The 2027 BMW iX5, the first electric X5, arrives in the first quarter of 2027. Photo: BMW.
The short version. The 2027 BMW X5 is an all-new, fifth-generation SUV, and for the first time there is an electric version, the iX5. Both get BMW's new "Neue Klasse" look and its windshield-wide Panoramic Vision display. The first version, the X5 40 xDrive with a 394-hp inline-six, has been on sale since October 2026 at $73,550 including destination. A rear-wheel-drive X5 40 ($71,250), the X5 50e xDrive plug-in hybrid ($78,950) and the iX5 60 xDrive ($81,250, with an estimated 450 miles of range) follow in the first quarter of 2027, and a V8 version comes later in 2027. The X5 is now a five-seater only, and the split tailgate is gone.
This page covers the gas, plug-in hybrid and electric X5, not the X5 M or the X6. It collects what BMW announced, what the first drives in October found and what car podcasts said, and notes where they disagree. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. If you see an error, email us.
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What changed for 2027?
BMW revealed the new X5 and iX5 on June 30, 2026, at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which has built every X5 since 1999. Unless noted, everything below is from BMW's US press release.
An electric X5. The iX5 60 xDrive is the first electric X5 and the first electric car built in Spartanburg. Its battery packs are assembled nearby in Woodruff, South Carolina. The gas and electric versions share one body and one interior, so the iX5 is not a separate model in the way BMW's outgoing iX was.
The broadest engine choice BMW has offered. Worldwide, the X5 comes as a gas mild hybrid, a diesel, a plug-in hybrid, an EV and, later, a hydrogen fuel-cell model. The US gets the gas, plug-in hybrid and electric versions plus a V8 M Performance model later in 2027, per Kelley Blue Book.
Screens instead of gauges and the iDrive knob. A strip called Panoramic Vision projects speed and other information across the bottom of the windshield, with a standard 3D head-up display above it and a 17.9-inch touchscreen below. A 14.6-inch screen for the front passenger is optional. The rotary iDrive controller is gone, per BMWBlog, and the air vents are now aimed through the touchscreen, per Car and Driver.
New styling. The front has a smaller kidney grille and X-shaped light signatures inside the headlights, which you can switch off, per Edmunds. The door handles are fixed "winglets" with a touch sensor.
No split tailgate, and five seats only. The X5's two-piece tailgate is replaced by a one-piece liftgate. BMW has given more than one reason: shorter owners could not reach over the lower half, per BMWBlog, and efficiency, per Edmunds. BMWBlog and Motor1 suspect cost played a part. There is no third-row option; BMW points buyers who need seven seats to the X7, per Car and Driver.
More rear legroom. The wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer, which BMW says adds rear knee room. Underneath is a stretched version of the outgoing X5's platform, per Motor Trend.
Hands-free highway driving. The optional Highway Assistant allows hands-free driving on suitable highways at up to 85 mph and changes lanes when the driver glances at the mirror. It is part of a $2,500 Driving Assistance Professional Package, per BMWBlog.
CarPlay and Android Auto stay. Both run on the new system and can fill the whole screen.
Engines, range and fuel economy
Version | Power | 0-60 mph | Electric range |
|---|---|---|---|
X5 40 / 40 xDrive (gas inline-six, mild hybrid) | 394 hp, 428 lb-ft | 5.1 sec | None |
X5 50e xDrive (plug-in hybrid) | 483 hp, 516 lb-ft | 4.6 sec | 44 miles (est.) |
iX5 60 xDrive (electric) | 570 hp, 593 lb-ft | 4.4 sec | 450 miles (est.) |
Figures from BMW, except the iX5's range. BMW first estimated 435 miles for the iX5, then raised its estimate to 450 at the October press launch; the official EPA rating had not been published when this page was last reviewed, per InsideEVs. The plug-in hybrid's 44-mile figure is also BMW's estimate.
The gas X5 keeps BMW's 3.0-liter turbo six with a new turbocharger (19 hp more than before) and a small electric motor in the eight-speed automatic. The Drive lists preliminary fuel economy of 26 mpg combined; the 2026 X5 was rated 25, per KBB.
The iX5 has a 144-kWh battery, the largest BMW has fitted to a production car, per InsideEVs, and an 800-volt system. BMW quotes 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes on a 460-kW charger, but BMW itself says its 460-kW demonstration does not represent hardware commercially available in the US today. It has a standard NACS (Tesla-style) charging port, charges at up to 15.4 kW on a home charger, and supports bidirectional charging. It is the heaviest version by far: Road & Track, The Drive and BMWBlog put it at roughly 6,300 to 6,400 pounds, about 1,000 to 1,300 pounds more than the gas X5; Motor1 lists 6,939 pounds.
The plug-in hybrid pays for its battery in cargo space: about 525 liters behind the rear seats against 650 for the gas X5, by BMW's European figures, per BMWBlog.
Cargo. The Drive lists 27.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 67.7 with them folded for the gas X5, and 23.1 and 65.3 for the iX5, plus a 1.9-cubic-foot front trunk.
Towing. Road & Track lists a 7,700-pound rating for the X5 40 xDrive. The trailer hitch is a $750 option, per BMWBlog.
Wheels and colors. 21-inch wheels are standard, with 22s and, for the first time on an X5, 23s optional. BMW offers eleven paint colors.
How much does the 2027 X5 cost?
Version | MSRP | With $1,450 destination | On sale |
|---|---|---|---|
X5 40 (rear-wheel drive) | $69,800 | $71,250 | Q1 2027 |
X5 40 xDrive | $72,100 | $73,550 | Now |
X5 50e xDrive (plug-in hybrid) | $77,500 | $78,950 | Q1 2027 |
iX5 60 xDrive (electric) | $79,800 | $81,250 | Q1 2027 |
Prices from BMW. Early configurator listings in July used a $1,350 destination charge; BMW's price list and later reviews use $1,450. Two things make the real starting price a little higher for now:
A $650 option you cannot yet remove. Early X5 40 xDrive orders come with BMW's glass and slate interior controls as a required $650 option, so the cheapest one you can order today is $74,200, per BMWBlog. BMWBlog expects the option to become removable.
Options add up fast. A fully loaded X5 40 xDrive lands around $95,000, per BMWBlog. The main packages: Climate ($2,800, for ventilated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats and four-zone climate), Luxury ($3,100, for the passenger screen and power-closing doors), Driving Assistance Professional ($2,500) and Parking Assistance ($750).
Compared with 2026. The X5 40 and 40 xDrive each start about $1,500 higher than the outgoing models, per Edmunds.
Gas or electric. The iX5 costs $7,700 more than the X5 40 xDrive, before differences in standard equipment (the iX5 gets air suspension as standard, per Edmunds).
Discounts already. BMW is offering a $1,000 loyalty discount on both the X5 and the iX5 and 4.99% financing for 60 months, according to dealer bulletins reported by CarsDirect and cited by BMWBlog. Incentives change monthly, so check before you buy.
When is it on sale?
Now: the X5 40 xDrive. BMW said the rollout would begin in October, and on October 22 Edmunds said the X5 40 xDrive should be reaching dealers now.
First quarter of 2027: the rear-wheel-drive X5 40, the X5 50e xDrive and the iX5 60 xDrive.
Later in 2027: a V8 M Performance model, which BMWBlog calls the X5 M60.
Reported but not confirmed by BMW: a cheaper iX5 50 xDrive and a more powerful iX5 M70 xDrive, per BMWBlog.
How does it drive?
The first US drives were published on October 22, from BMW's launch event in Southern California. Our read of them:
The gas X5 rides better than before. Car and Driver calls the ride "remarkable" in its softer settings, and Motor1 says BMW "has also finally sorted out the X5's ride quality." BMWBlog's verdict: "If you buy an X5 to drive, buy this one."
The windshield display is a hit; the rest of the controls are not. Reviewers liked Panoramic Vision; Motor1 calls it "a slam dunk." Most disliked aiming the vents through the touchscreen, the new steering wheel and its touch-sensitive buttons (The Drive was the exception and liked the wheel), and the winglet door handles, which Edmunds and Motor1 both had to tug more than once.
The passenger screen divides them. Edmunds calls it a gimmick, since the car darkens it when the driver looks over. Road & Track enjoyed using it from the passenger seat.
The styling is the loudest complaint. Motor1's list of cons starts with "Not A Looker." Edmunds, by contrast, likes the new front end.
Should you buy the gas X5 or the iX5?
This is where the first drives disagree most.
For the gas X5: Car and Driver found the iX5's ride bouncier and said it is "outmatched by its own stablemate." Edmunds drove both back to back and found the iX5 notably stiffer: if you want the softest ride, it says, buy the lighter gas car. Road & Track also found the gas X5 better over rough pavement.
What nobody disputes: the iX5's range and charging speed, on paper, put it near the top of the electric SUV class, and it costs about $7,700 more.
Our read: the ride verdicts split even among reviewers who drove both on the same roads, so a back-to-back test drive is worth more than any review here. The iX5 does not reach dealers until early 2027.
What do car podcasts say about the new X5?
Car Curious, our sister car-podcast platform, tracks what podcast hosts say about each car. Since the reveal it has collected 119 passages about the new X5 and iX5 across 44 shows. Most are about the iX5, so podcast talk leans electric. The full breakdown, with every quote linked to the moment it was said, is on Car Curious.
Range is the headline. Ten shows praised the range and seven the charging speed. Batteries Included put it this way: "here's the electric one, which is no compromise over the combustion one." On ev.news, the point was that few public chargers can keep up with it.
The gas engine still has fans. Carish welcomed the updated six: "It's got your B58, but more power, new turbocharger, more reliable." The Drive Car Show podcast noted that the plug-in hybrid keeps its 483 horsepower while its electric range grows to about 44 miles.
The complaints match the reviewers'. The center screen drew the most criticism: "the center display for me makes no sense," said a host on Electrek's podcast. TFL Car Chat singled out the door handles. Batteries Included missed a pet mode for keeping the cabin cool with a dog inside, and called the small front trunk the iX5's only real compromise.
How does it compare with its rivals?
Gas X5 rivals. Road & Track puts the X5 about $20,000 below a comparable Porsche Cayenne, a little below the redesigned 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 and about $10,000 above a similarly equipped Genesis GV80. Edmunds adds that the Lexus RX also undercuts it. If you need a third row, the Audi Q7 and Mercedes GLE offer one and the X5 does not.
iX5 rivals. Edmunds lists the Lucid Gravity and Rivian R1S, which start around the same price, and the slightly cheaper Volvo EX90. None of them is sold, as the iX5 is, with the same body and interior as a gas model.
What is next?
The iX5's official EPA range rating is expected before it reaches dealers. The rear-wheel-drive X5 40, the plug-in hybrid and the iX5 arrive in the first quarter of 2027, and the V8 model later in the year. An electric iX7 has been seen testing, per BMWBlog, but BMW has not announced it. This page will be updated as those arrive and as the first full road tests publish.
Suspension's X5 coverage
June 30, 2026: 2027 BMW X5 Debuts With Five Powertrains, an iX5 EV, and No Door Handles, the reveal.
October 24, 2026: Reviewers Split on Whether the Electric BMW X5 Beats the Gas One, and BMW Already Has a Loyalty Offer on It, the first drives and BMW's $1,000 loyalty offer.
Prices, specifications and dates come from the outlets linked in each section. Podcast quotes describe how hosts received the car and are not a source for any figure on this page.