05:15 30-06-2026

BMW iX5 60: the heaviest X5 in history breaks cover two days before its debut

The all-electric flagship of the new X5 G65 family carries a 144 kWh battery, two motors and tips the scales at nearly 2.8 tonnes.

The new BMW X5 of the G65 generation has surfaced online two days before its official premiere. According to BMWBLOG, the photos circulating on social media show the iX5 60 — the electric flagship of the upcoming family — already in full production trim.

Visually, the X5 moves noticeably closer to the new iX3: a similar front end, elongated lighting and a modern take on the brand’s signature kidney grille. The bigger model does have its own touch — an X-shaped daytime running light signature. The front bumper, with large air intakes and dark trim, looks closer to M Sport than to the base version.

In profile, the X5 reveals widened wheel arches and new door handles sitting below the window line. Their shape echoes solutions seen on the exclusive BMW Speedtop and Skytop, and now that detail may filter down to the mass-market SUV. At the rear, the X5 gets a light bar that runs almost the full width of the body, but the real intrigue is the tailgate. Judging by the photos, the model may have dropped the classic split tailgate that has been one of the X5’s signature features since 1999.

The electric iX5 60 xDrive will be the most radical version of the new generation. It runs on the sixth generation of eDrive, an 800-volt architecture and cylindrical battery cells. Usable battery capacity will be 144 kWh in the US and 141 kWh in Europe — the largest pack BMW has ever fitted to one of its electric models. The combined output of the two electric motors is 425 kW, or 578 hp, with xDrive all-wheel drive as standard.

There is a flip side: the iX5 will be the heaviest X5 ever built. The gap between the lightest G65 variant and the electric flagship reaches roughly 600 kg, and the iX5’s mass, according to BMWBLOG, is close to 2.8 tonnes. That is why standard equipment will include air suspension, adaptive dampers, rear-wheel steering and active roll stabilisation.

For the market, this is a meaningful shift in philosophy. The X5 has always been a versatile premium SUV with a driver’s edge, but the electric iX5 turns it into a technological flagship, where battery capacity, charging and weight matter as much as the engine and chassis. It will compete with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Audi Q8 e-tron, Porsche Macan Electric in its top versions and large Chinese electric crossovers from the likes of Li Auto, Zeekr and Avatr.

A big battery and big power numbers look convincing, but weight, price and service availability may matter more than the headline figures. Especially if a buyer compares the iX5 not only with the previous X5, but also with hybrid Li Auto models or with the petrol and plug-in hybrid versions of the same G65.