BMW Announces Pricing for the X5 Plug-in Hybrid for North America

author: Manish Kharinta   

German automaker BMW confirmed that it's working on developing all-electric, hybrid and diesel/gas variants for the next generation of its flagship 7 Series sedan back in March. But the automaker has also made improvements to the latest-generation plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of its popular X5 SUV. Now the automaker has officially announced pricing and details of the new and improved hybrid X5, which is slated to go on sale next month.

The 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e SUV will come with a $65,400 price tag, which does not include a $995 destination fee. However, the new PHEV X5 will also be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit, which should eventually result in a discounted price of $58,895. 

The 2021 xDrive45e is the second generation of the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid SUV.

The hybrid powertrain of xDrive45e has been completely revamped, and now features a twin-turbocharged 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine that replaces the previous 2-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged unit from the 2020 model. 

The 6-cylinder engine produces 282 horsepower and comes mated to a synchronous traction electric motor, which churns out an additional 111 hp, resulting in a combined power output of 389 hp. 

In comparison to the previous generation X5, the 2021 xDrive45e gets an 8 hp improvement in the overall power. The torque figure also gets bumped up by 111 lb-ft to 443 ft lbs (600 Nm) of peak torque. The 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds, which is 1.2 seconds quicker than its predecessor. 

The top speed of the PHEV X5 is limited to 130 mph, but it understandably drops down to 84 mph in the all-electric drive mode.

The PHEV also gets three different drive modes which include Hybrid, Electric and Sport. The driver can switch between electric-only and hybrid drive modes using the eDrive button or by just pushing down on the total pedal.

The X5 hybrid also offers 7,200 lbs of towing capacity. 

The 2021 X5 has a luxurious interior and comes with BMW's iDrive 7 infotainment interface.

Unlike the previous generation model which came equipped with a 12 kW battery pack, the new hybrid X5 uses a 24 kWh lithium-ion unit to power the drivetrain.

The BMW xDrive45e does not have an official EPA fuel economy rating for the PHEV drivetrain yet but the agency estimates that the battery-only range of the new SAV stands at 30 miles which is more than double as compared to the outgoing model.

The xDrive45e comes with BMW's iDrive 7 infotainment interface, which uses a 12.3-inch touch screen display that sits in the center of the dashboard. The system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The 2021 BMW X5 xDrive 45e will be manufactured out of the company's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which happens to be BMW's largest global manufacturing plant. The facility received an update last year that doubled its size to accommodate the production of both the X5 xDrive 45e and X3 xDrive30e.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.