BMW iX5 Hydrogen initial review: Makes perfect sense in the right surroundings

pocket-lint.com:

Buying a car used to be a pretty simple process. It was generally a case of picking your preferred petrol or diesel model, working to your available budget and getting for the best spec you could get for the money.

Now though, with countless hybrids, plug-in and fully electric cars to consider, alongside petrol and diesel models, there’s almost too much choice. You can, for example, get the BMW X5 in petrol, diesel and plug-in flavours. Now though, there’s a hydrogen model too — not that you can buy it, mind.

While you can purchase Toyota's Mirai or Hyundai’s Nexo if you're determined to go for something decidedly different in the form of an H2-powered car, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen is, for now at least, simply part of a pilot scheme that’s designed to showcase the potential of this emissions-free fuel.

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is a great car to drive and performs in much the same way as its petrol, diesel or plug-in counterparts. Whether or not it will become a production reality remains to be seen, but it does show what could be done in countries that have a plan in place to create a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

Seeing as BMW has used the existing X5 model to create its limited run of iX5 Hydrogen cars, there is much that is familiar. In fact, design-wise it's essentially the same, with only cosmetic touches making the SUV look different to the normal edition. All cars come in white and have distinctive blue decals that run from the front wings and peter out as they flow down the doors. Underneath, the 'BMW Hydrogen Fuel Cell' graphics flag up what you're driving to passers-by.

The same message is displayed on the bottom half of the split tailgate. There are also some bright almost anodised blue trim touches, most