BMW has started testing the facelifted 5-Series on public roads, with our spies snapping a few shots of a slightly camouflaged Touring model with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The camo tape covers both ends of the test car in order to hide the design changes of the mid-life facelift. However, it’s not that hard to notice that the slimmer headlights and the redesigned grille, which appears to have grown in size but thankfully not as much as in the 7-Series.
Also Read: BMW Design Chief Defends 7-Series, X7 Huge Kidney Grilles
Wrapping up the changes will be a slightly updated interior that will feature BMW’s latest technologies, including the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as well as the 10.25-inch infotainment system from the 8-Series.
BMW’s LCI updates are usually subtle but now the company wants to give a more distinctive appearance to each of its models in order to become more easily identifiable.
The test car makes it very clear that it’s powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain thanks to the mandatory sticker on the doors and the sizeable charge port on the left front fender. BMW already offers the 530e, which pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for a combined 248 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.
We’ve heard however that BMW is planning to introduce a new 545e xDrive, using the more powerful 388hp six-cylinder electrified powertrain from the 745e. Given the test car’s trapezoid exhaust tips, there’s a good chance that this is the new rumored model.
The rest of the rather wide engine range will remain more or less the same, featuring small revisions for improved fuel efficiency and slightly better performance on both petrol and diesel models.
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