Enthusiasts love their M2s and Z4s, but accountants know the SUVs bring home the bacon. It won’t be long before the original high-riding BMW will enter its fifth generation. More and more car paparazzi are catching the “G65” undergoing testing. Today, we’re happy to share the best spy photos of Bavaria’s new luxobarge.
Although the prototype is draped in camouflage, some details are already noticeable. The muffler and dual exhaust tips tucked under the bumper reveal this X5 has a combustion engine. We’re pointing this out because, for the first time, BMW will also sell a fully electric model. The iX5 is bound to indirectly replace the iX, although the two will coexist for a while.
Plug-in Hybrid Test Mule
A cutout in the front fender on the driver’s side reveals BMW is actually testing a plug-in hybrid. Given how fast battery technology progresses, we hope it will have a better electric range than the current X5 PHEV. The xDrive50e can cover an EPA-estimated 38 miles in the United States without using the combustion engine. In Europe, the electrified SUV does 68 miles in the WLTP cycle. We’re not sure the new X5 plug-in hybrid will use Gen6 batteries with round cells, considering the vehicle will stick to the CLAR platform.
New Door Handles Design
Notice how the prototype doesn’t have door handles? Except that it does. The beltline incorporates small winglets in all four doors, much like last year’s Vision Neue Klasse X. Our video shows how you could open the doors on the concept. It should be the same story with the future X5/iX5, which is likely the first BMW to adopt this setup. The new iX3 is coming first, before the year’s end, but will have the usual flush door handles.
Speaking of the smaller electric crossover, its Neue Klasse face is already visible on the next-gen X5. Don’t worry about the headlights looking so basic because they’re not the final clusters. One dealer said the headlights would have an “X” motif. BMW will start testing prototypes with the final lights closer to the model’s launch.
iDrive X Coming Inside
Meanwhile, we’re patiently waiting for spy photographers to peek inside the cabin to see the iDrive X. The central touchscreen will measure a stately 17.9 inches, and there won’t be an iDrive rotary knob anymore. As seen on the Vision Neue Klasse X, BMW is also removing the driver’s display. Instead, a new projection technology called Panoramic Vision will consist of three fixed tiles in the driver’s line of sight plus six customizable tiles to their right.
The G65 X5 will offer something for everyone. In addition to gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and purely electric powertrains, BMW intends to keep the V8 engine alive for one more generation. Whether that means a new X5 M is coming is unclear, but an M Performance derivative is in the works. There could be more than just one M Lite model, as reports claim that plug-in hybrid M60e xDrive and electric M70 xDrive flavors are also planned.
BMW intends to start production in August 2026, so expect an official premiere in a little over a year.
