The New BMW X5 Shows Why Flexibility May Be the Brand’s Greatest Strength
You can’t please them all.
The new BMW X5 brings freshness and comment. But it shows they know that the future is flexibility and quickness. (Article continues after the video.)
Video:
The release of the new BMW X5 family last month provided me with a great insight into how divisive the car can be and how opinionated a lot of people can be about it. This is good in the sense that people are invested in cars that we love, but it also shows that there is increasingly more delineation between different parts of the automotive world. Also, it clearly shows that people shouldn’t be making assessments based just on released images.
The new BMW X5 family is extremely important, obviously, for the brand itself, but what I’m looking at is the way that the whole product line is being developed and will be developed going forward in what is the Neue Klasse concept from BMW. We saw this in other cars earlier this year, and forthcoming in the new 7 Series and the new i3; many more will be announced.
But the X5 is key, and my initial thoughts on it were that this is going to be a very strong performer in the segment, and indeed, possibly several segments. It may be effectively the car to beat at that particular level. What BMW did with the X5 was all of the things they’ve been trying to change, so BMW had to develop the car to use multiple platforms for all the different buyers of the car.
What we had on hand was the fully electric iX5 60 xDrive. The car will be available globally with a total of 5 (or 6?) choices. There will be a diesel variant, the X5 40d xDrive, and a petrol variant, the X5 40 xDrive, both of which will have mild hybrid systems supporting their inline six power plants; both of which will obviously also have xDrive. In addition to that, you will have two petrol plug-in hybrids. The X5 M60e xDrive will put out 612 horsepower and 800 newton-meters of torque, while the X5 50 xDrive will put out 489 horsepower and 700 new meters of torque. In addition to this, BMW has already said that it will be producing a hydrogen vehicle, and given what they have shown us in their their newly refurbished factory in Germany, all of this has been planned so that components and batteries and hydrogen cells fit into the system easily, flowing smoothly with operation and design.
Now, this is all the information we had in March had prior to the global reveal at the end of June, which happened in South Carolina at their production facility in Spartanburg. And it was there where the plans for a V8 were discussed.
What this tells us is that BMW has built in more flexibility and quickness to respond. While we cannot yet comment on the full lineup of the 3 Series family, which for many people is what brought them to love BMW in the first place, what we do know is that there has been quite a bit of pushback against combining the mythic moniker M3 with full electric.
We have seen the new i3, and in the flesh, it is actually quite a great base from which to grow, even if images most people see of the X5 and the 7 don’t bring forward the way the body flows or how everything is put together so well. With the buzzword being monolithic architecture for this new family from BMW’s Neue Klasse thinking, that doesn’t necessarily show how much detail is in the curvature and shaping of the bodies.
What I see here is actually, and arguably unfortunately, assumptions are being made without any real understanding of how much the industry has changed and how much it has to go through to offer viable options for an increasingly diverse and changing world.
While companies like BMW have to go through all of this and be workable, responsible corporate citizens, there’s also a true love for what makes the marqueMarqueA brand name of a car manufacturer, particularly one associated with prestige, such as Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, or Aston Martin. The term emphasizes a make's heritage and identity beyond product lines,Go to Marque Glossary the marque, for what makes BMW a BMW, for what makes a 3 a 3.
I have no doubt that BMW is coming in strong after a very challenging time. And I very much look forward to being able to tell everyone about it when I actually can, because it really does look pretty good.
Frequently Asked Questions
The new BMW X5 will be available with a broad range of powertrains, including fully electric, mild-hybrid diesel, mild-hybrid petrol, plug-in hybrid, and a future hydrogen variant, giving buyers greater flexibility than previous generations.
Neue Klasse is BMW’s next-generation vehicle architecture that supports multiple powertrains—including electric, hybrid, combustion, and hydrogen—while sharing common design and manufacturing principles for greater production flexibility.
The X5 is one of BMW’s global best-selling models and serves as a showcase for the company’s evolving Neue Klasse philosophy. It demonstrates how BMW plans to adapt to changing customer demand while maintaining the driving character associated with the brand.
Yes. Alongside the fully electric iX5, BMW has confirmed mild-hybrid petrol and diesel variants, plug-in hybrid models, and has indicated that hydrogen-powered versions are part of its future product strategy.
The new X5 introduces BMW’s evolving Neue Klasse design language, featuring a more monolithic appearance with cleaner surfaces and sculpted bodywork. While official images have sparked debate, the design reveals more depth and proportion when viewed in person.
More information about the new X5 here.