A bigger battery, more power and back-to-BMW handling define Bayerische Motoren Werke’s best PHEV sport brute
First and foremost, let’s talk about the inline six
Every single BMW road test — at least those of cars powered by the company’s iconic 3.0L — waxes lyrical about Munich’s inline six. All mine do. And, those that don’t, should.
The fact is that, save for supercars and their necessity for the credibility and sound that only 12 pistons can engender, six cylinders all in a row is still the best internal combustion can be. Smooth, sonorous and oh-so-very silky, you really can’t arrange pistons in any other arrangement that matches.
An inline six by any other cycle would sing as sweet
The amazing thing — one that few people will notice — is that the big six is now all new, all-new enough, in fact, it’s operating on an all-new cycle. Something called the Miller Cycle which, at least theoretically, should reduce power substantially. Without getting too deep into thermodynamics, what Ralph Miller determined way back in 1957, is that, if you shortened the compression cycle (by keeping the intake valve open) you could increase efficiency. Essentially, some of the air being compressed would shoot back out past that open intake valve which would result in less resistance for the piston heading upwards. Since the power stroke — engineers call it the expansion phase — was unchanged, there was an efficiency increase. More specifically — and, by now, you’ve probably figured out that I lied about this not turning into a thermodynamics 101 lesson — engineers quantify the Miller Cycle’s advantage as “providing a higher expansion ratio than compression ratio.”
The downside to all this efficiency — as I’m sure some Hot Rod magazine have already figured out — is that with the intake open on the compression stroke, air is exiting the cylinder and the effective compression ratio is reduced. This last, as even the most novice gearhead knows, means that power is reduced.
The solution is two-fold. You could, for instance, turbocharge the engine which forces some of the lost intake mixture back into the cylinder. The only problem with that solution is the dreaded “turbo lag,” that lack of throttle response that makes otherwise perky engines — like, for instance, a turbocharged BMW inline six — feel sluggish. That’s why it’s so very important that…
The new BMW X5 PHEV has an even more powerful electric motor
The BMW X5 xDrive50e is more economical too
The X5 also gets a bigger battery this year, another reason why it’s gained five digits in its moniker in moving up from 45e to 50e. Now sporting 25.7 kilowatt-hours of usable Lithium-ion, Transport Canada official rates it for 63 kilometres of ICE-free motoring and 10.6 L/100 km thereafter.
In our two weeks in Italy, we usually managed to eke 70 or so klicks of electric autonomy out of those 25.7 kilowatt-hours. I once, on a particularly flattering downhill run, hit 110 kilometres. That may not be a repeatable range, but overall, the BMW’s electric powertrain exceeds expectations.
As did the gas version which, on average, just 8.9 litres of benzina after the battery was depleted. Now, to be fair, we didn’t spend all that much time on the Italian autostradas, but we were climbing some decent-sized hills — as in we were roaming about the Alps — so, the X5 wasn’t exactly having an easy time of it. In other words, this latest X5 was more frugal with both kilowatt-hours of Lithium-ion when it was being motivated electrically and barely nine litres per 100 kilometres of Senza Plomb after it was done. Both numbers are between 10 and 20% better than their respective ratings. How often does that happen?
At heart, the X5 is still a BMW
All this talk of bigger batteries, fuel consumption and as well as the performance metric du jour — range — shouldn’t obfuscate that the attribute that really makes this X5 stand out is still that for which BMWs have been long famed. Call out the blessedly connected steering feel, laud the perfectly damped (air) suspension or simply note how well the big Bimmer handles. It all boils down to the fact that this; though BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicles of the past had forgotten how, this X5 is a driver’s car. It’s stable when you want it to be, flickable when it’s called upon and, damned, if it doesn’t have a comfortable ride too. I’m usually the first to want to step up to what M BMW has on offer, but in this case the xDrive50e is all the X5 I need.
What about the BMW X5’s interior?
The interior, as has also been the norm lo these last few years, is mighty impressive. The leather is to die for, the interior décor understated in its elegance and, Lordy, did the significant other — Driving’s own Nadine Filion — wax lyrical on the gorgeous and practical air vents. Her enthusiasm may have been a little over the top — I would have reserved that much glorification for something that creates perpetual motion, if you’re catching my drift — but they were a uniquely useful innovation for something that you would have thought had already been optimized.
Other things worth lauding is the giant 14.9-inch infotainment screen and BMW’s latest iteration of iDrive. Having driven three Bimmers over the last 12 months or so, I was surprised that this latest iteration, 8.5, had already corrected the flaw I pointed out in the original 8.0 version. Now, the main body of submenu “tiles” scrolls upwards instead of across — leaving lots of screen acreage to other apps — and then, when you’ve found the right submenu, you can then scroll sideways to access all its lesser functions. Thanks BMW for listening (that would be me pretending no one else complained).
A couple of other nifty features are worth mentioning. BMW is sticking with the rear split gate, both an upward pivoting hatch and a lower folding door. Both are powered individually but, if you push the hatch button first, the lower door will close before the upper hatch folds on top of it. And while we were in the rear cargo, we couldn’t help notice that BMW has added some hydraulic struts to the liftable floor that hides various tools and charging bits. In other words, it won’t fall flat while you’ve got your hands full of whatever issue you’re trying to address.
All this goodness, though, left me wondering why BMW flubbed on something so basic, namely the rear seat accommodations. Not only is it a little tight back there — good headroom, but if you’ve got long legs, things could get a little tight — but the rear doors don’t swing as wide as I might have expected. Again, it’s not like anyone is going to need to thread a needle to get into the back seat, but considering how big the X5 is — especially when you’re driving in small-town Italy — I would have expected something falling on the humungous side of roomy.
How much is the BMW X5 in Canada?
That said, I found the 50e version fits a sweet spot in BMW’s X5 lineup. Below it lies the xDrive40i at $87,100 which makes the 50e’s $91,600 only $4,500 more. Bargoon!
Higher up the performance ladder is the M60i xDrive which costs $106,100, which, powered by a twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 is faster, but only when you’ve got your foot well and truly in it, I’d save the $14,500 and have the 50e, it’s really all the X5 you need.
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