20:12 03-07-2026

New BMW X5: The 4.4-Liter V8 Survives in a 2027 M Performance Model

BMW launches the new X5 without a V8, but a 2027 M Performance version — likely the X5 M60 — brings back the twin-turbo 4.4-liter eight-cylinder, and it won't be a plug-in hybrid.

BMW didn't loudly celebrate keeping the V8, but for buyers of pricey SUVs it matters more than many design headlines. The new X5 launches without an eight-cylinder engine, yet in 2027 the crossover will gain an M Performance version with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 — most likely badged X5 M60.

The real intrigue isn't the arrival of a hot version itself, but that BMW isn't turning it into a heavy plug-in hybrid. According to Motor1, the future X5 M Performance should keep a “purer” V8 character, though a 48-volt mild hybrid can't be ruled out. For the driver this isn't a difference on paper: a PHEV adds mass, shifts the balance and complicates servicing, while a mild hybrid barely disturbs the familiar mechanics of a big gasoline SUV.

The new X5 will be an unusual model for BMW anyway: a single family will offer gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, electric and hydrogen versions. At launch the combustion range will be built around inline-sixes, with the V8 held back until 2027. A full-fledged X5 M isn't confirmed yet, but such a version arriving in 2028 or later looks logical — especially if BMW decides to keep gasoline and electric M variants side by side.

Against its rivals, BMW's strategy looks more cautious than that of Mercedes-AMG, which is publicly putting the V8 back at the center of the conversation. The new-generation Audi Q7 also remains a direct X5 rival, but it's BMW that is betting on the widest possible spread of powertrains. That lets a single model play several fields at once: diesel for long trips, PHEV for Europe, EV for city buyers, hydrogen as a technological experiment and the V8 for those who don't want to turn a premium SUV into a silent gadget.

There's a contentious point, too. Because of Euro 7 rules, BMW has already had to cut the output of its large engines in certain markets, so the European X5 M60 may turn out weaker than fans expect. For the US and markets outside strict eco-standards, the tuning could be different.

The V8 in the new X5 isn't becoming a mainstream choice — it's turning into an expensive marker of old-school BMW, which the company isn't ready to write off just yet.