BMW just did the X5 thing again, except this time the thing is five powertrains and a new face that looks like it was designed in a clean room. The fifth-generation 2027 X5 premiered June 30 at Plant Spartanburg, the factory that has built every X5 since 1999. For the first time, one of them is a battery-electric iX5, and it is the first EV that plant has ever made.
The gas X5 40 xDrive shows up in October. The rear-drive 40, the 50e plug-in hybrid, and the iX5 60 xDrive follow in the first quarter of 2027. A V8 M Performance model is later in 2027. An iX5 Hydrogen is further out, which is BMW saying they will try everything and let the market sort it.
The iX5 is the one that matters
The iX5 60 xDrive is Gen6 eDrive: 800-volt architecture, 144 kWh of usable battery, a motor at each axle, 570 hp and 593 lb-ft. BMW’s own EPA-procedure estimate is 435 miles. 0–60 is 4.4 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph, which is the electric tax. The gas ones can do 155.
The pack uses 120-millimeter cylindrical cells, taller than the 95-millimeter cells in the iX3, stuffed in with no modules. Peak DC charging is 460 kW. BMW says 10 to 80 percent takes 22 minutes, and 10 minutes adds about 170 miles. AC is 15.4 kW. NACS is standard. Bidirectional charging is in: vehicle-to-load, vehicle-to-home, vehicle-to-vehicle. The rear motor is an electrically excited synchronous unit (325 hp). The front is an asynchronous motor (245 hp) that can shut off and let the thing coast on the rear axle.
BMW calls the computer that runs all this the Heart of Joy. It is supposed to manage drive, brakes, steering, charging, and regen about ten times faster than the old stack. That is Munich copy. What it is supposed to feel like is a smoother stop and a more precise throttle. We will find out in 2027.
The ones that still burn gas
The X5 40 and 40 xDrive keep a 3.0-liter inline-six with 48-volt mild hybrid assist. Output is 394 hp and 428 lb-ft, up 19 hp from the last one. 0–60 is 5.1 seconds. The 50e xDrive pairs a 308 hp six with a 194 hp motor in the eight-speed for 483 hp and 516 lb-ft. That one does 0–60 in 4.6 seconds, can run 87 mph on electrons alone, and BMW estimates 44 miles of electric range from a 26.5 kWh pack. About 15 percent more than the outgoing 50e.
US pricing, before the $1,450 destination fee:
- X5 40: $69,800
- X5 40 xDrive: $72,100
- X5 50e xDrive: $77,500
- iX5 60 xDrive: $79,800
So the electric one is $7,700 more than the cheap gas one and $2,300 more than the plug-in. That is a tighter gap than most luxury brands are asking for a 435-mile EV.
The cabin is a windshield now
Neue Klasse tech lands in the X5 as Panoramic iDrive: a projection across the base of the windshield, a 3D head-up display, and a 17.9-inch free-cut central screen. Optional passenger screen for the person who is not driving. Standard sports seats, panoramic glass roof, and a 12-speaker stereo. You can pay extra for slate trim, glass switchgear, Bowers & Wilkins, massage, and automatic doors. The wheelbase grew 2.4 inches. The third row is gone. So is the split tailgate. Five seats, longer car, cleaner rear.
Built where the X5 has always been built
Spartanburg is still the Home of X. BMW just finished a $1.7 billion US investment, including a sixth-generation battery plant in Woodruff that BMW says runs without fossil fuels in normal operation. The iX5 is the first EV out of that campus. Highway Assistant can do hands-free on suitable highways up to 85 mph. Digital Key Plus, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, the usual Munich software pile.
The X5 invented this segment in 1999 and then spent 25 years being the default luxury SUV your dentist already owns. This one is that car with a light show, a 435-mile EV on the same order form, and no third row to hide the kids. The 40 xDrive is the one you can actually buy first, in October. The iX5 is the one BMW wants you to talk about until then.
Images courtesy of BMW. Specs from BMW of North America’s June 30, 2026 press release.
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