8 things you need to know about the new BMW X5 and iX5
New electric BMW iX5 gets 525 miles of range, ultra-rapid charging… and hydrogen
BMW has revealed the all-new X5 SUV – and for the first time ever, it’s a car available with five distinct drivetrains, including two mild hybrids, a plug-in hybrid, an EV and even a hydrogen fuel cell model.
To be built at BMW’s Spartanburg factory in South Carolina, US, the new X5 is the third member of BMW’s Neue Klasse family, following the smaller iX3 and i3. But, while the new car shares its design, platform and technology with those models, the X5 is significant in its own right – not least because more than three million have been sold since BMW’s first SUV arrived in 1999.
Announced in the US this week, the new X5 family will go into production in August, with the first combustion-engine models arriving with customers in November. The electric and plug-in hybrid versions can be ordered from October, with deliveries beginning in early 2027. UK deliveries are expected to begin in the spring of 2027, but prices aren’t known for now.
Here are eight things you need to know about the new BMW X5 and iX5.
1. There are five models, including EV and hydrogen
A first in BMW history – and surely a first among all other car makers, too – is how five distinct versions of the X5, each powered differently, will be produced and sold at the same time.
These include mild-hybrid variants of X5 powered by BMW’s three-litre, six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, two plug-in petrol hybrid models, the all-electric iX5 and, coming later, a version of the iX5 powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
The twin-turbo mild hybrid petrol and diesel cars have 400 and 313 horsepower respectively, with an electrical system that produces 18hp. Acceleration to 62 mph is 6.1 seconds for the diesel and 5.3 seconds for the petrol.
There are then two models of plug-in hybrid, called the X5 50e xDrive and the X5 M60e xDrive. Both combine a six-cylinder, three-litre petrol engine with a 145 kW electric motor. The former has a total output of 489 hp and 700 Nm, a 0-62 mph time of 5.0 seconds and a WLTP electric range of 53 to 63 miles. The latter puts out a more potent 612hp and 800 Nm, with a 0-62 mph time of just 4.5 seconds and an electric range of 50 to 61 miles.
Just one electric version will be available at launch. It’s called the iX5 60 xDrive and it has an 800-volt electrical architecture, a huge 141 kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors to produce a combined 578 hp and 805 Nm of torque. BMW says the 0-62mph time is 4.6 seconds and the WLTP range is between 401 and 525 miles.
A version of iX5 powered by a hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain developed in cooperation with Toyota “will make its market debut at a later stage,” BMW says, without giving further details.
2. Panoramic iDrive display is fitted as standard
First seen in the iX3, BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive will also feature in the cabin of the iX5. A major feature of the Neue Klasse family, the projection display sits just below the windscreen and stretches across the entire width of the dashboard. It’s customisable interface shows driver information like speed, fuel, range and navigation, plus media and the interface of BMW’s AI-powered voice assistant.
There’s also a 3D head-up display projected onto the windscreen ahead of the driver, a 17.9-inch central touchscreen for the infotainment system, and a new 14.6-inch passenger display that includes video streaming, gaming, music and video calls for the front-seat passenger. All screens run BMW’s new Operating System X.
3. The iX5 has a range of 525 miles
Building on the 500-mile range of the iX3, the bigger iX5 uses an even larger battery to eke out up to 525 miles from a change. BMW has hedged this slightly, by offering a WLTP range figure of between 401 and 525 miles, but if the iX5 can manage anything between those two during normal driving it’ll be mightily impressive.
4. The 800-volt system charges at 460 kW
Another stand-out figure for the iX5 is its charge rate, which at 460 kW is greater than just about any other electric car on sale.
Most public chargers in the UK offer electricity at no more than 300 or 350 kW, so to see BMW claim 460 kWh for the iX5 is a big deal – and it’ll help deliver decent charge times, despite the car’s enormous 141 kWH battery pack.
It’ll put iX5 drivers in the strange position of knowing their car will charge more quickly one day in the future, once chargers capable of delivering the full 460 kWh are more widely available.
BMW says the iX5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 23 minutes, and claims up to 217 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.
5. The plug-in hybrid has 63 miles of EV range
BMW says the plug-in variants of X5 have an electric-only WLTP range of 53 to 63 miles, depending on how they are being driven. That’s for the X5 50e, while the more powerful X5 M60e manages a claimed 50 to 61 miles of electric range.
Although PHEVs are rarely driven exclusively in electric mode, that few dozen miles of range theoretically means many X5 hybrid drivers will be able to complete their daily commute, school run and other local errands without ever using the engine.
Charge the battery up at night (using a low-cost EV tariff, ideally) and the car could cost very little to run, while keeping the engine and fuel tank in reserve for longer journeys.
6. BMW has reinvented the door handle for the X5
There are no conventional handles on the doors of the new X5 and iX5. There aren’t even any recessed or pop-out handles either. Instead, BMW has fitted a set of “Winglet” handles at the top of each door, just below the windows. These are fixed and do not move, and instead operate the doors with a press. Powered soft-close doors that open and close themselves are available as an optional extra.
Although BMW hasn’t expanded on their use, it’s likely that these winglet handles are more aerodynamically efficient than conventional handles. They also won’t suffer from being frozen shut, as pop-out handles can be susceptible to in extremely cold conditions.
7. The iX5 stops more smoothly than you can
First seen on the smaller iX3, the iX5 and iX5 Hydrogen also features BMW Soft-Stop, which “executes the smoothest stopping action every provided by BMW,” the company claimed.
Soft-Stop is a part of BMW’s Symbiotic Drive system, a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system that BMW says “provides intelligent support tailored to individual driver behaviour.”
8. There’s support for Dolby Atmos
A 12-speaker, 265-watt sound system is fitted as standard, but as an option this can be upgraded to a surround sound system by Bowers & Wilkins.
This features a seven-band equaliser, 18 speakers and 760 watts of power. Upgrading to this system also unlocks support for Dolby Atmos content, which creates a three-dimensional sound scape that effectively puts the listeners in a sphere of sound.
