Review: 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e

The green vehicle world is in a unique time, and I believe automotive journalists as well as the automakers need to find a way to help new buyers navigate this brave—but sometimes confusing—new world. To assume that people know what we are talking about when we write about any type of green vehicle is, in my opinion, unprofessional and disrespectful. There are many different types of green vehicles, but the one I will be writing about is the 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e. Basically all that vehicle nomenclature after the BMW designation says this is the traditional BMW X5 SUV that has the potential to be both a gas powered and electric powered vehicle. I will break down the subsequent vehicle nomenclature while explaining how it is both a petro (gas) powered vehicle and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

BMW X5 History

The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV that started its production life in 1999 as the E53 model. It was BMW's first SUV that featured all-wheel drive capability and was actually branded not as a sport utility vehicle (SUV) but as a sport activity vehicle (SAV) to highlight its on-road nimbleness and prowess that was similar to a sports car despite its size. The reason the X5 (E53) was much more nimble than its SUV competitors was that it was the first SUV to make the shift from a light truck-based body-on-frame to the crossover concept with it being attached to a unibody car platform, which gave it superior handling. The crossover concept would later become popular with other automakers starting in the 2000's.

BMW xDrive

xDrive is the marketing name for the all-wheel-drive system that varies the torque between the front and rear axles. BMW has included this traction feature on most BMWs since the 2003 production year. The default torque split between rear and front axels is set at 40:60, but the system has the capability to send 100% of the torque to either axle as it is needed. It also has the ability to transfer full torque to the front axle if the rear wheels have absolutely no traction. There is now an upgrade deemed dynamic performance control (DPC) that is used by the electronic stability control to correct for understeer/oversteer. The DPC system has the ability distribute torque not only between the front and rear axles but also between the two wheels on the rear axle to make high speed cornering smoother and more stable.

1st Generation EV History

The first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for BMW was the 2015 X5 xDrive 40e. It was designed to utilize a combination (hybrid) of both a gas engine and an electric motor just like today's new xDrive45e. The first xDrive40e hybrid featured a 2.0L turbocharged gasoline engine that produced 242 horsepower that was coupled to an 83 kW electric motor and a 9.0 kWh battery that produced 111 horsepower. The EPA rated the full-time electric range at 14 mile. That electric-only range was pretty standard for the few automakers that were selling electric hybrids back then. Automakers were not highlighting the full-time electric range back then because at 14 miles of range, you could not get much accomplished. You could drop your child off at school, make a run to the grocery store or post office, and then head back to the school at the end of the day to pick up your child. You would then head straight home and plug your vehicle in for probably 8 hours, so you could do it all over again the next day. What they did sell was the overall range when you combined the gas mpg with the addition of the electric range. Then you had something. The X5 xDrive40e was rated by the EPA with a combined city/highway fuel economy at 68 mpg as a hybrid combination, if you remembered to plug it in every night.

Upgraded Performance and Power

The new 2021 plug-in hybrid X5 sports activity vehicle will offer all the great styling and handling benefits that can be found in any of the petro X5 models. Where the gen-2 hybrid upgrade will be noticeably different is under the hood. Not only is the electric system getting a substantial battery upgrade from the gen-1 hybrid that will extend the full-time electric range to an EPA estimated 30-mile range (I saw a tic under 40 miles in real world driving) and a top speed increase from 75 mph to 84 mph, but the combustion engine will now get a 3.0L TwinPower turbo inline 6-cylinder engine to replace the model's 2.0L inline 4-cylinder. The combined power increase of this new power plant is reported to be 389 hp, which is an increase of 81hp. The full-time electric zero to 60 mph time is now 5.3 seconds or 1.2 seconds faster than before. Here is probably the biggest number of this upgrade that could possibly make the biggest impact for this all new sports activity vehicle: the torque that is now produced by this hybrid upgrade is rated at 443 ft-lb which is an increase of 111 ft-lbs. In real-world terms, that means this hybrid is no longer relegated to mundane suburban duties. It can now be used to chase adventures because it offers a factory-installed trailer hitch that will be rated for 7,200 lbs of towing. That is anything from jets skis to a mid-size camper. In 2019, BMW expected such a large surge of purchases of the upgraded X5 plug-in hybrid as well as the X3 plug-in hybrid that battery production for the new higher performing fourth-generation battery was doubled at the Spartanburg, SC. manufacturing plant.

As you begin to understand the numbers of this hybrid upgrade, you will see the X5 xDrive45e's power combination upgrade offers a number of great benefits including its electric motor and combustion engine combination, it's all wheel capability, and the great towing numbers that makes this sports activity vehicle perfectly suited for each person's individual requirements and needs for their specific life. The xDrive45e starta at $65,000, but when you subtract back out the $7,500 tax credit to which you are entitled for purchasing an electric vehicle, you will get into a European-styled hybrid that offers a world of potential for a little over 55k before tax. To put this green vehicle pricing into perspective, if you were going to buy a green vehicle by any automaker not too long ago, you would have had to spend an extra 20-35% depending on the automaker. Today, you can pay pretty much the same price for the fuel-efficient hybrid as you would for the strictly combustion engine vehicle.

About BMW

The special fascination of the BMW Group not only lies in its products and technology, but also in the company's history, written by inventors, pioneers and brilliant designers. Today, the BMW Group, with its 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries as well as a global sales network, is the world's leading manufacturer of premium automobiles and motorcycles, and provider of premium financial and mobility services.