BMW is getting ready to unleash an avalanche of new metal, all of it built around the automaker’s next-generation Neue Klasse architecture. This month we got our first look at a Neue Klasse BMW that’s massively important, but has stayed out of the limelight so far: the 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.
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.
The 2025 ICE model is a heavily
revised version of the 2024 SUV – both combustion and electric versions of the
X5 get the new architecture. 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.
