OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Drove up to the GTA to get some seat time in some X5's.
We drove, in order:
1. BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV
2. BMW X5 xDrive40 (electric assist, like the GLE Mercedes)
3. BMW X5 M50i - 523HP of V8 excitement with an intoxicating exhaust note but with a much lower cost of entry than the X5M
So, kinda hit on both ends of the spectrum here, though to truly have done so, it would have been the X5M. I REALLY liked the hybrid, it drove completely normally, minus the engine noise. Had lots of get-up and go, and felt the exact same (interior is identical) to the regular X5.
My wife, absolutely hated the silence. Was not keen, which is why we ended up driving the other two.
Some pics:
Hybrid (white was what was ready to test drive, the one I priced was black of course):
M50i:
Pros:
- Leather, leather, LEATHER!. BMW comes with standard leather, unlike the GLE 450. That's a big thing when you are looking at vehicles that sticker at $94,000+
- Nav in the cluster/separate cluster. I must say, since I experienced the MMI in the Audi, I became a fan of the cluster that uses the GPS/Nav as the backdrop, BMW does this, it looks great, though not QUITE as snazzy as Audi IMHO.
- iDrive - I really like the interface, I think it's a bit more intuitive, even than the updated Mercedes UI we had in the GLE
- Hybrid! - This powertrain was excellent. You got the full-sized turbo i6 (no dinky little hybrid-specific engine) for long range with the 100% electric for around town
- Standard HUD - All the options packages appear to include the HUD, so every one we looked at had it, unlike with MB. The HUD was also less busy, just showing speed and the limit, like Audi
- Ride. Phenomenal.
- Brakes: Very good, the ones on the M50i were even better. The regen braking on the hybrid was also VERY good, not intrusive, just the right amount of drag-down
- Interior: Quite nice, more upscale than the X3 we are presently driving, which is expected.
- Power: It's odd, even the base 3.0i felt stronger than the AMG53, which doesn't make sense (it's short 100HP) but this may be trans related.
Cons:
- The split tailgate is kind of weird and seems to be of limited benefit
Yeah, the cons list is REALLY short.
I think with the way things are heading (electrification) that for somebody who might get freaked out about range anxiety, the PHEV is a really great fit. You can eliminate gas usage in town, while still taking those long trips and you aren't giving up power by going that route. It also drives like a normal vehicle, which is a huge plus.
We drove, in order:
1. BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV
2. BMW X5 xDrive40 (electric assist, like the GLE Mercedes)
3. BMW X5 M50i - 523HP of V8 excitement with an intoxicating exhaust note but with a much lower cost of entry than the X5M
So, kinda hit on both ends of the spectrum here, though to truly have done so, it would have been the X5M. I REALLY liked the hybrid, it drove completely normally, minus the engine noise. Had lots of get-up and go, and felt the exact same (interior is identical) to the regular X5.
My wife, absolutely hated the silence. Was not keen, which is why we ended up driving the other two.
Some pics:
Hybrid (white was what was ready to test drive, the one I priced was black of course):
M50i:
Pros:
- Leather, leather, LEATHER!. BMW comes with standard leather, unlike the GLE 450. That's a big thing when you are looking at vehicles that sticker at $94,000+
- Nav in the cluster/separate cluster. I must say, since I experienced the MMI in the Audi, I became a fan of the cluster that uses the GPS/Nav as the backdrop, BMW does this, it looks great, though not QUITE as snazzy as Audi IMHO.
- iDrive - I really like the interface, I think it's a bit more intuitive, even than the updated Mercedes UI we had in the GLE
- Hybrid! - This powertrain was excellent. You got the full-sized turbo i6 (no dinky little hybrid-specific engine) for long range with the 100% electric for around town
- Standard HUD - All the options packages appear to include the HUD, so every one we looked at had it, unlike with MB. The HUD was also less busy, just showing speed and the limit, like Audi
- Ride. Phenomenal.
- Brakes: Very good, the ones on the M50i were even better. The regen braking on the hybrid was also VERY good, not intrusive, just the right amount of drag-down
- Interior: Quite nice, more upscale than the X3 we are presently driving, which is expected.
- Power: It's odd, even the base 3.0i felt stronger than the AMG53, which doesn't make sense (it's short 100HP) but this may be trans related.
Cons:
- The split tailgate is kind of weird and seems to be of limited benefit
Yeah, the cons list is REALLY short.
I think with the way things are heading (electrification) that for somebody who might get freaked out about range anxiety, the PHEV is a really great fit. You can eliminate gas usage in town, while still taking those long trips and you aren't giving up power by going that route. It also drives like a normal vehicle, which is a huge plus.
