
These options, including installation, are available for home charging as part of the BMW 360° Electric concept, which offers customers fast and convenient recharging and model-specific assistance services.
The BMW X5 xDrive40e comes standard with the Adaptive Suspension Package Comfort including rear air suspension and Dynamic Damper Control. Practically all optional extras offered for other X5s can be had on the plug-in hybrid version. Styling lines available for the X5 xDrive40e include the Design Pure Experience, Pure Excellence, and M Sport packages as well as custom options from BMW Individual.
The BMW X5 xDrive40e will be built on the same production line in BMW Plant Spartanburg as all the other X5s. Expect the physical premiere of the vehicle at the 2015 Auto Shanghai Motor Show in April. We’re looking for a sales launch this fall.
We knew this model was coming when BMW introduced the BMW Concept X5 eDrive last year. Now we know exactly what it looks like, what’s on it, and how it’s supposed to perform. What we don’t know yet is how much it will cost—other than “more.”—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
