In the autumn of 2026, BMW introduced its redesigned X5, a gasoline model, alongside an electric sibling called the iX5, letting buyers choose between two roads within a single cycle of change. Early first-drive reviews have landed with a familiar pattern: praise for how the vehicles handle and for the iX5's range, paired with unease about a look that some find too unconventional. For a luxury automaker, the engineering seems settled, and what remains uncertain is whether taste will bend toward a bold new face.
BMW Splits the 2027 X5 Into Gas and Electric Versions, and Reviewers Are Divided on the Look
The argument is not the engineering. It's taste.
Mark
Why does it matter that BMW is selling both a gas X5 and an electric iX5?
Mimi
Because it's a hedge made visible. Instead of forcing a switch, BMW is putting both versions out in the same redesign and letting buyers decide.
Mark
What are reviewers agreeing on?
Mimi
Driving and range. The iX5's range gets praise, and the general feel behind the wheel does too.
Mark
And where do they split?
Mimi
The look. One headline says it may be too weird for some, and another says you'll love the range but maybe not the styling.
Luke
I'd slow down there. We're working from headlines, not the full reviews. We know the tone, but not what exactly critics dislike about the design.
Mark
So what can't we say yet?
Luke
Range numbers, pricing, power, on-sale dates. None of that is in what we have. And 'divided' is the reviewers' reaction, not sales data.
Mimi
Fair. The sales test hasn't happened yet.
Mark
Then what's the thing to watch?
Luke
Whether the styling actually dents sales once these reach showrooms. Until then it's opinion, informed but still opinion.
El Pulso
- Early reviews of the 2027 X5 and iX5 are arriving together, and their verdicts are sharply divided between admiration and hesitation.
- Critics applaud the driving dynamics and the iX5's range, yet several headlines warn that the styling may be too polarizing for buyers.
- BMW is offering a gasoline X5 and an electric iX5 side by side, a deliberate hedge while the luxury market shifts toward electrification.
- The redesign touches nearly every part of the vehicle, so the bet on a new visual identity now rests with showroom shoppers.
- Both models are heading to dealers, and the open question is whether unusual styling will dent luxury SUV sales.
In the autumn of 2026, BMW introduced its redesigned X5, a gasoline model, alongside an electric sibling called the iX5, letting buyers choose between two roads within a single cycle of change. Early first-drive reviews have landed with a familiar pattern: praise for how the vehicles handle and for the iX5's range, paired with unease about a look that some find too unconventional. For a luxury automaker, the engineering seems settled, and what remains uncertain is whether taste will bend toward a bold new face.
A cluster of first-drive reviews of BMW's 2027 X5 and its electric sibling, the iX5, arrived within the same few days, and they agree on a central point: the cars drive well. The harder question is whether buyers will warm to how they look.
BMW is covering both powertrain paths in one redesign cycle, offering a gasoline X5 and an electric iX5 side by side rather than replacing one with the other. For a luxury brand weighing how quickly to move its flagship SUV toward electric power, that choice lets customers decide.
The reviews show a range of reactions. Critics praise the driving dynamics and single out the iX5's range as a strength, but several stop short on styling. One headline suggests the X5 drives great yet may be too weird for some, and another predicts enthusiasts will love the range but perhaps not the look.
Because the X5 is central to BMW's lineup, a redesign this thorough is a wager that customers will accept a new visual identity. The engineering appears not to be the debate. The argument is about taste.
The available coverage is brief and does not yet provide pricing, battery details, exact range figures, horsepower or on-sale dates. What comes next is clear enough: both models are heading to showrooms, and the test will be whether the unconventional design dampens luxury SUV sales or whether strong driving reviews carry buyers past it.
A cluster of first-drive reviews of BMW's 2027 X5 and its electric sibling, the iX5, landed within the same stretch of days, and they largely agree on one thing: the car drives well, and the question is whether buyers will want to look at it.
BMW is covering both powertrain paths in a single redesign cycle. There is a gasoline 2027 X5 and an electric iX5, offered side by side rather than one replacing the other. For a luxury automaker deciding how fast to move its best-known SUV toward electricity, that is a deliberate choice to let buyers pick.
The headlines from the outlets that have driven the vehicles show the range of reaction. Ars Technica framed the choice as electric or gas, noting that BMW is going both ways. Another review, from Car and Driver, was titled around whether the new SUVs are good luxury vehicles and offered a tally of four pros and five cons. Cars.com ran a piece saying BMW changed almost everything about the X5 and is changing the game again. MotorTrend's first drive of the iX5 said that readers will love the range, but perhaps not the look. Engadget also covered the launch.
Taken together, the early verdict has a consistent shape. Reviewers praise the driving dynamics. They single out the iX5's range as a strength. And several of them stop short when it comes to the styling, with at least one headline saying the X5 drives great but may be too weird for some. The redesign is described as touching almost everything about the vehicle, and the look appears to be the part that divides people.
That split matters because the X5 is a core model for BMW, and a redesign this thorough is a bet that customers will accept a new visual identity. The reviews so far suggest the engineering is not where the argument is. The argument is about taste.
The source material here is limited to headlines and a short summary, so it does not give specifics such as pricing, battery capacity, the exact range figure, horsepower or on-sale dates. Those details are not established in the coverage available, and the reviews' individual criticisms of the design are not spelled out beyond the characterizations above.
What comes next is straightforward to name. Both models are heading to showrooms, and the thing to watch is whether the unconventional styling affects sales in the luxury SUV segment, or whether strong driving and range reviews carry buyers past it.
Citas Notables
You'll love the range, but maybe not the look.— MotorTrend, first-drive headline on the iX5
The X5 drives great but may be too weird for some.— Ars Technica headline
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