BMW has announced its first plug-in hybrid car in a core range, the X5 xDrive40e, which should give the best mileage for any X5.

The new X5 xDrive40e will offer plenty of power to keep the sizeable beast moving fast despite going easy on the fuel. In fact BMW reckons you can expect to get a combined mileage of 85.6mpg with just 77g/km of CO2. All that with a 0-62mph time of just 6.8 seconds is a pretty impressive combination.

The hybrid drive-train uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with BMW's TwinPower Turbo technology and lithium-ion powered synchronous electric motor. The combined power output is 313hp and 450Nm torque that offers a top speed of 130mph in hybrid mode or 75mph in pure electric.

The BMW xDrive40e uses an all-wheel drive system that works through an 8-speed Steptronic transmission and even offers optional paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

In Auto eDrive mode the car will set off in electric mode and only let the engine kick-in at 44mph, or when the driver puts the pedal to the metal for a burst of acceleration. MAX eDrive mode will solely use the electric motor which should keep the car going for 19-miles with a 75mph top speed before running out of juice. The third mode is called Save Battery which builds up the battery reserves for later on, like when motorway driving so driving on all electric in urban areas can be managed.

Charging from a conventional wall socket will get the battery to full in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Using a fast charger, like the BMW i Wallbox Pure, will get the battery to full in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The BMW X5 xDrive40e will be available from autumn. Prices will be announced nearer to that time.

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