The 2018 BMW X5 xDrive40e adds a plug-in hybrid option to a popular luxury SUV. In practice, the system helps with fuel economy, but it doesn’t otherwise radically alter the vehicle. Our confidence in the X5 as a compelling luxury crossover option was restored after a week with the vehicle.

As plug-in hybrids go, nearly 75 large is kind of a lot to pay. But without question, you won’t be getting the ultimate driving machine. For that, you can take a look at BMW’s “e” lineup. And pony up the premium. We’ve sampled the 3-Series plug-in hybrid sedan and have been impressed. So we hopped at the chance to give the X5 SUV a shot. The X5, after all, is the built-in-South Carolina crossover that’s going to keep BMW in business in the US, as consumers increasingly favor SUVs over four-doors. The X5 has a crisp exterior vibe.

But it doesn’t stand out too boldly in the burbs. Our test vehicle had a fetching “Space Gray Metallic” paint job. Overall, the X5 defines how a mid-size luxury SUV is supposed to look. All bimmer from the front: sleek, slightly angry headlights and the signature double-kidney BMW grille. And of course the legendary “propeller” badge, which isn’t actually a propeller.It’s the colors of the Bavarian flag.

Yep, you can plug in this X5. The hybrid system yields a combined MPGe of 56 miles; on gas alone, it’s 24, which isn’t bad. The system conjoins a fairly small 9 kilowatt-hour battery drivetrain with a twin-scroll turbocharger, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine that on its own makes 240 horsepower. The electric motor makes 111 hp, and the total output in 308 hp.

It’s all piped to the the X5’s all-wheel-drive axles by an eight-speed transmission. Fully charged, the system will give you 20 miles of all-electric motoring, provided you have that option selected. Otherwise, opting for Sport, Comfort, or Eco will put the hybrid system into assist mode, adding oomph to the gas engine.

The nice thing about this setup is that you can plug the X5 into a 240-volt outlet and replenish the battery in a few hours. Fast charging isn’t needed. And you can always skip it and run the SUV more or less on gas only. The front seats were comfortable and not over-bolstered.

Plenty of room in the back! My kids had no complaints. The cargo hold provides 34 cubic feet of space without dropping the rear seats. More than adequate for grocery store runs. The panoramic moon roof is spectacular. Yep, it’s a BMW. Anyone familiar with the ultra-purposeful, no-nonsense, minimalist driving configuration and the old-school analog instruments will experience the X5 as nothing new.

The joystick shifter is, in a word, annoying. But one gets used to it. The transmission can be switched out of automatic into manual, so you can flick gears with the joystick or paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The knob-and-buttons to the right control the iDrive infotainment system. Drive has been around for a long time.

It was once the laughingstock of the auto world. But these days, it’s among the best infotainment systems we regularly sample. The navigation system worked fine for me, and you have all the connectivity you would expect in a modern vehicle: USB/AUX ports, Bluetooth, and a data hookup that can handle weather and news.

The audio system offered a premium vibe without using a high-end nameplate, and our tester came with an introductory SiriusXM satellite radio subscription. The X5 also offers a wifi hotspot to support devices. Managing iDrive can at times be a chore, with sub-menus tucked beneath sub-menus in a kind of decision-tree matrix that only a truly Teutonic engineering sensibility could appreciate.