Update 7/24: Our first look at the next-gen BMW X5 wasn’t enough, so here’s another helping. Freshly snapped in Spain, this new batch of prototypes caught our eye during hot weather testing. The trio of X5s was joined by a refreshed BMW 7 Series for good measure.
SH Proshots
BMW is getting ready to unleash an avalanche of new metal, many built around the automaker’s next-generation Neue Klasse architecture, starting with the iX3 electric crossover next year and quickly followed by an all-new 3-Series. But this month we got our first look at another BMW that’s massively important, but has stayed out of the limelight so far: the CLAR-based 2027 X5.
The head- and taillights are just placeholder items on this early test vehicle, but the prototype does give up one interesting design secret. BMW has moved to flush door handles on its latest cars, but the X5 appears to be getting rid of traditional handles altogether. In their place are two lipped plates that extend from the base of the B- and C-pillars, a bit like the ones on the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Related: 2027 BMW X5 & iX5 Ditch Massive Grilles For Neue Klasse Design
A wide, flat hood and the shape of the slim, wide grille show strong similarities to the Vision Neue Klasse X concept BMW revealed this spring, and which was designed to prepare us for how the iX3 will look when it debuts next year. The X5 will share the iX3’s design language, but it’ll be much larger, of course, in order to fit the optional third row of seats BMW needs to offer to compete with rivals like the seven-seat Audi Q7.
Unlike the iX3, the next X5—codenamed G65—will both use BMW’s CLAR platform, enabling it to offer gas engines alongside conventional, plug-in hybrid, and electric powertrains (iX5).
The tailpipes just about visible under the rear bumper tell us this one is combustion-powered, and almost certainly features some kind of hybrid assistance, either a simple mild-hybrid system or a full plug-in helper.
BMW hasn’t revealed an exact timeframe for the arrival of the new X5 and iX5, but our money is on a fall 2026 debut as a 27MY.
