BMW is working on a facelift for the X5 family but it won’t go into production until April next year. This means there’s still plenty of time for the Bavarian company to finalize the improvements it is applying to its SUV, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the range-topping X5 M model is still testing with a significant amount of camouflage.
Our spies managed to snap a prototype of the sporty X5 testing on public roads in Germany. As you can see from the attached images below, the test car had camouflage covering both the front fascia and the rear end, while the rest of the car remains undisguised with basically zero modifications to the body. At the front, however, there’s a pair of new and sharper headlights, probably slightly modified grilles, and a redesigned bumper.
Gallery: BMW X5 M facelift spy photos
It’s a similar story at the back where we see a thin camouflage foil covering the entire fascia. The taillights will probably retain their basic shape but will be updated to feature new and more pronounced internal graphics with a three-dimensional visual effect. Tweaks to the bumper and the diffuser are highly likely. The roof spoiler appears to be left unchanged on this prototype.
We haven’t had the chance to see what’s happening inside the cabin, though we suspect the X5 family will receive BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment system. The dashboard will accommodate a dual-screen setup with a larger display for the instrument cluster, identical to the revised 8 Series range. New customization options and color combos will likely supplement the hardware and software upgrades.
One area where the X5 M likely won’t receive any changes is the engine compartment. The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 under the hood will carry over unchanged with a peak output of up to 617 horsepower in the Competition version. This could be the final non-hybrid X5 M as the future seems to be holding an electrified V8 for the performance SUV, judging by the new Concept XM.
