BMW's 2027 iX5 Pairs 450-Plus Miles of Range With Self-Opening Doors and Divisive Styling

BMW's upcoming electric SUV, the 2027 iX5, offers an estimated range of more than 450 miles per charge and doors that open and close on their own, according to a first-drive review published on 2026-10-22. The vehicle effectively replaces the iX and sits above the recently released iX3, serving as a battery-powered alternative to the two-row X5.

The most conspicuous change is how the doors work. Small winglets at the top of the front and rear doors contain strain meters that can sense a light pull without any visible movement. Pulling one makes the door swing open as far as it can, using sensors to avoid hitting the driver or a neighboring car. Once the occupant is seated and presses the brake pedal, the door closes itself. The reviewer, who generally dislikes such systems for being slow or unreliable, found that the iX5's version works well. Power doors are also available on the gas-powered X5, but they cost extra there.

The tested vehicle was the iX5 60 xDrive, which produces 570 horsepower and 593 pound-feet of torque. It came with massaging seats and matte silver paint, though the reviewer described the styling as polarizing.

BMW calls its driver-assistance package Symbiotic Drive. On the highway the car steers itself and allows hands-off driving, but the driver can still change lanes by tapping the turn stalk or by taking the wheel directly and then releasing it. Drivers can also accelerate or brake without disengaging the system. They can even stop completely at a light and let the car resume smoothly afterward. The infotainment system, which runs on a 17.9-inch touchscreen, was quick and responsive, although its AI assistant responded too eagerly whenever someone said "BMW."

A Panoramic Vision display runs from pillar to pillar along the base of the windshield. Its six customizable segments can show items such as the weather or pictures of vintage BMWs, and the reviewer found it easier to read than a conventional gauge cluster. The optional 14.6-inch passenger display was less impressive. Instead of using perspective-limiting technology, it relies on a driver-monitoring camera. When the driver looks toward it, the screen goes blank and the video pauses, and the passenger must restart playback manually.

Range may be the iX5's biggest selling point. A 144-kilowatt-hour battery sits beneath the passenger compartment, and the SUV can charge at up to 460kW through a NACS port. That is enough to go from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes at a sufficiently powerful charger. BMW has not finished EPA testing but expects more than 450 miles per charge. To support that, one of its engineers drove more than 500 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles without stopping and arrived with 50 miles left.

The reviewer spent about six hours driving two new BMW SUVs, starting in the gasoline X5 40 xDrive and finishing in the iX5, which they clearly preferred. The X5 had good high-speed power and an appealing sound, but the iX5's throttle response was sharper and its lower center of gravity made it more engaging in corners. Like the iX3, it can use its electric motors to come to a stop so smoothly that the moment the wheels stop turning is imperceptible.

The two vehicles are now close in character. Unlike the previous iX and X5, which looked and drove very differently, the new models look nearly identical and are similarly priced. The plug-in X5 50e starts at $77,500, while the iX5 starts at $79,800. The reviewer suggested that this similarity, along with the generous range, could help ease lingering stigma around electric vehicles in the United States.