Used 2021 BMW X5 Plug-in Hybrid Consumer Reviews
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Real electric range, highly refined
Steven, 02/12/2021
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 8A)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful
The X5 45e is an outstanding compromise between the convenience, efficiency and joy of an everyday electric car and the traditional performance and range of a BMW inline 6. Pretty much all electric most days, and the integration of electric and gas is excellent - almost imperceptible when gas engine kicks in. BMW iDrive and driving assistant tech is excellent. Fit and finish outstanding. High voltage battery is big enough that this car earns same $7500 tax credit as full electric cars, making it an outstanding value over every other model X5.
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Good Not Great
TJ in Seattle, 05/19/2021
updated 11/22/2021
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 8A)
59 of 66 people found this review helpful
Updated: 2021 BMW X5 xDrive 45e I have had my X5 for about a month now, with 1200 miles of local and road trip experience. I am about 80% happy with it. I bought this to replace my wife’s 2011 Lexus RX350. I wanted something that was about the same size with a bit better performance, and a hybrid. Size: My first and lasting impression is that this is a big vehicle, despite being a “mid size” SUV. It feels big, parking with that long hood is a challenge (get the surround view cameras!!), demands a big parking space, turning radius is wide. It also sits up pretty high…I shouldn’t have gotten those 20 inch wheels to add to that. Getting in and out is a bit of a step (I’m 5’10”, so not short), and note you can’t avoid rubbing against the doorsill, even if you don’t get the running board. (Note you can lower the height manually, but it goes back up when you next drive.) And despite being 6 inches longer and 2 wider than my old Lexus, storage space is 20% less, and barely more than with my Infiniti QX50, a much smaller SUV. Specs don’t say it, but that battery seems to take up a lot of space vs the non-hybrid X5. Having said all that, it does have lots of passenger room, and storage is still good. Interior: Very plush. Certainly not the softest leather in the world…but I suppose it will wear well. Nice phone charger and lots of USB’s available. And buttons for direct access to the most used features….heat, radios, etc. Storage is ok, although it would be nice to have an official sun glass space, and the glove compartment door really cramps that space in there, so nothing wide will fit. But good seating space, and the contour seats I ordered are great, once you’ve figured out what all those seat buttons do. Electronics: Very extensive capabilities. I got the Premium pack, Driver’s Assistance, and Parking. But it is a challenge to learn them all….and I’m an engineering who likes this stuff. OK, when you learn it all, it is ok to operate and tells you what you need to know, and the displays are beautiful. But to get there, this is the first time I’ve had to really read the manual, and that in itself is a major challenge….very few diagrams and labels to work with, so I had to spend some time with the BMW expert at my dealer to get even the basics. While it is somewhat customizable, I still haven’t gotten it the way I prefer, and some things just aren’t available….like a Favorites list for my contacts. I have ended up doing a lot with the voice commands, which work pretty well. Gesture control is useless and I shut it off. Apple Car Play (fee?) and Android are included, but I don’t use them….bluetooth performance with my phone is fine. The driver’s display has several configurations, all of which have lots of information competing for your attention…..none of it is really bigger to stand out. Is that mileage number shown for gas, hybrid, combined????? What’s that symbol mean??? And the heads-up display is nice, unless you wear sunglasses in which case it is pretty invisible. Colors/Looks: I hope you like black! BMW apparently thinks you’ll like one of their fully four choices of black/dark gray. Ok, there are also 2 whiles, one blue, and one green. Huh. No silver?? Other than white, everything is quite dark, so dirt shows up. Otherwise, it looks “ok”, but probably could do with a refresh. Driving: OK, this is why you buy a BMW. This thing is a pleasure to drive, especially on the highway. It is powerful (even in the mountains), smooth (ok, bumps can be a bit jarring, but not bad), handles well (responsive, and no big swaying on turns), and very quiet. And all those safety packages work great! Yes, the lane keeping can be aggressive, so I’ve turned that off for local driving. MPG: This is my first EV and I have been delighted with it. I get about 40 miles on electric, so better than the 30 mile spec. That is enough for most of my daily driving, but in some weeks I go beyond that and have been hitting about 50 mpg combined. Local driving with no battery seems to be in the 15-18 mpg range. On my recent 500 mile road trip through the mountains, I got about 35 mpg combined. (I used the adaptive mode in combination with the nav system to ration out the batteries for maximum efficiency.) Charging: BMW supplies a mobile charger that works with 110V Level 1 charging and takes about 24 hours to fully charge the vehicle. Not adequate for an overnight charge at all. I had to install 240V in my garage for Level 2 charging that gets the job done in about 6 hours…ok, not the 3-5 the spec says, but fine for overnight. Conclusion: As I said, I’m about 80% happy with my X5. My biggest issue is that it is just bigger than I expected, especially when parking it. But it is plush and drives well, and the EV performance is excellent. Update: OK I have had my X5 for 9 months now and have completed a 3,000 mile road trip. The impressions listed above are all still about the same. I will reinforce that the highway driving is really excellent, with or without the battery power, and the driving aids are also very nice....really reduce stress on a long drive. Two disappointments to add. 1) The nav system is annoying. It is a task to load a destination address, especially if in a different town or state...voice doesn't work well for a long address for sure. And the system often doesn't find addresses that are newish construction....I frequently end up in Goggle Maps on my phone in that case. (OK I could be using Android Auto more, but I really don't like it for most things.) 2) The EV charge status is all over the place. On a good day I can charge it to indicate it has 40 miles stored, but other days it will top out at 25 or so. Temperature doesn't seem to be the issue, although its charging level when I plugged in the charger does seem to impact how much more it will add. And the miles indicated may or may not be what I actually get when I drive it, especially if the indication is well below 30 miles. BMW service had no explanation. I really like the hybrid functionality, but it needs some work yet.
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Close but not perfect
BDM, 12/14/2021
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 8A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
3 weeks into ownership. We got off on the wrong foot due a poor dealer experience (BMW of Asheville). BMW employs "geniuses" to deliver the car and set up the very complicated infotainment system. Problem was our "genius" did really know the hybrid model that well and set up things incorrectly and give us lots of bad info. Overall love the ride and handling, so the car is great. The charger that comes with the car is junk. THE MAJOR FLAW. It takes forever to charge. The slow charging is because BMW chose a lower voltage onboard charger, apparently a holdover part from an earlier model. It really distracts from the plug-in possibilities of the car. With the included home charger and an empty battery it take 17+ hours to fully charge the battery for only 30 miles of range. Even on a Level 2 charger it takes 5+ hours, because it is limited to 16 amps (most as electric vehicles can take 48 or even 60 amps. Since most charging station cost by the minute, around me they cost $0.30 a minute. So a full charge would cost over $90 or about $3.00 per mile. Also since the X5 45e can only handle 16amps, don't spend a fortune buying the faster, higher amp chargers. Nothing will make it charge faster. On electric only, it has surprisingly good pick up for such a heavy vehicle. My wife is able to go to work and back on only electric power. The switch between electric and gas is smooth .. truthfully I don't even notice. On delivery had only 1 non-set up related issue. The rear sensors don't work and it is currently scheduled for service.
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Best of Both Worlds
Zendrick C, 08/11/2021
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 8A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
This vehicle is amazing. Combining luxury and sport. The flexibility of being able to switch from all-electric, to all-gasoline, to hybrid -- provides ultimate confidence and reliability. The switch between each of the preceding modes is extremely and remarkably seamless. All-electric for driving in the city. Hybrid mode to reach the 50mpg on longer trips. All-gasoline to get that classic feel along with an extended range. Excellent vehicle. A bit pricy after adding the options, but is priced competitively among peer luxury PHEVs in its class.
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Amazing Overall, Electronics fail
NWisland, 06/18/2021
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 8A)
16 of 19 people found this review helpful
Breathtaking balance of power and grace, but in the first 30 days the electronics had an issue that requires a dealer appointment & loaner. Vehicle producers need to remember they have higher reliability standards than FANG companies and should consider scaling back features to enhance the reliability of what they do include.
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