[Mani59]

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Fantastic video review by Harry Metcalfe on the X5 45e PHEV:

[Bancroft]

Love it! Thanks!

[TINY BMW]

I do wonder how the wear on the engine goes over time. As the presenter said, you're going uphill, car needs power, engine kicks in and you're asking a LOT of power of a cold engine.

[clutchdj]

Always enjoyed his reviews.
Pure car guy no ego or personality lol.

[Bancroft]

I'm guessing that the oil gets pre-heated while driving in the electric-mode only.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by TINY BMW

I do wonder how the wear on the engine goes over time. As the presenter said, you're going uphill, car needs power, engine kicks in and you're asking a LOT of power of a cold engine.

There's probably a lot of management done to avoid putting too much strain on an engine while it's still cold. The gas engine has been detuned (<300hp) probably to improve mileage but also probably reduces strain. I'm assuming it also uses a very low viscosity oil.

Also, don't forget that modern engines need very little warm up time before they can be gently driven. You're supposed to start driving right away (20-30 seconds) so it warms up more quickly. Warming up an engine at idle actually increases warm up time and wear.

You did describe a worst case scenario of driving uphill, but remember that the engine and electric motor can work together. It's not one or the other. So I'm sure the car is smart enough to be able to limit power. The driver obviously also has a responsibility to be mindful of this. It's probably a fairly uncommon scenario and maybe a drawback of the PHEV design, but there are obviously huge benefits that offset them.

[SoCali E36]

This man gets it. He said what I've been saying for years now. The future is plugins, not all electric. Best of both worlds combine. I'm on my 2nd X5 40e. It's been a wonderful model with the only setback being the small range it offers in electric.

The new 45e is going to be an amazing car and a big seller. Plus, with the new chassis platform, I can almost bet that the LCI is going to get a longer range since they can now add more batteries in the floorboard. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the future they have tier levels for their plugins based on battery range.

[Anterialis]

Very good review! But this guy drives very inefficiently! Going more or less 40 mph, but he keeps coming off the throttle all the time @ 10:10 onwards). Regenerating, accelerating (so hard that the ICE) turns on), regenerating, back to ICE.. He should drive more smoothly imo, would get a better mpg that way

But again, a very good review!

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Bancroft

I'm guessing that the oil gets pre-heated while driving in the electric-mode only.

No it doesn't. Engine temp stays below 50 C if you drive in pure electric.

[Anterialis]

AFAIK the first time the engine starts up (cold start), it stays on for a minute or so to increase oil temperature somewhat.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Anterialis

AFAIK the first time the engine starts up (cold start), it stays on for a minute or so to increase oil temperature somewhat.

That is correct. But it doesn't do that in all electric mode.

[NorCalAthlete]

Originally Posted by Anterialis

Very good review! But this guy drives very inefficiently! Going more or less 40 mph, but he keeps coming off the throttle all the time @ 10:10 onwards). Regenerating, accelerating (so hard that the ICE) turns on), regenerating, back to ICE.. He should drive more smoothly imo, would get a better mpg that way

But again, a very good review!

He does point out that his driving usage in the video is atypical and one would likely get far better efficiency in normal daily usage commuting / grocery runs / etc. I would wager a guess that most who can afford a BMW can afford to live within ~15-20 miles of their work, so it's enough or nearly enough for a daily commute without using gas. A friend of mine had a Chevy volt that had enough range to where he forced himself to take a scenic route / weekend drive every few months just to cycle the gas engine or it would never come on.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

He does point out that his driving usage in the video is atypical and one would likely get far better efficiency in normal daily usage commuting / grocery runs / etc. I would wager a guess that most who can afford a BMW can afford to live within ~15-20 miles of their work, so it's enough or nearly enough for a daily commute without using gas. A friend of mine had a Chevy volt that had enough range to where he forced himself to take a scenic route / weekend drive every few months just to cycle the gas engine or it would never come on.

You can't force the Volt to use the engine?

[martin mustang]

Cannot wait for ours due delivery August, a great review interesting how the new large battery take longer to charge, not bad for us as we tend to only use our BMW charging unit at home over night.

[Game]

Great review.

Was pleasantly surprised by the numbers. This car makes a ton of sense for so many people with that awesome all EV range. This will be a winner.

[Flamingi]

I just got my X5 45e last month and I'm saving so much on fuel, because I can charge for free at my employer. I had an F30 330e two years ago and I wasn't able to drive from/to work on battery alone. With this new car I can drive from work home and then back in EV mode without charging at home. In the last 5 weeks I owned this vehicle I have only filled it up once with gas and still have half the tank left after doing almost 2000km. I went from spending ~$350 per month for gas to only ~$70 (gas is ~$7.25 per gal in Germany). On top of that I have almost 400 HP which means plenty of fun if I want it.

[NorCalAthlete]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

You can't force the Volt to use the engine?

Honestly not sure - just going off his comments, I never really looked into the intricacies of the Volt as it's never really interested me overall beyond "ok cool, great gas mileage."

Pretty much everything I've ever owned with 4 wheels has had a loud rumbling V8, so...even finally coming over to like BMWs has been an adjustment. I've always admired BMWs from afar, I've liked various other exotics, luxury brands, etc for various reasons from aesthetic to power to racing history...but a Volt? Pffffffffft. Lol.

[jonboyglx]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

Honestly not sure - just going off his comments, I never really looked into the intricacies of the Volt as it's never really interested me overall beyond "ok cool, great gas mileage."

Pretty much everything I've ever owned with 4 wheels has had a loud rumbling V8, so...even finally coming over to like BMWs has been an adjustment. I've always admired BMWs from afar, I've liked various other exotics, luxury brands, etc for various reasons from aesthetic to power to racing history...but a Volt? Pffffffffft. Lol.

When will this car be available in the US?

I have a 40e and love the car.