Just a few hours after BMW officially announced the first details of its brand-new, hydrogen-powered iX5, HotCars photographers have snapped new spy shots of another new BMW X5 prototype testing on the roads around the Nürburgring.
The new X5, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025 and enters its sixth-generation next year, is expected to be unveiled during the second quarter of 2026. This is ahead of a planned 2027 release date and the start of production at the BMW Group’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina next summer. While there has been no official word, these new spy shots suggest that the pictured pre-production prototype may soon begin final dynamic testing at the Nürburgring.
Though this particular pre-production model dons the same camouflaged wrap as the iX5 Hydrogen BMW previewed earlier today (official testing of which is being conducted in Aschheim, five hours south of Nurburg), there are several significant differences between the two SUVs. The most notable are the production headlamps, which, like the iX5 Hydrogen, bookend a far narrower set of kidney grilles than we’ve seen on the X5 to-date, but which, unlike the 2028 hydrogen model, feature the same straked design as the recently-released iX3 (note also the removable panel on the hood). Similar changes can be found at the rear, which incorporates a much far longer LED bar – split only by the BMW roundel – above, what appears to be, a split tailgate. This is a notable contrast to the individual, horizontal taillamps on the new iX5 and indeed the X5’s previous four generations.
Moreover, unlike the more angular sills on the iX5, this prototype boasts a much sharper, more concave style down the flanks. The latter is also running multi-spoke alloys in contract to the Hydrogen models more conventional design. Interestingly though, this spy shot prototype also appears to have adopted the flush door handles as previewed on the iX5 Hydrogen, suggesting these will be a staple of the model’s design across all three drivetrains. Should the X5 begin a Nürburgring testing program soon, this would arguably be the Bavarian brand’s most high-profile program around Germany’s most famous race track since the M3 CS broke the Touring lap record back in July.
It’s unlikely then this particular model features the third generation, hydrogen fuel cell BMW has co-developed with Toyota. It is not yet known, however, whether this prototype is the new internal-combustion-engined X5, the all-electric iX5 counterpart, or even the rumored battery-electric model with range-extender, as BMW has so far remained very tight-lipped on details. If this is indeed the electric model, it might well be running the same electric motors as the i5 sedan, the latter of which, in top M60 trim, produces a Porsche Taycan 4S-rivaling 593 horsepower.
The mooted range-extender model (REx), meanwhile, is expected to be reintroduced to offset range anxiety for BMW’s larger SUV-focused markets, particularly China. Such a move could potentially push all-electric range past the 600-mile mark, and, if successful, might be implemented on the newly-introduced iX3 and the upcoming X7, since all three models are based on the same CLAR platform.
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Your comment has not been saved
This thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.

source