Now that we know everything there is to know about BMW’s new plug-in hybrid that will be sold under the main brand, the Germans released a new short commercial for it that is basically just showboating. Clocked in at just over 30 seconds, we can hardly call it a launch movie but it will have to do until the future feature films will arrive.
What we do get to learn and see though is the prospective launch date for the SUV which is somewhere in November so we still have quite a lot of time to wait for it. Meanwhile, let’s take another look at what it is bringing to the table.
Under the bonnet lies a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that’s good for 245 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. That’s nothing spectacular as we’ve seen the same plant used on other models as well, all of them wearing the ‘28i’ acronym in one way or another on the boot.
What truly is new is the fact that it is being used on a full-size SUV like the X5 and that it is synchronized with an electric motor that’s integrated in the gearbox. This secondary means of propulsion is good for 113 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque and can carry the car all by itself for up to 19 miles (31 kilometers).
At the same time, it will accelerate the SUV to a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) on EV mode releasing zero grams of CO2 into the atmosphere. On the other hand, combined, the two show a rather big hit on performance numbers.
The total output of the xDrive40e when the two work together is just 313 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque which is not so impressive considering the losses recorded. Sure, that doesn’t mean that the car is a slouch. With a sprint of 6.8 seconds from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) you can hardly call this 2.2 ton SUV slow. But even so, we expected a bit more torque to be honest.
Google News