Article Summary
- Our video breaks down the new X5's design change by change, comparing it directly to the outgoing G05 and the X3.
- The X5 adopts BMW's Neue Klasse design language, headlined by an X-shaped headlight signature, without becoming a bigger X3.
- The video calls out the front bumper's black graphics and the loss of the split tailgate as the design's most debatable choices.
The video below is a full design breakdown of the all-new X5, generation by generation and panel by panel. We go front to back and inside, comparing the new car directly against the outgoing G05 and against its smaller sibling, the X3, to show exactly where BMW borrowed from the Neue Klasse playbook and where it deliberately kept the X5 distinct. Along the way, we point out a handful of changes we’d make ourselves, including a reworked front bumper and rear diffuser, and explain why.
A Flagship, Not A Scaled-Up X3
BMW had an easy way to mess up this generation of X5: borrow too much from the smaller X3 and let the flagship lose its presence. But the new X5 keeps the long hood, the strong shoulder and the cabin pushed back over the rear axle that have defined the model since it created the modern luxury SUV segment.
What changes is the surfacing. Chrome trim and the layered creases of the outgoing G05 are gone, replaced by large, clean panels and an X-shaped daytime running light signature that functions as the new face of the car, in the same way the kidney grille once did. BMW is already offering it in a yellow tint on the M Performance version, and it’s a safe bet other models pick up the same detail soon.
Where The Design Still Has Rough Edges
Not every change lands, and the video calls out a few specifics. The front bumper leans hard on black plastic to house the intake structure, and on lighter paint colors that panel reads as an oversized mouth rather than a deliberate design element. The Hofmeister kink, reworked over several generations now, doesn’t carry the same visual weight it did on the last X5. The taillights are thinner than the X3’s, which is a win, but their upward kick doesn’t have the same elegance as the horizontal treatment on the current 5 Series.
The Split Tailgate Is Gone, And Owners Will Notice
The bigger issue for current X5 owners has nothing to do with surfacing. BMW has dropped the split tailgate, a functional and emotional signature of the model going back generations. There’s no confirmed reason for the change, but it’s the kind of decision that shows up in every owner forum the week the car goes on sale, and the video spends time on it for exactly that reason.
Inside, The X5 Gets Its Own Identity
The cabin follows the same Neue Klasse layout as the X3, minus the physical iDrive controller and steering wheel buttons, but the X5 differentiates itself with the 7 Series’ passenger display and metallic trim running through the doors. The M Performance interior, also covered in the video, pushes that trim further with red and blue accents and a new steering wheel that drops the top and bottom spokes.
In the end, BMW didn’t try to reinvent a formula that’s sold well for more than two decades. Watch the video below for the full walkthrough, including the changes we’d make ourselves, and let us know in the comments whether you’re on board with the new direction or still mourning that split tailgate.
