BMW X45e Review - A plug-in hybrid that really didn't annoy me!

A plug-in hybrid is what first got me into electric vehicles. That was a Vauxhall Ampera (Chevy Volt) back in 2015 but I soon preferred the electric and resented the petrol part so I'm all for suggesting that if you can go fully electric, then that is the way to go. It cuts out all the complicated combustiony stuff, reduces maintenance and costs far less to run.
However there are cases where it just doesn't suit, so maybe at least a plug-in hybrid is better than nothing. And as far as plug0in hybrids go this is a very good one.
Firstly it has a meaningful battery size giving it good EV only range. Secondly it doesn't do much at all to annoy me. I can usually find fault with most vehicles, even if just little niggles but actually the X5 does what it does really very well indeed.
I love the ride, the refinement and a bit of good all-round capability.
Jack of all or master of none? Well, a master at many things to be fair.
Thanks for watching.
Richard Symons
R Symons LTD "RSEV"
EV Specialist based in New Milton, Hampshire on the South Coast near Southampton and Bournemouth
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[@daveowens2722]

Great video Richard love the bmw you are at the top of your game when reviewing look forward to the next video

[@Dave-mv3xy]

That reversing rewind feature has helped me out a few times in dead ends in carparks

[@martinweston8147]

As someone who lives in Cornwall I really wish all cars have the "rewind time function" the amount of hours I wait whilst SUV drivers either reverse in to hedges or just refuse to use their reverse gears is amazing, people don't realise that Bus's aren't allowed to reverse thus the on coming driver has to. I wish my M3 Tesla had just a little lower rear screen to make reversing easier (at speed :=).

[@pocoyomc]

I had a Tesla MY 2022 and I've returned to an X5 2018. The quality, finish and drive is above any other car, including Tesla. I have far more confidence and feel relaxed and refreshed from driving the X5. The MY was too firm, had regular phantom breaking and the auto park wasn't great. The BMW Driver Assistant Professional is incredible and works as intended and always spot on. Having the jog wheel to control the infotainment is definitely so much easier, and safer when on the road than any touch screen. Shame BMW don't have the jog wheel on their newer cars. Bring it back @bmw. The X5 is an amazing car.

[@neilm9400]

I like the fact the heads up display works with Google maps, nice touch

[@Alpejohn]

I really want one of these.. Loved the video, you touched on several things i was wondering about. Thanks!

[@sulek1959]

Great objective review as always. I bought a new one of these 18 months ago and have been very impressed, it does everything well. The reverse assist is very accurate and it has been useful a few times, such as reversing back out of tight spaces, or as I found out a few weeks ago at a relatives house, who lives at the end of a tight country lane with no ability to turn due to other parked cars. It was very useful reversing out on a pitch black night. One other thing, you don’t have to open Apple wallet to open the car, simply put your phone against the driver door handle, then in the wireless charger and you are good to go. Not as good as a Tesla, which I have also owned in the past, but still pretty useful 👍

[@markymarkreviews]

Great review. I had a courtesy car via Thrifty cars when my Hyundai Ioniq 5 went in for its ICCU fix. Which took 3 months! Hyundai refused to give me an EV as a courtesy car but Thrifty had a whole fleet of BMW iX1's in that week, and the manageress of Thrifty gave me one of them anyway! Within seconds of leaving the Thrifty forecourt I was smiling! BMW just know how to infuse their cars for "drivers". My Ioniq 5 P45 is excellent but I did not miss it. iX1 more agile (300kg lighter I think!) and fun and iDrive is great. I know that is a different car from what you have reviewed but I love the tech in the BMW. Great second hand buys!

[@richo4447]

Having an I drive style control is vastly superior and way more comfortable than screen only.

[@DrDave_63395]

Thanks for this honest review. IMHO your most telling remark comes at the end when considering the CONS for PHEV - the need to have two drive trains. And your admission that the perfect car would be one with a larger battery and a range extender petrol engine. I agree that this is one of the comfort spots - mainly run on battery electric with a small petrol engine driving a generator to keep the battery topped up avoiding the cost and complexity of a gearbox / drive shafts. And at 50 miles range, people will realise the value of charging overnight to cover their daily driving needs.

[@binflydushy]

Even more impressive when you consider that this is the pre-facelift X5. New one has way better software and HUD, still with iDrive so i think its the perfect car

[@SDK2006b]

Love my iX - full electric for the win ⚡👍

[@simonhobbs9097]

Reversing feature is great if you are in Devon or Cornwall and have to back up on a narrow country lane; great car!

[@recklessrogue9027]

I agree with you on most points but I have to disagree that the answer to driving on narrow country lanes is to drive an enormous SUV. Yes a low car like a Taycan obviously isn't good for that but a normal car is sufficient - I live in Cornwall so use some of the most narrow "roads" and my Ioniq has never been stumped as due to its width you don't have to go as far off the track.

[@jonathantaylor1998]

My brother has a property over in North Carolina which he stays in a few times a year - last time he went, he rented an X5 PHEV... he absolutely loved it...! He said it had great tech, an amazing ride quality, yet was really rapid. As much as he'd love a Taycan Sport Turismo EV, his property is up the side of a mountain and he's got no charging availability...!

[@tonixpto1]

You got to review the GLC300 de, definitely the best suv plugin on the market 👌

[@bordersw1239]

Well done Richard for remaining open minded. With 4 children now rapidly growing up the last thing I’d want for my next car is anything huge. Presently drive a diesel but these slow charging PHEVS would worry me as overly complex. No idea what car I’ll have next - keeping my options open, will need to be a hatchback or estate though.

[@paulsj3273]

@RSEV what is the Miles per KWH on electric only? Thanks

[@peterKukTCK]

the towing system on the bmw is so much better than whats given from Tesla

[@leighsmith1866]

Your spare numberplate has the 1 and 2 the wrong way round! Great vid..

[@abcdecor7484]

Been running one of these for over 3 years now, very similar spec. Most journeys are local so 71% of it's lifetime milage has been pure electric which makes it very cheap to run on a daily basis to a conventional X5, but if we go away there is obviously no range anxiety. 2 things I think need improvement ; if you are in electric mode and you have to floor it, it is very slow to pick up and even if your foot is flat to the floor on the accelerator it does not wake up the engine, although you can wake it by hitting a paddle shifter, but I don't find that very instinctive Also the charge speed is very slow on a home 7kw charger, it only manages 3.7kw, it should do at least 7 Still a great car though 😁

[@Weasel197]

You should test the newer 50e. Curious for your opinion. Even bigger range and It now has some usable EV power above 50 mph. And a more annoying idrive system. And the doors do open, without opening Wallet on the iphone

[@clarkwgriswold157]

My neighbour has one and loves it. Plugs it in every night.

[@thedaveaftertomorrow]

BMW are doing great things with hybrid, the refreshed 330e Touring announced yesterday looks like it would tick a hell of a lot of boxes (60+ mile electric range)

[@MYE19]

The X5 is an amazing car no matter what.

[@iambenmitchell]

Hey Richard, the polestar 2 has been able to put the Apple Maps on the dashboard for a couple months now (when using CarPlay) - thought you’d want to know

[@adyb5438]

As does the smart #1

[@rtfazeberdee3519]

Did you run it on Petrol only to see if the efficiency matches manufacturers advertising?

[@paulmorris7836]

Have a guess what it does in petrol mode at 65mph?

[@Dave-mv3xy]

What kind of miles per kWh does it do?

[@SuperJCBDigger]

Your towing plates have got numbers swapped 😂 5:15

[@mikerichards8646]

Reversing feature is very useful in tight German parking under apartments

[@MrGMawson2438]

Cheers guys

[@timoliver8940]

I had the iDrive system in my Mini Cooper S E and definitely a step back having just the touch screen in the new Mini Countryman S E I now have and the new Cooper S E (made in China) hatch. It’s especially important to have the iDrive facility as the voice command system in the new Minis is absolutely useless and keeps telling me it is unable to carry out the requested thing “but I am learning quickly” totally useless as it isn’t learning at all and is the same message 6 weeks into ownership. One thing that is brilliant though is the Augmented Reality routing instructions but then you have to take your eyes off the road to see them in the big screen as the voice instructions put up a message on my screen that it doesn’t understand English so cannot give verbal routing……….. it also doesn’t understand German, French Italian or Spanish all of which I have tried too. This is a car made in Germany. I haven’t tried the Chinese instructions because I wouldn’t know how to get back to the main European languages from the on screen instructions………..

[@ski_tron2446]

Had an Audi Q3 45 TFSiE courtesy car recently - my etron 55 was being serviced. 30 miles in electric only. Nice car in EV mode. Surprisingly nippy for an 85kw motor. Engine was a bit rough (I was surprised) and it was less nice in hybrid. Ride quality (sports suspension and 20” wheels) was dreadful. Having tried one I get the PHEV concept. But efficiency was only 3 miles per kWh, no better than my etron on the same journey and far worse than a smaller EV. In hybrid I got 50mpg. But that’s no better than a decent petrol. So I’d rather buy an EV or just stick with petrol.

[@spuddy4063]

Personally, i drive a 2018 Chevy Volt which gets 136 km of range in summer when fully charged. Normally I can achieve 160 km or more with the regen on the car and the Volt only has a 13.6 kWh usable battery in it. I have photo's to prove my range of 136 km when fully charged which I took with my Android phone.

[@MrGMawson2438]

Not bad 40 to 55

[@deceptor99]

It must be heavy having an ice engine and electric battery and motor etc.

[@sargfowler9603]

2410kg as opposed to 2440kg in the ix5. So not a lot of difference.

[@dawgboy1842]

So when the ix m50 review for comparison with Tesla Y or X. Then the X5e

[@MrWestcliffe]

This 45e will never do 55 miles electric range, it wasn't even stated from BMW when new only 54miles. You'll be lucky if you'll get 40miles out of it but most of the time 30miles is the realistic figure - PLEASE DON'T MISLEAD PEOPLE!!! The new 50e is more likely to do 55-60miles but even that will be a push.

[@MrGMawson2438]

Combustion engine do cos a hell of a lot more

[@MrGMawson2438]

Electric Trucks Tow 500mi Over The Rocky Mountains! Cybertruck vs Lightning vs Silverado EV vs R1T Out of Spec Reviews

[@MrGMawson2438]

Very strange being able to go back in time

[@callum.mcdowell]

anyone else notice the spare plate being AU12 and not 21? 😂

[@Maxxwellification]

Unfortunately I have a budget cap at 80k. But if not, I guess an iX would be my choice.

[@jonathantaylor1998]

WOAH....!!!!! You're saying that being able to spend a maximum of £80k is "unfortunate"...?????? 😵 Where I live, you can buy a HOUSE for £80k...!!

[@michaelowen1234]

The 45e will only charge at 3.6 kwh, the newer 50e at 7 kwh. Disappointingly Bmw only warrants the X5 45e and 50e batteries for 6 years or 60k miles. Kind of puts you off spending 40k on a 5 year old 50k car....

[@iambenmitchell]

Who would spend 40k on a 5 year old car that was 50k new? It’s going to be closer to 15k in 5 years

[@mikeburke3631]

@@iambenmitchellthe 45e rrp started at 79k and Autotrader currently have a 90k miles 4 year old model for £35k

[@MrGMawson2438]

Hello guys

[@stephenparker5272]

You hit the nail on the head. All the maintenance costs of a premium petrol car to save £12 a day.

[@paulmorris7836]

How much maintenance costs? I have a 3 service plan / 2mots on our X545e and it cost £1454 / interest free over 36months. Thats 8years before it needs another service. Landrover for the Discovery D4 wants £2867 for 5 services / 6 years of motoring. Plus its not always about the money. If so I would have bought a 10year old Volvo estate (wait I have one of those as well). 👍

[@agent0066]

£12 a day is over 4 grand a year.

[@hareshkaria8377]

My GOD - Rich is praising a ice / hybrid - Elon's gran must be turning in her grave😂😂😂😂 U should rename this video - RSEV Back to Da Future - Staring Rich as Doc & Gibbs as Marty But on a serious note don't u guys install those " sexy buttons? Miss the iDrive on my old X3

[@Youtubedotcomma]

@13:25 if this was a Tesla feature they would definitely call it “Hooper mode” kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGmtopd3ndZ2iKsfeature=shared

[@williammykura2342]

How much is the Road Tax on that car - a lot I bet. Plus the Expensive Car Tax for 5 years, no doubt. EV’s? - Zero.

[@sargfowler9603]

£465

[@paulmorris7836]

@@sargfowler9603 A bit more at £590

[@freddydad1]

Twin turbo v6 petrol.. oh dear, the guy is selling cars at the end of the day.

[@bonchisradu3919]

Twin scroll turbo

[@freddydad1]

@bonchisradu3919 ahh, BMW cheaping out then, my old v6 audi was twin turbo, thought this was the same

[@MrGMawson2438]

Richard but you are still pulling a big ass engine along lol

[@willayling2379]

The flip side is that you have a smaller battery, so weight wise, there probably isn't a massive difference between it and a full ev. Aerodynamics a full ev would win no question. However, a plug-in ev use case really is ment for short journeys so shouldn't play a massive factor in efficiency when ran on electric. That's my view as someone with an electric ioniq 38.

[@sargfowler9603]

But if you're doing mostly short journeys in an EV, aren't you pulling a big ass battery around all the time even if you don't use it all?

[@willayling2379]

@sargfowler9603 yup 👍, that was the point I was trying to make. The only other difference I forgot to mention was that drivetrain losses will be more in PHEV

[@radekvonboktor]

It's a case of usage honestly. I enjoy EV's a lot and rent them around whenever I can when I travel for work in a different country. But for my personal usage - PHEV would be a blast - I do 6-10km/workday to drop my kids at school or do some stuff in the city and during the weekend I do like 1-2k km round trips. For my use-case a PHEV works the best honestly.

[@laloajuria4678]

worst of both worlds....

[@paulmorris7836]

Lol...do you have one?

[@sargfowler9603]

Best of both worlds. I do short journeys in EV 95% of the time. No range anxiety on longer journeys and easy/cheap to refuel. Compare that to a pure EV and finding a cheap charger at motorway services....

[@garyhill9723]

@@sargfowler9603If 95% is pure EV then you are caning that tiny battery. If your battery range is around 25 miles then an NMC battery which should retain around 80% of its capacity after 1000 cycles you’ll be down to 20 miles after 25000 miles, you are paying to have an engine serviced that gets almost no use and getting poor miles per kWh from the electric drive train. My longest regular day trip is around 170 miles, well within the range of my EV summer or winter at around 6p per mile at price cap rate (2p cheap overnight), for the odd longer holiday run I’ll accept that pay 20p per mile for a tiny proportion of my overall mileage. I can’t recall ever finding cheap petrol at a motorway.

[@FrozenDung]

My Chevy volt was a great starter. I can't afford 2 cars and I couldn't afford a new EV so it was a great alternative.

[@OneGuyPolitics]

Agree

[@dontlook8748]

Tesla simp likes tesla......maybe the smell of leather seats and great built quality made him go to the "dark side"

[@crm114.]

No, it still annoys me.