Electric or gas? BMW goes both ways with new 2027 X5 and iX5.
460 kW charging and 450 miles of range are among the reasons the EV is the one to get.
460 kW charging and 450 miles of range are among the reasons the EV is the one to get.
The short version
- When we first drove BMW’s first Neue Klasse model, the iX3 , it quickly revealed that BMW knows how to make a good electric vehicle.
- A clean-sheet design, it featured the automaker’s sixth-generation electric powertrain , a completely reimagined dashboard, and powerful computers to run the whole show.
- Now, much of that technology is being ported over to the larger X5 line.
What happened
But BMW knows not all its customers are ready to go electric, especially in the US, so it’s sticking with its powertrain-agnostic CLAR platform, as used in cars as diverse as the large 7 Series and the new gasoline 3 Series. Which means in addition to the all-electric iX5, there are also mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid X5s available, and in time, even a hydrogen-powered option.
Why it matters
For now, as I’ll explain, I think the EV is the pick of the bunch.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.