Prior to its global debut at the New York Motor Show next month, the BMW X5 xDrive40e has been revealed. The X5 xDrive40e is the new plug-in petrol-electric hybrid version of the Bavarian carmaker’s luxury SUV.
Powering the X5 hybrid is a longitudinally-mounted turbocharged 2.0-liter petrol mill. The engine churns out 242bhp and 35.7kgm of twist and works in tandem with an electric motor that is housed in the forward section of its standard eight-speed automatic gearbox. The electric motor produces 111bhp and 25.4kgm of torque. The combined output is a respectable 309bhp and 45.9kgm.
Speaking of the electric motor, it draws energy from a 9kW lithium ion battery consisting of 96 individual cells. Since the battery has been placed at the rear, the boot space has been decreased by 150 litres over the existing petrol and diesel-powered third-generation X5 models. When plugged in, the batteries take 2hr 48min on an optional 3.5kW wallbox to charge that operates at 16 amperes and 230V. The X5 plug-in features three driving modes: Auto eDrive (in which the electric motor supplements the petrol engine for maximum performance), Max eDrive (exclusively electric power), and Save Battery (which maintains the state of charge of the battery, for later use).
According to BMW, the X5 plug0in hybrid will dismiss the 0-100 kmph mark in 6.8 seconds and will keep gunning to its electronically capped speed of 211 kmph. The SUV gets an electric range of 30.5km at speeds limited to 121 kmph. Stay tuned to Motoroids for more dope on the model from New York Motor Show.