For the first time ever, an automaker combines a four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with a hybrid system to power a sport utility vehicle. BMW announced that it will showcase the technology in the X5 midsize SUV, a model that's well known by consumers.
This new, highly-advanced hybrid boasts a fuel economy of 6.5 L/100 km and produces only 172 grams of CO
2 emissions per kilometer. It's by far the cleanest and most efficient vehicle of its kind. Yet, despite these encouraging figures, the X5 Vision EfficientDynamics Concept can still sprint from 0 to 100 kph in 8.9 seconds.As mentioned, it combines the automaker's ActiveHybrid technology with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, twin-turbocharged diesel engine that uses a third-generation common-rail injection system. Output is rated at an impressive 204 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque through an aluminum eight-speed automatic transmission, which is partly responsible for the remarkable fuel economy. There are even roof-mounted solar panels covering one square meter. Together, they generate one kilowatt/hour of electricity to recharge the batteries.
photo: BMW