The lineup starts with the gasoline-powered X5 40 and 40 xDrive, both built around a 3.0-liter inline-six with 48-volt mild hybrid assistance. A plug-in hybrid, the X5 50e xDrive, and the first battery-electric X5, called the iX5 60 xDrive, follow in early 2027. A V8 M Performance version arrives later next year, and the hydrogen-powered iX5 Hydrogen, BMW’s first hydrogen production vehicle, will come further down the road.
A New Face, Familiar Proportions
The redesign keeps the X5’s boxy, commanding stance but replaces its horizontal grille with a taller, vertically oriented kidney grille that stays lit at all times as part of what BMW calls Iconic Glow. New “double-X” light clusters combine the headlights, daytime running lights, side markers and turn signals into a single unit, a design element making its debut on the X5. Combustion models get a more traditional front end with defined air intakes, while the iX5 wears a smoother, closed-off face typical of electric BMWs.
The theme carries to the rear, where slimmer light strips echo the double-X motif, and to the doors, which use flush-mounted “Winglet” handles integrated into the pillars rather than the body panels. Buyers can choose from 11 exterior colors, including several new metallic shades, and wheels up to 23 inches, the largest ever offered on the X5.
BMW is also introducing an elaborate approach-and-departure light show for the new SUV, with the vehicle’s exterior and interior lighting, seat position and door handles all choreographed into “welcome” and “goodbye” sequences that can be tuned to a relaxed, balanced or more energetic mood.
Neue Klasse Comes to the Cabin
Inside, the X5 adopts BMW’s latest interface, called Panoramic iDrive, which spreads a strip of information across the base of the windshield in the driver’s line of sight while a 17.9-inch central touchscreen handles most other controls. A new steering wheel drops the traditional spokes for a slimmer, more minimalist look, and its buttons illuminate only when a function is available, a concept BMW calls “shy tech.”
The cabin’s material story centers on a first for BMW: a thin veneer of real slate applied to the center console, offered as part of an interior package that pairs it with glass detailing on the gear selector and volume controls. Ambient lighting wraps from door to door beneath the dashboard, and BMW says its color and animation can be personalized through the vehicle’s software.
A passenger-side touchscreen, another first for the X5, lets front-seat riders stream video or join calls while the vehicle is moving, with an interior camera automatically dimming the screen if it detects the driver glancing over. Sound comes from a standard 12-speaker system, with an available Bowers & Wilkins setup that scales up to 18 speakers and Dolby Atmos support.
BMW’s voice assistant has also been overhauled, incorporating Amazon’s Alexa+ technology to handle more conversational requests and, at the driver’s option, suggest routines, such as automatically cooling the cabin and turning on seat ventilation once the temperature crosses a set threshold.
The First Electric X5
The iX5 60 xDrive represents BMW’s first attempt to bring a battery-electric powertrain to its most popular nameplate, and it borrows heavily from the automaker’s newer iX3. Its 800-volt architecture uses cylindrical battery cells rather than the prismatic cells in older BMW electric vehicles, a change the company says increases energy density by 20 percent and helps the pack deliver 144 kilowatt-hours of usable energy.
BMW estimates the iX5 will travel up to 435 miles on a charge, with a combined 570 horsepower from a motor at each axle. The company says the SUV can add roughly 170 miles of range in 10 minutes on a fast charger, and that a 10-to-80-percent charge takes about 22 minutes at up to 460 kilowatts. The vehicle also supports bidirectional charging, meaning it can power a home during an outage or send electricity to another vehicle.
The gasoline-only X5 40 models make 394 horsepower from an updated six-cylinder engine, while the plug-in hybrid X5 50e xDrive combines the same engine with an electric motor for a combined 483 horsepower and an estimated 44 miles of electric-only range, about 15 percent more than the outgoing model.
Driving Dynamics and Assistance Features
Combustion and plug-in hybrid models rely on a refined version of BMW’s existing chassis-control software, while the iX5 and future hydrogen model get what BMW calls the Heart of Joy, a faster onboard computer that coordinates the drivetrain, brakes, steering and energy recovery in real time. BMW says the system reacts up to 10 times faster than its prior setup and, combined with an electric motor-based active roll stabilization system, is intended to reduce body roll and sharpen steering response on the electric and plug-in hybrid variants.
On the assistance side, BMW’s Highway Assistant now permits hands-free driving at speeds up to 85 mph on approved highways, with a system that can suggest and execute lane changes when the driver glances toward a mirror. The driver must remain attentive throughout, in keeping with the SAE Level 2 classification. Standard equipment across the lineup includes lane keeping assistance, blind spot detection, and automatic emergency braking that BMW says now responds to animals crossing the road.
Pricing and Timing
BMW says the rear-wheel-drive X5 40 will start at $69,800, with the all-wheel-drive 40 xDrive at $72,100. The plug-in hybrid X5 50e xDrive opens at $77,500, and the electric iX5 60 xDrive starts at $79,800, each before a $1,450 destination charge. The X5 40 xDrive reaches dealers first, this October, with the rear-wheel-drive X5 40, the 50e plug-in hybrid and the iX5 following in the first quarter of 2027.
The new SUV, along with its first electric variant, will be built at BMW’s Spartanburg plant, the same factory that has assembled every X5 since the model’s debut. BMW says the iX5 will be the first all-electric vehicle produced there, drawing battery packs from a newly built facility nearby in Woodruff, South Carolina.