In case you forgot, this year the BMW G05 X5 turns three years old. That normally means it’s due for a facelift next year, even though BMW has been been playing fast and loose with its own three-year LCI rule in the last few years, especially when it comes to the X5. The previous-generation model didn’t get a proper facelift and was taken out of production after just five years, as BMW is adjusting to the market and competition on the fly sometimes. It doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case for the current model though, as a facelift prototype was recently spotted testing on public roads. (We don’t own the spy photos but you can see them here)
The car in the pictures looks rather normal, to the relief of many of us. A lot of people have expressed concern about the future of the X5, considering how big the grilles of many new BMWs have become lately. If these spy photos are anything to go by, it looks like the grilles on the mid-size SUV won’t dramatically increase in size. Right now, it seems like they won’t change at all, but with all that camouflage around them, it’s hard to tell for sure.
The headlights seem to be a bit different though as well as the front bumper. Our guess is that the car in the spy photos is an M Sport model judging by the large air intakes on the sides and the blue brake calipers. And it definitely seems like the air intakes are getting a slightly different design. Once again, BMW is known for cladding its prototypes in hopes of deterring intrusive eyes from figuring out the final shapes of the cars beforehand.
Another interesting thing to note is that the car is wearing a ‘Hybrid Test Vehicle’ sticker on the sides which means this is probably the xDrive45e model we’re looking at here. Spec-wise, the xDrive45e will most likely remain the same but there is talk around Munich about a potentially bigger battery being used, for more range. By bigger we mean with a bigger energy density, not necessarily physically larger. Since BMW is hard at work trying to come up with the best battery tech, we could see such a move on its PHEV models in the near future.
[Source: Auto Evolution]
