BMW X5 Configurator In Europe Is About To Add 3 New Models

One thing we’ve always liked about BMW is how quickly it loads up the configurator for a new model following its reveal. It usually happens the same day in Germany and a few other regions across Europe. The X5 G65 was no exception, but with a caveat: the online build tool currently offers just two models: the 40 xDrive and 40d xDrive. However, it won’t be long before three additional flavors join the lineup.

Starting October 8, the two plug-in hybrid X5 models will be available to configure and order in Europe. Both the 50e xDrive and the hotter M60e xDrive will join the portfolio as the first versions to cost six figures before you start ticking boxes on the options list. Our sources say the 50e xDrive will start at approximately €102,800 in Germany, while the M Performance version is expected to kick off from around €125,000.

What about the third new member? It’s the fully electric iX5 60 xDrive, and it may cost the same as the plug-in hybrid M Performance model: €125,000. BMW hasn’t said anything about a lower-priced iX5 50 xDrive or something to that effect, but we wouldn’t rule it out later in the luxury SUV’s life cycle.

2027 BMW X5: Made In Spartanburg, Home Of The X

Production of the fifth-generation X5 got underway this month at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina for the conventionally powered inline-six models, with European deliveries starting on November 28. The two plug-in hybrids and the EV will hit the assembly line in December, with customer deliveries starting March 6 next year.

There’s more to come, as BMW is also giving Europe a second M Performance model: the X5 M60 xDrive. And yes, it’ll have a big ol’ V8, which is becoming somewhat rare given the stringent emissions regulations on the continent. That means the X5 M (G95), expected to arrive in 2028, will also have the “S68” engine, a twin-turbo 4.4-liter unit with potentially a little over 600 horsepower.

The flagship version is also getting an electric alter ego, and from what we’ve heard, it may be the most powerful X5 M the company has ever made. BMW hasn’t confirmed it yet, but rumors suggest four electric motors will give it anywhere between 800 and 900 hp. The platform will be the same for all of them, with CLAR underpinning every single G65 flavor.

Europe won’t get one X5 version: the X5 40. BMW is keeping the base rear-wheel-drive model alive in the United States, where it costs $71,250. That makes it $2,300 cheaper than its xDrive counterpart and is one of the few remaining rear-wheel-drive SUVs with a combustion engine that the company sells. Another relevant example is the X3 20 sDrive, which is available in a handful of markets.