If you’re against having a car’s dashboard dominated by screens, we’re afraid the worst is yet to come. While archrivals Mercedes and Audi have adopted front-passenger screens, BMW has not yet taken that route. However, it’s a matter of when, not if. Our sources close to Munich have learned that the new iDrive X is being engineered with an extra display in mind.
Although the first models to use BMW’s tenth-generation infotainment won’t feature a screen dedicated to the front passenger, it won’t be long before one is introduced in an existing car. We believe the 5 Series facelift will receive this option when it launches in less than two years. The G60 will undergo a Life Cycle Impulse, with production set to start in March 2027. As a result, a debut could occur early in that year or even near the end of 2026.
Spy shots of the standard 5 Series LCI and its M5 sibling have already surfaced. However, we’re in for a long wait before the official premiere. Although car paparazzi haven’t managed to peek inside yet, we’ve heard through the grapevine that the passenger display won’t be integrated into the dashboard like those from Mercedes and Audi. Instead, it will be a “floating” screen, similar to the center display planned for iDrive X.
We’re hearing the passenger screen will be relatively small, especially compared to the main infotainment display. BMW has already stated that the Vision Neue Klasse X concept featured a massive 17.9-inch touchscreen. Some Mercedes models offer a 12.3-inch extra display for passengers, while Audi provides a slightly smaller 10.9-inch setup.
It remains unclear whether the 5 Series LCI will be the first to receive this feature. If not, logic suggests that the next-generation X5 will debut the passenger display. The “G65” is rumored to enter production in August 2026, which would put us roughly a year away from its big reveal.
It seems unlikely that BMW will include the passenger screen as standard equipment. We’ll take that as a positive thing. We also believe it won’t appear in compact cars, due to the narrower dashboards that limit available space. An educated guess suggests the next-gen 3 Series and the X3 facelift will be the smallest models to offer this option.
Is a passenger display really necessary? Absolutely not. That said, screen-packed dashboards are trending, especially in China, BMW’s largest individual market.
