Electric, Gas, or Both? BMW Goes New Ways With the 2027 X5 and iX5

Powertrains for Different Buyers

BMW plans to offer the new X5 with multiple powertrains, using its CLAR platform. The X5 40 xDrive is the conventional choice, with a 3.0 L turbocharged inline-six producing 394 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. Its 48 V mild-hybrid system can add up to 148 lb-ft, and BMW expects about 26 mpg and a 569-mile range.

A plug-in hybrid X5 50e xDrive is expected later, with a 26.5 kWh battery and about 44 miles of electric range. BMW also plans to offer hydrogen fuel-cell technology in the X5 eventually. The article favors the all-electric iX5 among the options.

What Powers the iX5

The iX5 uses an asynchronous motor at the front and an electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear. Together, they produce 570 hp and 593 lb-ft of torque; the front motor makes 245 hp, while the rear produces up to 325 hp.

A usable 144 kWh battery sits between the axles and uses BMW’s new 120 mm cylindrical cells. BMW says the iX5 should travel 450 miles on the EPA test cycle, compared with the X5 40’s stated 569-mile range.

Fast Charging and Route Planning

The iX5 battery runs at 800 V. During a California demonstration, the vehicle charged from 10 to 50 percent in a little over nine minutes, reaching a peak of 465 kW and averaging 375 kW. The session added 61.5 kWh, using an IONNA station upgraded to exceed the usual 400 kW.

BMW says a 10–80 percent charge can take as little as 22 minutes with a 460 kW charger and the NACS port. The car can also accept up to 15.4 kW of AC power through BMW’s home charger or use its 11 kW onboard charger. Adapters enable vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-load charging.

Route planning is designed to account for charging, using onboard AI to weigh expected charging capacity, reliability and station location. BMW says the iX5 can automatically open its charging-port flap when it reaches a stop.

A New Digital Cockpit

The X5 adopts Panoramic Vision, BMW’s display system that first appeared in the iX3. It blends into the windshield’s black border and presents information a few inches farther down the hood than a conventional dashboard display.

The system is described as minimalist and legible, placing the display closer to the driver’s road-focused line of sight. It replaces the orange-lit instrument dials long associated with BMW.