New engine time for the BMW X5 and X6 SUVs, and this one's a bit of a doozy. It's a mild hybrid (MHEV) diesel-electric powertrain centred around a newly developed 3.0-litre straight-six twin-turbodiesel, a 48-volt battery and starter generator, and the eight-speed Steptronic gearbox with all-wheel-drive transmission. That means what we have here are the X5 xDrive40d and X6 xDrive40d models, which slot in beautifully between the 265hp/620Nm '30d' variants and the almighty quad-turbo 400hp/760Nm M50d versions, thanks to total outputs of 340hp at 4,400rpm and 700Nm from 1750-2,250rpm. The 48-volt system allows for engine coasting in certain conditions, as well as 'electric boost' supplementation of the combustion engine during acceleration, all of which means these two luxury SUVs will do 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds, while returning anything up to 47.9mpg and 154g/km of CO2 (X5 xDrive40d) or 48.7mpg and 153g/km CO2 (X6 xDrive40d). This new diesel-electric MHEV drivetrain is fitted with two-stage NOx exhaust gas treatment, so that means it is able to meet the mandatory Euro 6d emissions standard, which comes into force at the start of 2021.
Matt Robinson - 11 Feb 2020