- 4 hours ago
Is the facelifted BMW X5 xDrive50e the one SUV that can do it all? This in-depth automotive review examines what changed in the fourth-generation X5, from its refreshed styling and BMW OS 8 cockpit to its practical split tailgate, spacious cabin and usable plug-in hybrid boot. The review also tests the xDrive50e’s performance, electric range, charging and real-world efficiency, then considers whether a plug-in hybrid makes sense for everyday commutes and longer journeys.
With 489 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a claimed electric range of up to 110 km under optimal conditions, the X5 xDrive50e is quick and capable, but its benefits depend on regular charging. Behind the wheel, it feels taut and responsive, while driver-assistance features and a reverse-parking function add everyday convenience. A diagonal traction test and comparisons with diesel-powered X5 models help put its strengths and compromises in perspective.
Explore this BMW X5 review for practical insight into luxury SUV performance, PHEV ownership, fuel economy, electric driving and the refreshed BMW interior. A useful watch for car buyers comparing the BMW X5 xDrive50e with other plug-in hybrid SUVs, or deciding between a petrol hybrid and a diesel family SUV.
With 489 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a claimed electric range of up to 110 km under optimal conditions, the X5 xDrive50e is quick and capable, but its benefits depend on regular charging. Behind the wheel, it feels taut and responsive, while driver-assistance features and a reverse-parking function add everyday convenience. A diagonal traction test and comparisons with diesel-powered X5 models help put its strengths and compromises in perspective.
Explore this BMW X5 review for practical insight into luxury SUV performance, PHEV ownership, fuel economy, electric driving and the refreshed BMW interior. A useful watch for car buyers comparing the BMW X5 xDrive50e with other plug-in hybrid SUVs, or deciding between a petrol hybrid and a diesel family SUV.
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MotorTranscript
00:00the x5 bmw's first suv came to market 25 years ago its fourth generation g05 has been given a
00:07facelift what has changed and is there a point choosing a plug-in hybrid version like the one
00:12behind me? Lets find out!
01:01my first encounter with the fourth generation x5 was in the fall of 2018 visually the biggest
01:06difference from the third generation f15 was the radiator grille which at the time seemed huge
01:12nowadays it goes unnoticed if the x7 kidneys weren't ostentatious enough we have the ix and xm's
01:20fall radiator grilles which are like those ralph lauren polo shirts with logos for those with impaired
01:27vision from a distance you can tell the brand and the wearer's poor taste the big news inside at the
01:34time was the new i drive 7 infotainment system and a technical novelty was the introduction of the x
01:40off-road package in case someone wanted to take their x5 off the tarmac the facelift brings cosmetic
01:47changes to the exterior which include an optional illuminated radiator grille the headlights are
01:52sleeker the tail lamps now feature an x motif or rather each lamp is half of an x we have
01:59the usual
02:00new bumpers new paint but the biggest changes are of course in the cockpit and we'll get to those in
02:05a
02:07moment the boot capacity in the plug-in hybrid is according to bmw 500 liters very loud in five seat
02:14configuration and 1720 liters with the backrests in the second row folded according to my measurements
02:19this checks out the phev doesn't get big underfloor storage of the regular model just a small one by the
02:27boot sill where you can fit the cargo cover and theoretically a charging cable but bmw seems to
02:33realize nobody's going to bother trying to fit the cable in there so just in case you get a cable
02:38bag
02:39and sure it's a phev so you don't really need a cable with you every day unless you're taking a
02:45longer road trip and you want to take advantage of the trick powertrain that's when you bring your
02:50own type 2 cable because not all wall boxes have them attached beside lack of large storage under the
02:59floor the phev boot floor is raised ever so slightly but still the boot is quite usable as it has
03:05a
03:05regular shape something i noticed the facelifted models seem to have lost the levers for folding
03:11the second row backrest from the boot side i couldn't find them in a configurator maybe it's a temporary
03:17issue with the parts or maybe bmw reserved folding backrest mechanism for the seven seater version this is
03:23still an option in the configurator but obviously it's unavailable on the plug-in hybrid other than
03:29that there are shopping bag hooks a 12 volt outlet versions with the optional air suspension also get
03:35a button to lower the rear suspension for easier access and something you probably noticed but it's
03:45worth pointing out anyway the split tailgate a great feature when you want to change your shoes
03:51after a run or maybe take those ski boots off in relative comfort very good
04:02since my first encounter with the x5 which was so long ago i don't want to remember the exact date
04:07i complained this suv is too high for me some of you may have noticed i recently shed some weight
04:13and perhaps that's why standing on my toes is no longer such a problem for me or having reviewed the
04:18big range rover i no longer consider bmw's height an issue but if you're 175 centimeters tall or shorter
04:26you may want to get in and out a few times before you decide the x5 is the right car
04:31for you
04:32especially since the doors still don't cover the seals and therefore i brush against them with my
04:37trousers every time i enter an exit nothing new in the rear there is less leg room than in the
04:44mercedes-benz
04:45glee but still enough when the driver is my height that's 175 centimeters there are large door pockets
04:52cup holders in the armrest the backrest splits 40 20 40 there is a four zone climate control and the
04:59side seats are heated on the backs of the front seats are usb ports and attachment points for accessories
05:07window blinds are manual and like the seat mounted usb ports they are an option
05:13i appreciate that the floor is almost flat that's good news for the middle passenger
05:18i often get asked about the best car in which five adults will be comfortable
05:22to which i reply a van with individual seats in the rear anything less is going to be a compromise
05:29but the least you have to aim for is something the size of an x5 which has a rear seat
05:34width of about 150
05:36centimeters and now let's look at the changes in the cockpit to be honest there is really one important
05:45change and that's the transition to the new bmw os8 this is probably os 8.5 as i'm recording this
05:52anyway
05:53this comes with many benefits but also some annoyances and here i must point out that it is becoming
05:59increasingly difficult for automotive journalists to really get to known modern cars as they are
06:05increasingly based around software now bmw goes to great lengths to encourage its customers and the
06:11media to use my bmw app which saves your settings in the cloud so you can have an entire fleet
06:17of bmws
06:18in your garage and no matter which one you choose on a given day all your settings will be up
06:23to date
06:24these days you can even use your phone as a key just like in a tesla unfortunately i rarely drive
06:30the
06:31same press car twice so my bmw i5 seat settings were of no use to me in the x5 however
06:38many other
06:39settings like climate control turning off some features which i find annoying were transferred
06:45to this car if this was my daily i'm sure i'd be pleased to have it all stored in the
06:50cloud on the
06:51other hand you might not enjoy when the car is trying to turn on some climate features on and off
06:57for
06:58you although i have to say some of this automatic stuff is starting to grow on me or maybe you
07:05like
07:06the rocker switch for drive modes now you have to look at the panel here to find and select the
07:12drive
07:12mode for a brand renowned for its focus on real drivers these days bmw forces me to take the eyes
07:19off
07:19the road way too often for example i found a battery save mode button completely by accident after two days
07:26of driving it's there but if i had their old rocker switch i would have found it sooner or distance
07:34settings for the adaptive cruise control they used to be on the steering wheel they are now buried
07:39somewhere in the driver assistance system settings it's as if it was programmed by someone who never used
07:45it or maybe they realized a bmw driver would just set the distance to tailgating mode and never change it
07:53other features include cooled and heated cup holders which as usual obstruct the wireless charger
08:03bmw has some of the largest door pockets on the market storage under the armrest is average and so
08:10is the glove box however it seems bmw followed mercedes suit and got us some ambient air
08:21other sense which you disperse through ventilation
08:45BMW has abandoned the two liter diesel in the x5 at least for now all power trains have six or
08:52eight cylinders even the plug-in hybrid has a petrol inline six under the bonnet the xDrive50e
08:58is the only plug-in hybrid in the x5 range Mercedes has three plugins in the GLE range including one
09:05with the diesel Audi has two plugins in the q7 the xDrive50e has a traction battery with a gross
09:12capacity of 29.5 kilowatt hours and a net capacity of 25.7 kilowatt hours which can take up to
09:197.4
09:20kilowatts and charges to full in four and a half hours there is no CCS charging option which
09:26Mercedes offers in its PHEVs the total power output of the internal combustion engine and electric
09:32motor is 489 horsepower and the torque is 700 new meters the promised 0 to 100 kilometers per
09:41hour time is 4.8 seconds I achieved 5.6 seconds in normal mode but four and a half seconds
09:47in sport
10:01mode the claimed fuel economy is less than one liter per 100 kilometers and of course it's for the
10:08benefit of the WLTP test cycle where the car runs mostly on electricity once the energy in the traction
10:15battery is depleted over longer distances expect fuel consumption like on a six cylinder three liter
10:21petrol engine in a two and a half ton SUV so I'd say over a dozen liters per 100 kilometers
10:29this is why my friends you may want to be carrying a charging cable and charge the battery with cheap
10:37energy at every opportunity to later cover up to 110 kilometers in zero emissions mode under optimal
10:45conditions this result is achievable this EV distance but BMW tempts you to drive fast so 80 is what I
10:54saw
10:54most of the time but for many people this is still more than their daily commute in general when considering
11:00a plug-in hybrid you have to think about whether or not and when you have time to charge it
11:07what's your daily commute how often you drive long distances and are there any local incentives for PHEVs
11:15some people prefer PHEVs because they feel they are doing something for the environment but they don't
11:20have to deal with range anxiety others say there is no point waiting and just switch straight to EVs
11:26and then there are those who prefer regular combustion engine cars which they want to keep for longer
11:32and they don't have to deal with battery degradation and possibly costly out-of-warranty repairs
11:39but if you're leasing new cars every couple of years a PHEV might be for you especially if your employer
11:46paying for your privilege of driving an SUV has some fleet emissions limits and yes I roll my eyes too
11:54when low-ranking employees have to drive thin-bodied Corollas while executives get to drive 2.5 ton SUVs
12:02which on paper emit less than the poor man's hybrid
12:05now does the x5 xDrive50e drive like a real BMW yes it has very quick and responsive steering it reacts
12:14quickly to the accelerator pedal and it has stiff but also reasonably comfortable suspension the whole car
12:21feels very taut by the way whoever configured this press car omitted integral adaptive steering which
12:29is the combination of adaptive active steering and the rear wheel steering and as far as I remember in most
12:35BMW's IAS felt rather unstable at high speed so I'm pleased with this regular steering configuration here
12:46what about the hybrid powertrain the x5 has an intelligent region braking system when the car
12:52detects slower traffic ahead or is approaching an intersection or lower speed limit it starts to slow
12:57down on its own and recovers some energy in the process which marginally extends the range in the
13:02electric mode while there is no battery recharge mode you can regain some power driving in sport mode
13:09there is no economic justification for this if you plan to drive in zero emission mode for example
13:14at the end of a long motorway journey it's best to turn on battery save mode
13:23let the navigation control the modes to make the best use of energy and increase efficiency just
13:28remember that charging will take longer than a visit to the supermarket so it's something you're going
13:35to have to plan overnight or when you're in the office now BMW always had good assistance systems
13:43and this x5 is no exception the adaptive cruise control or the lane keeping assist work with me
13:49not against me and i really appreciate that other interesting features which can be had with the os8
14:00include for example a system that allows you to save a series of maneuvers in a certain
14:04location so for example i can save a location on my street from which the car will start automatic
14:11reverse parking maneuver into my driveway the street is quite narrow and so is my gate and since there is
14:17no rear wheel steering this almost five meter long suv can barely fit as you can see the maneuver was
14:23successful this is a great convenience although of course it is better to choose a car that you will be
14:30able to park yourself
14:32so
14:32so
14:36so
14:47so
15:05the x off-road package is still offered but this test car is not equipped with it therefore
15:10i'll limit the off-road testing to my diagonal approach test i stop halfway so the two wheels on
15:17the diagonal have limited traction and then i try to get moving again regardless of whether esp was
15:23on or off the x drive all-wheel drive system quickly recognizes and neutralizes the slip on a more
15:29aggressive tire i'd expect the x5 to get stuck much further from the nearest tractor than your average suv
15:39prices of the bmw x5 started 87 300 euro for the x drive 30d which is 16 000 euro more
15:48than the
15:49pre-facelift model at launch this test car is an x drive 50e and with options it costs 129 822
15:59euro
16:02the x5 is still my favorite bmw suv although i think the best bmw is the two series active tourer
16:09regardless i wouldn't pick the x5 or any other bmw with a plug-in hybrid because i drive cars longer
16:15than the warranty covers the powertrain also a decently specced x40d costs 115 grand so as long
16:21as diesel is not a problem in your area this is the one i'd go for in an suv this
16:26size
16:27and how do you like the refreshed bmw x5 let me know in a comment section below if you like
16:34my
16:34sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday 3 pm central european
16:42time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the youtube algorithm
16:48thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one