- A BMW X5 prototype has crashed while undergoing cold weather testing in Sweden.
- It left the company’s test track and got stuck in deep snow, which required an excavator to free it.
- The production model is expected to echo the Neue Klasse X Concept and debut next year.
The BMW X5 helped to popularize luxury crossovers and they’ve always been, unabashedly, street-focused. While this means better than average driving dynamics, you don’t exactly want to take the model off-roading.
However, that’s exactly what one test driver did in a 2027 X5 Neue Klasse prototype. The crossover left BMW’s test track near the Arctic Circle and appears to have driven down an embankment. It then got stuck in heavy snow.
More: 2027 BMW X5 Has Neue Klasse Looks And Mustang Mach-E Door Handles
The driver was thankfully unharmed, but the vehicle wasn’t as lucky. While it’s not immediately clear if the prototype was damaged, the snow was deep enough that another X5 wasn’t able to tow it free.
This necessitated calling in the big guns in the form of an excavator. It eventually dug the vehicle out, enabling it to be pulled to safety. While that’s good news, the incident closed the test track for a significant part of the afternoon.
Baldauf / Carscoops
Putting the accident aside, the redesigned X5 will adopt an all-new front fascia that echoes the Neue Klasse X Concept. As a result, there’s a thick ‘light bar’ and two slender kidney grilles. They’re joined by a mid-mounted intake as well as a wide lower opening.
The changes are less drastic aft of the A-pillar, but previous pictures have shown streamlined bodywork and minimalist door handles that mimic those on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The rear end also appears evolutionary, but the license plate recess will move from the liftgate to the rear bumper.
Under the hood, we can expect an assortment of internal combustion engines as well as fully electric options. A hydrogen-powered variant is also said to be in the works and BMW has previously announced plans to launch its first series production fuel cell vehicle in 2028. It will use a powertrain that was jointly developed with Toyota.
