Photo: BMW
BMW sure did take its time to launch the first plug-in hybrid model outside the i sub-brand and that car’s name is the X5 xDrive40e. It’s rather peculiar that they chose an SUV to be their first offering in this regard, but we’re not here to nitpick.
One question that has been on everyone’s mind ever since the full specs of the car came out was: how much is it going to cost and how will it fare against its diesel alternative?
Well, the guys from BMW Blog seem to be a step ahead of everyone and they claim that the new plug-in hybrid SUV from Munich will have a starting price of €68,400. No source is mentioned so we’ll just have to take their word for it. But where does that price leave the X5?
Taking a brief look over the German configurator you can see that the xDrive40d model, the conventional rival for this hybrid monster, costs €66,300. That’s €2,100 less than the new-age, all too complicated version that might not be worth the extra money.
The xDrive40e uses a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine along with an electric motor encompassed in the gearbox casing. Together they can deliver 313 HP and a disappointing amount of torque: 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).
The diesel, on the other hand, has a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder mill at its disposal, making 313 HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque. It’s faster to 100 km/h (62 mph) by nearly one second but does drink a lot more fuel at 6 l/100 km (39 mpg) compared to the 3.4 l/100 km (69 mpg) of the hybrid. On the other hand, the xDrive40e version can go all electric for up to 22 miles (35 km) and that’s gotta count for something, not to mention the CO2 emission levels in general.
Unfortunately, the prices haven’t been confirmed yet but other manufacturers make sure that similarly equipped hybrids have lower price tags than their diesel counterparts, particularly to make them more attractive. After all, at least in Europe, all car makers have to drop their average CO2 figures by 2020 by quite a hefty margin.
Well, the guys from BMW Blog seem to be a step ahead of everyone and they claim that the new plug-in hybrid SUV from Munich will have a starting price of €68,400. No source is mentioned so we’ll just have to take their word for it. But where does that price leave the X5?
Taking a brief look over the German configurator you can see that the xDrive40d model, the conventional rival for this hybrid monster, costs €66,300. That’s €2,100 less than the new-age, all too complicated version that might not be worth the extra money.
The xDrive40e uses a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine along with an electric motor encompassed in the gearbox casing. Together they can deliver 313 HP and a disappointing amount of torque: 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).
The diesel, on the other hand, has a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder mill at its disposal, making 313 HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque. It’s faster to 100 km/h (62 mph) by nearly one second but does drink a lot more fuel at 6 l/100 km (39 mpg) compared to the 3.4 l/100 km (69 mpg) of the hybrid. On the other hand, the xDrive40e version can go all electric for up to 22 miles (35 km) and that’s gotta count for something, not to mention the CO2 emission levels in general.
Unfortunately, the prices haven’t been confirmed yet but other manufacturers make sure that similarly equipped hybrids have lower price tags than their diesel counterparts, particularly to make them more attractive. After all, at least in Europe, all car makers have to drop their average CO2 figures by 2020 by quite a hefty margin.
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