One body, five engines: BMW packed every possible future into the new X5

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BMW has revealed the fifth-generation X5 — and this is no longer just a body change. The main intrigue is that, for the first time for the brand, the same SUV will be offered with five powertrain types at once: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, fully electric iX5 and hydrogen iX5 Hydrogen.

Series production starts at the Spartanburg plant in the US in August 2026, with petrol and diesel versions hitting the market in late November and the electric iX5 plus plug-in hybrid following in early 2027. The hydrogen iX5 Hydrogen is already a story closer to 2028. For BMW this is a major X5 overhaul: the model keeps its classic combustion engines while at the same time picking up Neue Klasse technologies, 800-volt architecture, bidirectional charging and new cylindrical battery cells. The BMW iX5 60 xDrive claims a WLTP range of up to 845 km, while the hydrogen iX5 Hydrogen targets up to 750 km.

The design also walks away from the old playbook: a vertical Iconic Glow grille, «double-X» light icons, recessed BMW Winglet door handles, wheels up to 23 inches and a cleaner cabin with Panoramic iDrive running on BMW Operating System X. Inside there are BMW Panoramic Vision projection across the full width of the windscreen, a 3D Head-Up Display and, for the first time in an X5, an optional passenger screen.

Against the Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7/Q8, Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport the new X5 wins not on a single spec but on breadth of choice. Porsche leans harder into a driver image, Range Rover into status and comfort, Audi into calm tech, but BMW now covers almost every scenario: from diesel long-haul to an electric variant and a hydrogen experiment. In the US the X5 40 xDrive starts at $73,550 and the iX5 60 xDrive at $81,250.

For most buyers, petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions will be the easiest entry point: lower infrastructure risk, simpler service logic and higher residual value. The electric iX5 is appealing for its range and 800-volt system, but its advantage only fully unlocks where fast-charging infrastructure is mature.

BMW has not abandoned the old X5 — it has turned it into a platform for every version of the future at once. And that may become the model’s key argument: the buyer no longer needs to choose between familiar tech and a new era, BMW has put both options into a single body.