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By Jonathan Crouch

BMW's iX5 is another large electric SUV that resets standards. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 39

The iX5 is BMW's first really cutting-edge large luxury full-electric SUV. Building on the legacy of the brand's 400V iX, this electric X5 takes the concept of an EV crossover to the next level with a class-leadingly large battery.

Backgroundword count: 118

Pairing Neue Klasse EV technology and design with combustion-derived CLAR underpinnings, BMW's iX5 aims to redefine what a full-electric BMW Sports Activity Vehicle can be. The huge battery's driving range sets new class standard - but then so does this car's near-3 tonne kerb weight. The new 800V powertrain benefits from all kinds of more recent elements from BMW's sixth generation eDrive technology that sets this iX5 apart from the existing iX model it indirectly replaces. These include the cylindrical battery cells we first saw on the iX3, which took some careful packaging into a battery that's now integral to the chassis. A new kind of big BMW EV then. Does it set a new standard? Let's see.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 266

If, as we did, you thought that the 121kWh battery in Porsche's Cayenne Electric was pretty large, then we're not sure what you're going to make of the 141kWh pack in this iX5. That might be needlessly big for the kind of driving you're likely to do and if it is, then wait for the smaller-battery version BMW's likely to introduce in due course. This BEV BMW rides on the same evolved CLAR platform as combustion versions of this fifth generation X5 and as you'd hope, that big battery pack delivers a prodigious range figure - 525 miles, 22 miles better than the iX3, despite this larger model weighing half a tonne more. That beefy bulk (2,890kg, 600kg more than the diesel) requires a potent pair of motors, in this case developing 320hp at the rear and 242hp at the front, giving a total output of 578hp (more than the old X5 M petrol super-SUV), with 0-62mph taking just 4.6s en route 130mph courtesy of 805Nm of torque. There's the same cringingly-named 'Heart of Joy' control unit that's so effective in the iX3, with Dynamic Performance Control software that acts as the 'brain' of the car, coordinating the drivetrain, steering and braking systems. Rigidity is helped by the car's 'cell-to-pack' technology that integrates the battery pack as part of the chassis. All X5s run on air suspension and feature rear-wheel steering that can only turn the rear wheels up to 3.2-degrees; for perspective, a Range Rover manages 7.3-degrees. Top trim levels and M Performance models add an 'Active Roll Comfort' roll stabilisation system to this set-up.

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