BMW is about to turn the X5 into a rolling argument against the idea that one platform must do one job. The next-generation G65 is set to offer five powertrains at once: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, full electric, and hydrogen, while the electric version moves to an 800-volt system and BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive hardware.
That is a fairly bold answer to a market that is still split between combustion loyalists, EV adopters, and regulators pushing everyone toward cleaner drivetrains. BMW is not picking a single winner here; it is trying to keep every buyer group in the tent and let the spreadsheet sort out the rest.
BMW iX5 gets 800-volt hardware and a bigger battery
The headline act will be the fully electric BMW iX5, which uses cylindrical battery cells and an 800-volt electrical architecture. BMW says the battery capacity reaches 144 kWh in the US and 141 kWh in Europe, the largest figure among its production models.
The top version, the iX5 60 xDrive, is rated at 578 hp (425 kW) and goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. BMW also lists preliminary figures for other versions, including the iX5 40 xDrive at 400 hp and the iX5 50e xDrive at 490 hp, though it stresses those numbers are still estimates during development.
- Architecture: 800-volt
- Battery capacity: 144 kWh in the US, 141 kWh in Europe
- iX5 60 xDrive: 578 hp, 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds
- iX5 40 xDrive: 400 hp
- iX5 50e xDrive: 490 hp
The move to 800 volts is about more than bragging rights. It should improve charging speed, reduce heat losses, and raise overall efficiency, which is exactly where premium EV buyers now expect progress. Tesla, Hyundai and Porsche have already taught the market that voltage architecture matters; BMW is simply making sure the X5 does not look late to its own party.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen keeps the lineup wide open
BMW is also planning a serial-production iX5 Hydrogen for 2028. It will use a third-generation fuel-cell system and a Hydrogen Flat Storage layout with seven high-pressure composite tanks integrated into the floor, a packaging choice meant to preserve cabin space while allowing multiple X5 variants to share one production line.
That is the sort of flexibility mainstream manufacturers are increasingly chasing, even if hydrogen passenger cars still face a brutal commercial reality outside a few niche markets. BMW is clearly betting that optionality is more valuable than ideological purity.
Heart of Joy and the X5’s driver-assistance stack
For chassis and control logic, BMW is introducing its Heart of Joy computing platform based on BMW Dynamic Performance Control. It processes data ten times faster than earlier systems and coordinates propulsion, braking, steering, and regeneration in real time.
BMW says the setup sharpens regeneration and control in electric and hydrogen versions, while improving stability and steering precision in combustion models. The hardware list is suitably high-end too: adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers, 50:50 weight distribution, wheels up to 23 inches, and an optional Adaptive Chassis Control Professional package with air suspension, rear-wheel steering, and active roll stabilization.
Driver assistance is rated at SAE Level 2. The Symbiotic Drive concept keeps assistance active even when the driver intervenes, blending human input with automated support. Parking functions use camera and ultrasonic data, can learn parking routes up to 200 meters long, and can store up to 10 routes for automatic replay, obstacle and all.
The real question is whether BMW’s all-things-to-all-people strategy becomes a competitive advantage or a complexity tax. For now, the X5 looks like a very deliberate bet that the future is not a single drivetrain, but several of them wearing the same badge.