BMW's best-selling SUV is all-new, and it is trying to be everything to everyone. The fifth-generation X5 is the first BMW designed from day one to take five different powertrains in one body.
Pick Your Power
The same X5 shell will house petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, fully electric and even hydrogen fuel cell versions. Instead of betting on one future, BMW is hedging across all of them.
Most versions land at launch or soon after, so buyers will not have to wait long to choose petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric.
It is a clever bit of engineering. Building one car that swallows five drivetrains keeps costs down and lets buyers in different markets choose whatever suits them.
The Numbers
The petrol X5 40 xDrive makes 400 hp, while the 50e plug-in hybrid steps up to 490 hp. The electric iX5 60 xDrive tops the range at 578 hp and 594 lb-ft.
BMW has also redesigned the look, with a bolder face and new headlight graphics, so nobody mistakes this for the outgoing car. Expect strong plug-in hybrid range too.
That makes the electric version the most powerful X5 of the lot at launch. All of them get all-wheel drive and the usual BMW polish.
The Hydrogen Wildcard
The headline grabber is the hydrogen iX5, developed with Toyota using a third-generation fuel cell system. It refuels like a petrol car but emits only water.
Still, the fact BMW engineered the X5 to take a fuel cell at all says plenty about how it sees the next decade. It is keeping every door open.
Do not hold your breath, though. The fuel cell version is not due before 2028, and with hydrogen stations still rare outside Germany and Japan, it will be a niche, selective rollout.
Smarter Underneath
The new X5 also gets BMW's Heart of Joy, a single processor that merges drivetrain and chassis control and reacts about ten times faster than before.
It debuts on June 30, with production starting in August at BMW's Spartanburg plant in the United States. One body, five ways to power it, and a hydrogen promise for later.
There is also a sportier styling pack and the usual run of trims to come. For now, the message is flexibility: one X5, however you want it powered.
