The first solicitation from looky-loos about the BMW X5 xDrive40e plug-in hybrid:

“What is this BMW? That’s not the strange-looking i3 taking up a public electric vehicle charging spot? And why is it a large SUV?”

To keep the ICE’d patrol at bay, this 5,263-pound luxury crossover assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina, can indeed suckle from the electrical mains, although in this application, the charging power tops out at a depressingly not powerful 3.5 kilowatts, meaning all those Level 2 public chargers rated for up to 6.6 kW are twiddling their thumbs. We’re in the Golden Age of Tesla. Waiting nearly 3 hours to charge the xDrive40e’s 9.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery for 18-19 miles of claimed electric driving range (as stated on our vehicle) is so not Silicon Valley cool.

The EPA estimates 0-14 miles of EV range when the battery is full. There’s a dash between 0 and 14 because the powertrain fundamentally favors blended gas/electric driving, unlike a vehicle such as the Chevrolet Volt that’ll keep the engine off for as long as possible. As expected, the N20 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four rated at 240 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque performs quite reasonably on the road, similar to other BMW products it’s installed in.

A 111-hp/184-lb-ft AC induction electric motor is always ready to roll with the punches at low speeds but is otherwise completely overshadowed by the sterling N20 if the driver isn’t consciously trying to move the X5 with the battery alone. Switching between engine and e-motor or putting the two’s power together, fortunately, does not disturb the SUV’s velvety flow of operation. The information (EV range, battery percentage, electric drive efficiency, etc.) related to the SUV’s plug-in ability is subtly integrated into the existing instrument cluster and center display interfaces. None of the xDrive40e’s PHEV-ness is thrust upon driver or passenger, though the charge port on the driver’s front fender does feature a light-up ring with colors coordinated to the charging status.

One of these days, a plug-in SUV will size its internal combustion part equally with the electric portion, and that’s when we’ll truly acknowledge that there’s no turning back from electrifying all the automotive things. Gasoline and lithium-ion battery energy join forces to the tune of 308 hp and 332 lb-ft in this BMW. We preserved battery energy with the Save Battery setting (this holds the charge for future deployment and coaxes the engine into continuous action) in advance of straight-line testing. This allowed the propulsion sources (set to Auto eDrive instead of Save) to heave the X5 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and through the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 94.3 mph. Here’s how it compares against the full roster of all-wheel-drive F15-generation X5s:

BMW X5	xDrive40e	xDrive35i	xDrive35d	xDrive50i	M
ENGINE	2.0L/240-hp/260-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus 111-hp/184-lb-ft electric motor; 308 hp/332 lb-ft comb	3.0L/300-hp/300-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 24-valve I-6	3.0L/255-hp/413-lb-ft turbodiesel DOHC 24-valve I-6	4.4L/445-hp/480-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8	4.4L/567-hp/553-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	5,263 lb (46/54%)	4,830 lb (49/51%)	4,982 lb (50/50%)	5,277 lb (49/51%)	5,281 lb (50/50%)
0-60 MPH	6.2 sec	5.9 sec	6.2 sec	4.3 sec	3.7 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.6 sec @ 94.3 mph	14.5 sec @ 95.1 mph	14.8 sec @ 89.4 mph	12.8 sec @ 106.9 mph	12.2 sec @ 112.8 mph

Despite weighing as much as the V-8-endowed X5s, the xDrive40e lays down respectable straightaway numbers. And the 46/54 percent front/rear weight distribution is more rearward-biased than a Mercedes-AMG GT S (by 1 percent). Our X5 test specimen rode on $950 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST tires in a gargantuan 315/35R20 on the rear axle and 275/40R20 in front. The standard tire is a square and less strange-looking 255/50R19, but the massive rubber on our test vehicle certainly helps with the fleet 111-foot 0-60-mph braking distance.

The BMW rides a bit better than we remember of previously tested F15 X5s, the xDrive40e relaying a sense of sportiness in the ride control while equipping the driver with a strong command of the road. Present X5 owners should find plenty to be pleased with in the ride and handling. The xDrive40e produces 0.81 average lateral g and uses the sideways tug on the figure eight, lapping it in 26.5 seconds at an average 0.67 composite g. That’s only two-tenths of a second behind an xDrive50i and 0.3 second ahead of the xDrive35i and 35d. The steering that feels fine on the street is “bizarre” when pressed into extreme figure-eight handling situations, per testing director Kim Reynolds. The steering is “very electric and the artificial effort is unpredictable,” he continued. The brake pedal wasn’t overly eager with its regenerative braking, feeling about average for a hybrid vehicle in gentle and aggressive driving.

Now for the fun part of the numbers game. By our testing, the battery takes about 8 kW-hrs off the electrical grid to charge from “empty”—which registers at about 6 percent on the cluster percentage display and never drops to 0—to 100 percent. That roughly equates to 0.09 kW-hrs per percentage point, and each time it was charged, the EV driving distance sprung from “—” (it’ll also read 0 before that) to 18 or 19 miles.

Drive the X5 xDrive40e lightly enough, and in the selectable Max eDrive setting, you might get the full 18 to 19 miles. The electronically limited electric-drive top speed in Max eDrive is 75 mph, but no one is getting 18-19 miles at 75 mph unless the SUV is going downhill all the way. Employing the somewhat tragic mpg-equivalent scale (tragic because it’s placed into service for lack of a better and easily communicated option), the xDrive40e could achieve the equivalent of 75-79 mpg-e if it went the entire 18-19 miles without the engine starting once.

Most of our time with the X5 xDrive40e was spent in the default Auto eDrive, which mixes engine and e-motor action as the powertrain software sees fit. A sufficient battery charge and steady acceleration keep the engine off until 45 mph; however, the four cylinders firing up coincide with more effective air-conditioning performance. This blended operation, where the engine can cycle on and off as the lines of code mediate, can create all manner of fanciful, single-trip mpg-e numbers, from 25 mpg-e to 100 mpg-e depending on how you use the accelerator pedal. Out of its charge-depleting state and into the charge-sustaining 6 percent battery life mode, we saw Real MPG of 18.5/26.3/21.3 mpg city/highway/combined.

It’s always worth repeating what a strange time we live in. The X5 xDrive40e plug-in hybrid shows that anyone (with a lot of money) can get their hands on a spacious and tall four-cylinder BMW matched with 315mm-wide rear tires and sports carlike weight distribution, and it can drive more than 10 miles without using any gas, though those miles are supported by an onboard charging power we snickered at every time. At least the traction battery beneath the cargo hold floor minimally affects the measured 34.2-cubic-foot storage volume available behind the split-opening rear hatch, a mere 4-percent reduction from the regular X5’s 35.8. This is an SUV, after all.

2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e eDrive
BASE PRICE	$63,095
PRICE AS TESTED	$75,495
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	2.0L/240-hp/260-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus 111-hp/184-lb-ft front electric motor; comb 308-hp/332 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	5,263 lb (46/54%)
WHEELBASE	115.5 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	193.2 x 76.3 x 69.4 in
0-60 MPH	6.2 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.6 sec @ 94.3 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	111 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.81 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.5 sec @ 0.67 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	23/25/24 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	147/135 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.81 lb/mile

 

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