BMW facelifted its X3 SUV this year, five years after it introduced the all-new model, so by that reckoning its X5 big brother is in line for the same treatment in mid-2023.
We’ve been spotting refreshed X5s for over a year, and what’s unusual about this car is it’s actually wearing more disguise over its bumpers than the prototype we spied back in February. But we can still make out the new style of vertical air intakes just ahead of each front wheel and the LED headlights are more visible than they have been in previous sightings.
Unlike the facelifted X7 and new 7-Series and XM, which all features a fashionable split-headlamp arrangement reserved for BMW’s most luxurious cars, the reworked X5 stays with a conventional design of light cluster that places the DRLs and main lamps in one unit.
Not visible in these pictures, because they all show the passenger side of the X5, is the driver’s side charging flap for this prototype’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain. But BMW handily put some “Hybrid Test Vehicle” stickers on the doors to clue us in to what’s under the hood.
Related: 2024 BMW X5 M60i Shows Its Sportier Face, Will Feature Mild Hybrid Tech
Although this car has M-style bumpers and exhaust finishers we suspect it’s actually a M Sport-kitted xDrive45, a mid-range model powered by a combination of a 3.0-liter straight six and single electric motor. That combo is good for 389 hp (394 PS) and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque in the current car, which can scoot to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.3 seconds. It also has an electric range of 31 miles (50 km), though if BMW improves any performance parameter at facelift time, that’s the one it will focus on.
We’re expecting the entry level 335 hp (340 PS) 40i engines to carry over, in both rear- and all-wheel drive forms for the U.S, but the X5 M50i will become the M60i and gain the 523-hp (530 PS) S68 mild-hybrid 4.4-liter V8 that is now available in the X7 M60i. There’ll be some big changes inside, too, where the X5 will finally get BMW’s new style of curving dashboard featuring a conjoined instrument pack and infotainment system running the latest iDrive 8 operating software.
