Author: EVAI

We’re now more than 18 months and nearly 19,000 miles into ownership of our 2024 BMW iX xDrive50, and it’s been a good year and a half. When we bought it, we intentionally got a machine with as few options as possible, the smallest wheels, and the least amount of power. At the time, I remember wishing there was an even lower-spec trim available.

For 2026, BMW has introduced exactly that: a new xDrive45 trim with less power, less torque, and a lower MSRP than the 2024 model carried when new. It has a smaller battery, too, but its improved efficiency promises an EPA-rated maximum range of 312 miles, five more than mine is rated for.

On paper, it certainly seemed like an attractive prospect, and when BMW offered me a chance to sample the new trim, I couldn’t resist heading down to their U.S. headquarters in New Jersey. 

Road-Tripping To Test The New BMW iX

Naturally, I drove my iX down. I confess I felt a little weird about this, taking the old and familiar to meet the new and fresh, but I have a feeling the car didn’t mind. I have always had a habit of humanizing machines a little too much.

It was a roughly 125-mile trip down for me, and yet again, BMW’s range estimate was spot-on. It predicted I’d arrive with 57% remaining. I arrived with 60 percent on the clock. That, in theory, meant a 250-mile round-trip with plenty left in the tank, yet again exceeding the EPA estimate despite my spending the bulk of that time at speed on the highway.

But, while I was out sampling the new hotness, my ride was supping on electrons courtesy of one of BMW’s on-site chargers, meaning range for the return trip would not be a concern.

2026 BMW iX: First Impressions

On to the new machine, then. First impressions of the new 2026 iX were good. The exterior revisions are subtle, to say the least, with refined headlights and new graphics on the kidney grille being the big new changes, while the lower trims now get basically the same front fascia that the older M60 xDrive featured.

Yes, lower trims, as there are three now, starting with the 402 hp, 312-mile xDrive45 at $75,150. Next up is the 536 hp, 340-mile, $88,500 xDrive60, which effectively replaces the old xDrive50. Finally, there’s the 650 hp, 302-mile M70 xDrive, which replaces the old M60 and gets a new, even more aggro-looking front fascia than before. 

BMW didn’t make any substantial revisions to the interior layout, meaning that the controversial front cupholder placement is still the same as before. Design changes inside and out are slight, to say the least, meaning if you didn’t like the look of the iX before, you ain’t going to like it now.

I will, though, guarantee you’ll like the way it drives. The first time I dipped into the throttle in the new xDrive45, I was convinced it was the right choice for most people. It still scoots off the line with way more aggression than is necessary or expected from an SUV of this size.

It feels every bit as quick as my xDrive50 until you get up to about 45 mph or so. Only above there can you start to feel a slight lack of urgency, but stress on the word “slight.” This is a quick machine at any speed, and the $13,000 savings over the xDrive60 means you just have more money to throw at options, like the new sports seats, which are a huge improvement over the iX’s flat, base units.

Stepping up to the xDrive60, it honestly didn’t feel noticeably quicker than my xDrive50, but the extra 30-odd miles of range is a nice upgrade, considering it costs basically the same as the old model. That range boost is at least in part thanks to a revised 110.4 kWh battery pack, up about five over the old xDrive50 and roughly 10 bigger than that in the new xDrive45.

The new M70 also has the larger of the two battery packs, and like the old M60, it’s remarkably quick. The extra 40 hp here compared to last year feels positively unnecessary, more frosting on an already decadent cake, but again, the extra range is appreciated.

Why The Base Version Is Just Right

For me, I’d stick with the xDrive45. The savings over the outgoing xDrive50 can be put towards adding back on the panoramic glass roof, which is a $2,600 option on the xDrive45. The $1,600 Dynamic Handling package is well worth the cost. This gives the iX both a pillowy-smooth ride over broken asphalt and a surprisingly tight turning radius thanks to the rear-steering. 

The $2,550 Driving Assistance Professional package is also worth the spend. For the 2026 model, BMW has added its glance-to-pass feature, meaning you can now confirm overtakes on the highway just by looking at the left or right mirror, making the system truly hands-free. Sadly, that feature will not be added to earlier iX models, even though I know they totally could if they wanted to.

And that’s probably about all I would add. I’d stick with the smallest wheels available to maximize range, though I might indulge in spending a little extra for one of the new colors that have been added to the iX’s otherwise disappointing palette of hues. I’d be tempted to spend the $500 for the lovely wool upholstery, too.

But that’s all just theory. We’re still delighted with our 2024 model—which is good, because we still have 18 months left on our lease. We’ll stick with it for now, but if an opportunity to step up to the ’26 arrives, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Tim Stevens is a veteran editor, analyst, and expert in the tech and automotive industries. He helmed CNET’s automotive coverage for nine years and acted as Vice President of Content. Prior to that, Tim served as Editor-in-Chief at Engadget and even led a previous life as an Enterprise Software Architect. Follow Tim on X at @tim_stevens and catch his Substack.

• BMW is reportedly working on an extended-range version of the next electric X5.
• The EREV system is said to provide up to 621 miles (1,000 km) of combined range.
• If true, this means all of BMW’s larger electric SUVs will likely get an EREV option.

BMW was among the first to offer a production range extender with the i3 REx, pairing the regular i3’s electric drivetrain with a small motorcycle engine to generate power and extra range. Discontinued in 2022, BMW claimed extended-range EVs had “no future,” but a recent report suggests a new EREV might be on the horizon.

It’s not an i3 replacement, though, since the i3 was indirectly replaced by the iX1, iX2 and the electric Mini hatchback. We won’t see another bespoke tall electric box made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, even though the i3 was at one point among the world’s best-selling EVs, and the REx certainly brought in additional buyers.

Automobilwoche reports that BMW is now working on a range extender version of the upcoming electric BMW X5, which will likely be called the iX5.

The manufacturer doesn’t officially acknowledge it, but it also doesn’t deny it. Automotive News quotes a BMW spokesperson, who, when asked about range extenders, said “We continuously analyze usage patterns, customer needs, and market developments and review the market potential of various technologies.”

Pivoting to an extended-range solution for its electric X5 makes a lot of sense. Unlike in the i3, which had the same-size battery pack as the regular pure EV version, in the iX5 range extender, BMW could make the battery smaller, allowing the combustion generator to compensate for the difference. The report from Germany also mentions that the extended-range iX5 would be able to cover 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) from a full tank and battery.

However, if we look at the range estimates for its new line of EVs—497 miles (800 km) WLTP for its upcoming iX3—it does strengthen the idea that the iX5 will have a smaller battery than the pure electric version of the same model. Mind you, the iX5 will be built on an evolution of the CLAR platform that underpins today’s model and not the Neue Klasse platform used in the iX3, so maybe it won’t quite be a match for outright range.

It would make sense for BMW to add range extenders to its lineup. A range extender is like a plug-in hybrid, with the main difference that the combustion engine is used solely as a generator and doesn’t drive the wheels. Buyers seem to be into the idea of having an electric vehicle that won’t be stranded when its battery runs out and having the comfort of a combustion generator will help ease the transition to electric for many undecided buyers.

Volkswagen-backed Scout is going to launch range extenders soon, and it says buyers are more interested in these versions with combustion generators than the pure electric variants. The Scout vehicles will also see more towing than anything BMW makes, but Genesis, a direct BMW rival that’s on a definite upward trajectory with its entire product portfolio, is already working to add EREVs to its lineup.

ZF, the automotive supplier known for its transmissions, but which is now working on its own EREV solution, is reportedly working with BMW on its new EREV project. We can only guess as to the specifics, but we believe a BMW 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine would be enough to power a generator. Scout vehicles will reportedly have a four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine powering the generator, but BMW no longer makes non-turbo engines, and the 1.5-liter is the smallest it has available right now.

There is also no reason why the EREV powertrain would only be used in the iX5. If it’s true, then it should also power the mechanically related three-row iX7 and a potential coupe-like iX6 down the line. BMW likely won’t offer EREV versions of the iX3 (and potential iX4) since they will be built on a new EV-only architecture that BMW never said it engineered to take a combustion engine in any role.

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a masterclass in refinement. It offers sleek lines, a smooth ride and buttery engines, especially the straight-sixes. I was expecting more of the same from the current top variant, the E53, just with way more power.

Yes, it’s quick and clever with its plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it doesn’t punch you in the stomach and make your ears ring like I thought a proper unhinged AMG should.

The last gas-powered E63 I drove certainly did. You look at its flared wheel arches filled by aggressive black wheels and you think, “Oh, my! This thing is going to rearrange my internal organs,” but it stops short of doing that.

It’s not all that different than the four-cylinder E400e hybrid, just faster and with far more aggressive styling.

What Is It?

The E53 is a 585-hp plug-in hybrid sedan that combines a 3-liter turbocharged straight-six engine from the E450 with an electric motor, feeding its power to all four wheels. It’s the top end of the E-Class lineup for now, as there isn’t a more aggressive E63 (yet).

My tester had the Edition 1 pack, which brought several visual changes, including decals on the sides of the car. They look ok, but are a bit much on an E-Class. What I did really like was that Mercedes didn’t advertise that the E53 is a plug-in hybrid or in any way electrified. There is no silly blue detailing (usually associated with electric vehicles, for some reason) nor any badging denoting it’s also powered by electricity. 

It’s a great plug-in hybrid at that, with a remarkably smooth straight-six engine that starts up almost imperceptibly and plenty of power in electric mode. It’ll go over 62 miles (100 km) on electricity alone according to the WLTP test cycle. That’s an excellent number for a PHEV (although not in China), but its real-world electric range, I observed, is closer to 43-44 miles (69-71 km), matching its EPA range claim.

It’s really good around corners, too, with standard rear-wheel steering that disguises its 5,100-lb curb weight.

When the time comes to fire it out of a corner, there’s none of the drama you expect from an AMG. It just sticks and goes, and it’s not even that noisy. The CLE 53 that I drove before it—which has a version of the same engine but with a mild hybrid setup—had a much more brutal and exciting powerband than the E53 and it sounds better too. It’s much closer to delivering the kind of experience I expect from an AMG, even without an angry V-8.

A Touch Of Class With A Dash Of Hard Plastic

Mercedes has been making some questionable decisions for the interiors of all its cars—like its usage of haptic and capacitive controls—but it also gets a lot of things right. Sure, I would have liked the soft-touch plastic to go all the way down the door cards and the center console, but the design was great, and the feeling of vault-like solidity was present throughout.

My well-equipped tester had the optional bucket seats. Don’t skip them, as the standard seats are better suited for appointments, not apexes. The steering wheel, which had suede grips, is absolutely fantastic to hold. It’s the kind of sporty wheel that makes you want to downshift for the heck of it, just to revel in the burble of the exhaust.

And even though I usually complain about touch controls on helms, Mercedes’ are the best I’ve tried of this kind, and they just seem to work really well. Not better than physical buttons, but close.

The third screen in front of the passenger is pretty pointless, though. I know this is a trend originating in China that is now sweeping the car industry, but I just don’t get the need for a third screen when the central one is well within the passenger’s reach and line of sight and it offers all the functionality they would need. The center screen in the E-Class is one of the best I’ve ever used.

Mercedes is definitely on to something with having the central touchscreen placed at such an angle. Since you can use it while resting your elbow on the armrest, touching the screen precisely is much easier than in other cars where it’s placed vertically and higher up on the dash, and your arm is dangling in mid-air as you try to adjust the climate control. Unfortunately, Mercedes is moving away from this design with its future models, which will be a step back in ergonomics. The layout in the new CLA is a sign of things to come.

Overall, the interior of the E53 looked and felt pretty special, especially with the strong yellow accents throughout the cabin, including on the seats, the seat belts and on the dashboard in my First Edition tester. With the scratchier plastics lower down in the cabin, it doesn’t quite feel like a vehicle costing almost €120,000 ($136,000) as tested, but it’s undeniably more special in AMG trim. In the U.S., a base E53 costs around $89,000, and a similarly specced example would cost around $120,000.

Quick On Paper

Scanning over the spec sheet and seeing it has 585 hp and a peak torque rating of 553 pound-feet (750 Nm), I was expecting the E53 to light my pants on fire with its performance. But it doesn’t.

That’s partly because it’s quite a heavy car, and even with that much power, it still needs almost four seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h). You expect fireworks to go off when you floor it, but you just get dynamic mood lighting. My passengers guessed 400 hp—nobody believed its actual power figure.

To unleash the full fury that the AMG badge demands, you absolutely need to specify the AMG Dynamic Plus package, which my tester, even though very well equipped, didn’t have. It ups the power to 600 hp and gives the car launch control, or Race Start, as Mercedes calls it, and I’m pretty sure it makes a difference. It also adds an electronically controlled limited-slip differential in the back, active engine mounts and upgraded brakes, together making this a more serious driver’s car and better through the corners.

Mercedes also needs to offer a louder exhaust for this car. It’s just too quiet and restrained for an AMG, even by 2025’s increasingly stringent and restrained European noise (and pollution) standards. I’d even take a bit more fake noise through the speakers to break the sublime silence that dominates being aboard any W214, even the E53.

Clark Kent, And Almost Superman

Switch off the creamy turbocharged six, and the electric motor, which lives in the nine-speed automatic transmission, does a surprisingly good job of moving the car and getting it up to speed. On its own, it produces 163 hp and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque. That’s just around 10% less than a base rear-wheel-drive Volkswagen ID.4.

There’s plenty of punch for around-town driving, and it quickly gets the car up to highway speeds. It can drive only on electrons at up to 87 mph (140 km/h), which means you can commute on the highway at the speed limit in most European countries.

Driving the E-Class in EV mode suits the car’s relaxed character very well. This is a car that just eats miles like few new cars can, and not having the thrum of combustion power just suits it very well. The fact that you get two different cars in one (a quiet and civilized EV for sedate driving and a powerful gas-burning sports sedan for when you want to get a move on) makes it a great car.

Thanks to 21.2 kWh of usable battery capacity, you can get around 43 miles (70 km) of real-world electric range if you drive the car normally in EV mode. That’s less than Mercedes’ claim that you can get 62 miles (100 km) of gas-free driving in this on the WLTP cycle, but it’s a respectable number that should allow you to run most of your errands emissions-free.

One of the things that makes any current-generation E-Class PHEV unique is the ability to DC fast-charge, which is relatively rare among PHEVs. The E can draw up to 60 kW, finishing the 10 to 80% dash in around 20 minutes. You can also use the 11 kW onboard charger to replenish the battery, which will take a few hours.

Another rare trait among PHEVs is powerful regenerative braking. Mercedes says the E53 can recuperate 120 kW under deceleration, which is more than some lower-powered EVs. This means if you descend a mountain road, you could top up the battery very quickly, and the regen is strong enough that it helps lessen the load on the friction brakes, which need to be used less.

The Best E-Class But Not The Best AMG

The E53 might be the best W214 variant specifically because of its dual character. There’s also the widebody kit that really makes it stand out in the shopping center parking lot, plus all the sporty interior touches that make both it and its occupants feel special.

In an age when automakers seem to be focusing more and more on crossovers and SUVs, Mercedes is staying true to what made it great and keeps making great sedans. It’s also great news that it’s doing the same with its pure electric sedans, which will be a lot more like its three-box combustion models than the jellybean EQ cars it sells today.

Having a traditional-looking Mercedes with classic sedan proportions and electric power is something we hope we’ll see very soon. Until then, the E53 is among the very best electrified Mercedes models that you can buy today—maybe the best—even if it doesn’t quite live up to the level of AMG lunacy that I expect from the brand.

• A Porsche Cayenne EV prototype secretly competed in a hill climb competition.
• It broke the previous record by four seconds.

The electric Porsche Cayenne, which should be revealed sometime this year, just smashed a hill climb record. Despite it not being exactly finished and ready for prime time yet, a camouflaged Cayenne EV prototype showed up at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in the United Kingdom this past weekend and swept the floor with the competition.

As spotted by The Drive, the purple electric Cayenne was driven by Gabriela Jilkova, development driver at Porsche’s Formula E program, who gave it everything. In complete silence, Jilkova wrestled the battery-powered SUV along the 1,000-yard (914-meter) track in just 31.28 seconds.

That’s four seconds faster than the previous record for SUVs at Shelsley Walsh, set by a Bentley Bentayga W12, and a hair faster than the fastest production electric car, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, which did the climb in 31.43 seconds.

“I’ll tell you what, for a big car, that is scuttering up the hill–something special,” the announcers said

Now, it’s worth noting that the Cayenne EV isn’t a production car just yet, but it’s still mighty impressive that an SUV was quicker than a sports sedan. In other words, if you were worried that the upcoming electric Cayenne would be boring or slow, this result should put your mind at ease.

We still don’t know a lot about the upcoming electric Cayenne. Based on the same PPE platform as the new Macan EV, the battery-powered Cayenne will be sold alongside a heavily reworked version of the current gas-powered model well into the 2030s. Initially, the new Cayenne was supposed to be electric-only, just like the new Macan, but Porsche toned down its ambitions recently after disappointing sales.

[embedded content]

Besides the electric Cayenne and Macan, Porsche is planning on introducing yet another crossover that will supposedly become the new flagship for the German automaker. Codenamed K1, the SUV is expected to offer seating for seven people when it hits the market sometime toward the end of the decade.

The Shelsley Walsh hill climb, where the Cayenne EV smashed the SUV record, is part of the 2025 British Hill Climb Championship. Located in Worcestershire, Shelsley Walsh is the oldest motorsport venue in the world to still use its original course, with the first recorded use going back to August 12, 1905.

What the 2025 Tesla Cybertruck Does Right Competitive Range for Everyday Use The 2025 Tesla Cybertruck Long Range trim offers up to 350 miles of range, making it the most efficient option in the lineup. The All-Wheel Drive model provides 325 miles, while the tri-motor Cyberbeast delivers 301 miles. While these figures are competitive, they fall…

What the 2025 FIAT 500e Does Right Fashionable Design and Urban-Friendly Size The 2025 FIAT 500e stands out with its retro-inspired styling that pays homage to the original Fiat 500. Its circular headlights, rounded rear end, and grille-less front give it a distinctive look that’s both charming and modern. Despite its advanced electric…

What the 2025 Tesla Model S Does Right Blistering Performance The 2025 Tesla Model S continues to deliver supercar-level performance in a luxury sedan package. The base All-Wheel Drive trim features dual electric motors producing 670 horsepower, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. For those who crave even more power, the…

What the 2025 Tesla Model 3 Does Right Performance That Excites Tesla’s reputation for delivering thrilling performance is alive and well in the 2025 Model 3. The lineup now consists of three trims: Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD), Long Range All-Wheel Drive (AWD), and Performance. Each offers a unique driving experience: Long Range RWD…

What the 2025 Tesla Model X Does Right Blistering Performance The 2025 Tesla Model X continues to deliver astonishing performance for a midsize SUV. The base All-Wheel Drive trim features dual electric motors producing 670 horsepower, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. For those who crave even more power, the Plaid trim…

The Chevrolet Malibu has been a staple in the midsize sedan market for decades, but its time is coming to an end. The 2025 Chevrolet Malibu marks the final model year for this classic sedan, as General Motors plans to discontinue production after this year. While the Malibu isn’t as competitive as it once was, it still offers a smooth ride…