BMW Says The V8 Engine Will Live For Many Many Years To Come

Along with the premiere of the new X5, many missed the fact that BMW confirmed perhaps a much more important thing. The powerful gasoline V8 engine will, by all accounts, remain in the offering of this Bavarian brand for a long time.

The new X5 has already made history as the first BMW serial model with as many as five types of powertrains: gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, electric, and hydrogen.

However, something is missing, or at least it was missing during the presentation. Good old V8. But there is good news—the eight-cylinder engine is still alive.

A press release accompanying the fifth generation of the Spartanburg-built luxury SUV hid confirmation that a bigger engine is on the way. It’s no surprise that BMW is reserving the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine for the M version of its facelifted X5. However, it should be noted that it will not be a full-fledged X5 M, but rather a milder M Performance model.

Although it doesn’t have an official name yet, speculation is that it will be called the X5 M60. Interestingly, it arrives without the “i” at the end because BMW drops that letter from the model with a gasoline engine. This has already happened to many models, including the new X5, for versions with the designation 40. In the future, the “i” designation will be reserved exclusively for all-electric models.

Given that the outgoing X5 was in production for nearly eight years, BMW will keep the V8 engine in use and in a new generation well into the 2030s. With the new X7 coming in 2027 and almost certain to have the biggest engine, the story of eight-cylinder engines is far from over. In addition, the recently redesigned 7 Series gets a V8 as early as 2027 with the M Performance variant. Alpina, now part of the BMW Group, is also developing the V8-powered 7 Series and will likely do the same for the next-generation X7.

• Also See: BMW Is Open About Its Support For Bringing The Legendary M1 Back To Life