BMW has never really bothered – apart from the heavy and over-engineered iX, and forthcoming, multi-fuel X5 – and nor has closely related Rolls-Royce. It’s odd, because in theory, nothing is more luxurious than the sound of silence – an EV staple that, without the worry of weight or efficiency, goes hand-in-hand with opulent SUVs.
The problem is, if you’re spending upwards of £100k on a new car, compromise isn’t in your lexicon, especially with a family SUV. You want pace and practicality, plus long-legged luxury – all mated to cutting-edge tech and refinement in spades.
It makes you wonder: instead of forcing these luxury SUVs into the EV mould, would makers do better to focus on the back-up blanket of a petrol powertrain, with PHEV or range-extender tech that lowers emissions without trading usability?
A mixed powertrain approach isn’t a step backward; it remains a necessary bridge to mass-scale decarbonisation. I’m not sure the one-size-fits-all, EV-everything approach works in every segment just yet. However, as a diehard supporter of the automotive industry, as well as a champion of consumers like you, I’ll be very happy to be proved wrong.
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