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It’s been a few months since BMW unveiled the X5 facelift but German tuner Prior Design is revisiting the pre-LCI version of the large luxury SUV. Although aftermarket specialists tend to focus on the spicy M Performance and M flavors, that’s not the case here considering we’re dealing with a plug-in hybrid variant. It’s the now-defunct xDrive45e as the Bavarian marque has replaced it with the far more potent xDrive50e.
This X5 PHEV is all show without any extra go since Prior Design isn’t saying anything about changes underneath the hood. It’s the outer skin that has been modified courtesy of a wide body kit painted in Cosmos Black Metallic. The sinister look was enhanced by deleting all the chrome accents and replacing them with black vinyl. Even the BMW roundels and the badges are now completely dark, while M logos were controversially added on the tailgate and the cap for the charging port.
Aside from the fender flares at both front and rear axles, the chunky custom body also includes a hood bulge attachment as well as a front spoiler lip to give the X5 xDrive45e a meaner attitude. At the back, Prior Design fitted a sporty diffuser and two spoilers – one on the roof and another one below the glass. The profile has also been modified thanks to 23-inch forged wheels with meaty 315/25 ZR23 tires and H&R spacers.
If you’re getting the impression it now kind of looks like an oversized hatchback rather than an SUV, you’re not the only one. That’s because the electrified X5 has been substantially brought closer to the road with a lowering kit module for the air suspension. The idea of reducing the ride height of an SUV eludes us since it defeats the purpose of having an SUV in the first place but to each their own.
Even though it’s the old plug-in hybrid X5 rather than the new xDrive50e model, this will still do 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.6 seconds thanks to a combined output of 394 horsepower and 600 Newton meters (443 pound-feet) of torque. The latest X5 with a PHEV setup runs circles around its predecessor by having a total system output of 489 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft), enabling a sprint in just 4.8 seconds.
Source: Prior Design
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