Barely a few days into 2026, BMW is already hard at work preparing future products. With around 40 new or updated models due by the end of next year, there’s no time to waste. While the next 12 months will focus on the 3 Series, i3, X5, and the facelifted 7 Series, 2027 is already shaping up to be another busy year. One of the most important launches scheduled for then is the 5 Series facelift.
Long before the mid-cycle update goes official, the Mercedes E-Class and Audi A6 rival has been spotted out on public roads. Car paparazzi caught the more practical Touring variant testing in full camouflage. However, most of the changes appear to be concentrated at the front. It is a facelift, after all. The LCI doesn’t seem as drastic as first suggested by the earliest test vehicles spotted nearly a year ago.
Less Neue Klasse, But Still New
BMW may have changed its mind, as the 5 Series is apparently skipping a full Neue Klasse makeover. The design language introduced by the new iX3 and the upcoming i3 won’t be carried over wholesale to the 5er. Conventional kidney grilles are easy to spot, replacing the flatter, wider design seen on earlier prototypes. Consequently, the car now looks more like a traditional facelift than the radical transformation BMW initially hinted at last year.
That said, some of these differences could be down to how the camouflage is applied. BMW is well known for using clever camo to mislead observers into thinking they’re looking at something else. The front bumper design appears unchanged from the initial prototypes. We’re getting an M Sport package vibe from the horizontal slat above the license plate. The split lower air intakes also point to a higher-end version. That said, the lack of visible exhaust tips at the rear confirms this is a non-M model.
Speaking of the rear, the design seems largely carried over from the current 5 Series Touring. However, the taillights partially reveal new graphics, not too far removed from those of the next-generation 3 Series and i3. Unfortunately, the tailgate still features fixed glass, as BMW dropped the ability to access the cargo area without opening the entire panel when the G61 debuted last year.
Bigger Changes Inside
All signs suggest BMW is playing it safe with the exterior. The original facelift proposal may have been deemed too risky for a Life Cycle Impulse, though the full story may never come to light. Inside, however, the evolutionary approach ends. The interior will showcase the full impact of Neue Klasse, mirroring the strategy prepared for this year’s 7 Series LCI. We believe the updated 5 Series is undergoing one of the most radical interior transformations ever applied to a facelift.
Beyond the iDrive X and Panoramic Vision already introduced on the iX3, BMW is reportedly taking things a step further by adding yet another screen. An optional front passenger display is expected to arrive, with the 7 Series LCI debuting it first when it arrives in the coming months. Beyond the screen extravaganza, the 5 Series facelift is also rumored to gain optional massaging seats; an upgrade that fits the model’s positioning, especially since the previous generation offered this feature.
Expect to see more prototypes throughout 2026 and into the first half of next year. Production is rumored to begin in July 2027, pointing to a world premiere roughly a year and a half from now.
