The BMW X5 was something special at launch in 1999. We’d never had a SUV that was quite so exciting to drive – it was cool. Then BMW couldn’t decide if it was a sports car, or an off-road multi-purpose family-mobile thing and, perhaps not surprisingly, it all went a bit Pete Tong.

The current X5 is supposed to be the best of both worlds – not quite a Land Rover Discovery for practicality, not as entertaining as a Porsche Macan but a very good compromise all the same.

And then we have the hybrid version. It’s not a 4.0-litre diesel as the name suggests but a 2.0 petrol with four cylinders, plus a 111bhp electric motor that when combined churns out 309bhp.

The problem is, the 3.0 diesel X5 is cheaper and offers exceptional real-world economy already. What does the heavier ‘e’ add – apart from a chance to drive through town in complete silence (well, for the max range of 25 electric miles, at least)?

Join us over the next seven days to find out…