Rumors about the future of the BMW X5 and a potential shorter than usual lifecycle for the SUV have been going around for quite some time now and it seems like all of it is true, according to our source in Munich. Apparently, the BMW F15 X5 will have a five-year lifecycle that will end in 2018 when it will be receiving a drastic upgrade.
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The new G05 BMW X5 will be built atop a new platform shared with the upcoming BMW X7. Even though the two won’t be launched at the same time, the Spartanburg plant will start manufacturing them both in 2018 using the same, new underpinnings. However, if you’re expecting a drastic change in appearance, you should know that even though the X5 will get a mild refresh in terms of looks, it will roughly remain the same on the outside.
Under the sheet metal is where the big changes will happen, with the car receiving a new infotainment system as well as new engines under the hood on top of the lighter architecture. The xDrive35i models will be replaced by xDrive40i ones that will be using the new B58 3-liter straight six engines you can now find on the BMW 340i for example. Rated at 320 HP they will bring more power to the table compared to the N55 units used right now as well as less emissions and better fuel consumption.
On the diesel side of things the xDrive35d models will also evolve in xDrive40d offerings in the US. In the rest of the world, the xDrive40d moniker is already being used but for the US it will be a premiere. In this case too, the old N57 mills will be replaced with new-age B57 units good for at least 265 HP for the entry-level models, going up to 320 HP for the biturbo alternatives.
The BMW X7 will also be using some of these engines. Its entry level models will be the xDrive40i and xDrive40d in the US while the top of the range version, at first, will be the xDrive50i. Later down the road, more variations can be expected, including xDrive30i models for China, for example. No word on a V12 model, using the same mill as the M760Li xDrive, just yet.
What I don’t get is that they will give the X5 a total refresh after a life-cycle of 5 years, but their most important model, the 3 Series will only be displaced in 2018… That makes no sense, because the X5 can still do a couple more years, but the 3 Series is really showing it’s age and although it can still compete, it’s getting harder and harder. I wonder why they don’t do the same for the 3 Series, if they can do it for the X5… After all it’s still their most important model!
It’s a peculiar case. The X5 will be changed rather drastically because of a couple of reasons. The most important is that the new x7 will enter production and it will be using a new, lighter platform that will be shared with the X5. Since both of them will be made in Spartanburg it makes sense to change the x5 as well since it’s already using an older platform than it should. Visually the differences won’t be huge, as I said in the article but underneath the sheet metal they will Be big enough to justify using a new codename, G05.
Okay, so it makes sense to drastically change the X5. But still, they could do the same for the 3 Series imo…
They can’t do the same for the 3 Series as there’s no new platform at hand that could be shared with the 3Er as is the case with the X5. If they had to develop a new platform altogether for the 3 Series it would be too expensive.
Yeah, I know they can’t give it a new platform. But with the same I mean they should shorten its life-cycle to 5 years or even 6 years instead of 7. The 3er is really starting to show its age and as much as I like the interior, it’s time for something new in order to be the n°1 again in its segment. Now it’s struggling to stay in that position, at least that’s what many car journalists etc say… though the LCI helped to keep it up to date, I don’t think it’s quite enough for another 2-3 years..
the x5 is too big and too heavy.
They were promising to lower the curb weight of the X5 for years and that never happened. I hope this version makes good on that promise with at least a 500 lb loss. We never get BMW’s big diesels either. The weight loss will endow the X5 with faster 0-60 using the new straight 6 and the 8 spd.
the X3 is so outdated it now looks like jeep
A new one is a few months away