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Photo: Instagram | ildar_project
Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past couple of months, completely isolated from the automotive world, then you are aware of the fact that there is an entirely new kid on the BMW block.
Actually, there’s more than one, but we will focus on the X5 this time around for obvious reasons – ahem, the one shared above in the gallery. The model’s fifth-generation is also the most controversial one. It has ventured into the Neue Klasse territory in a premiere, and will stay there whether you like it or not. Some say it looks like a relatively cheap Chinese car from certain angles, and who am I to contradict them? After all, it’s not like this mode will win any beauty pageants, is it?
The X-shaped daytime running lights make me believe that someone over at BMW saw Mercedes’ new three-pointed star-shaped exterior lights and decided to do something similar. The tiny kidney grille is a radical departure from the previous-generation BMW X5, this writer thinks, and it’s not the most inspiring one. The rear lighting units look like someone decided to take a break in the middle of the creation process and when they got back they were so tired of the entire thing that they said: “OK, leave it!”
And then comes the interior, which is the same one seen on the iX3 and i3 Sedan, and it definitely hasn’t won me over. By the looks of it, it never will, because there are too many screens, and an overall design that probably won’t age that well. At the bottom of the windscreen, there is a wide screen stretching from one A-pillar to the other. Then comes the large tablet-like infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, joined by the front passenger screen.
Photo: Instagram | ildar_project
With its four-spoke design, the steering wheel is definitely on the quirky side of things, and the two-layer dashboard panel, complete with some ambient lighting trim that looks like it was ordered straight from Temu (not that there’s anything wrong with Temu, by the way), contribute to the controversial look of the entire thing. The new X5 is simply too technologized, and to me, it looks like it’s simply not worth the upgrade over its predecessor(s), unless one is actually into the Neue Klasse design and the extra tech stuff.
This story is heading in the wrong direction, so I’d better steer it back on track by putting the virtual spotlight on the pictured new-age BMW X5. As you already know, this project is not real, as it is a mere CGI take on it. The first thing that stands out is the widebody makeover, complete with fender flares and side skirt add-ons, joined by a vented front hood, a sharp-looking apron attached to the bumper, and more add-ons at the front, sides, and rear.
This particular 2027 BMW X5 also features a ducktail spoiler-like element on the tailgate, above the taillights, has a new roof-mounted spoiler, a different rear bumper, and a fresh diffuser with cutouts on each side for the rectangular dual tailpipes. The illuminated grille and the X-shaped daytime running lights now sport a yellow theme, so this X5 should probably have its eyes checked, as it has likely partied a bit too much in Fantasy Land, celebrating the real thing’s debut and imminent arrival at dealerships worldwide.
Photo: Instagram | ildar_project
Production of this model has already started, and it is being put together at the Spartanburg facility in South Carolina, USA. The long wheelbase (LWB) version comes to life at the Dadong factory in Shenyang, China. The new X5 is based on the familiar CLAR platform, is 196.6 inches (4,994 mm) long, 78.7 inches (2,000 mm) wide, and up to 68.9 inches (1,751 mm) tall. The wheelbase measures 119.5 inches (3,035 mm) long, or 124.6 inches (3,165 mm) long on the extended wheelbase variant.
As you can clearly see from the badge on the right-hand side of the tailgate, this rendered 2027 BMW X5 is in the M60e configuration. Thus, it features a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and it is the flagship version of the lineup until the new X5 M launches, presumably some two years from now. The turbo’d 3.0-liter mill and electric motor churn out a combined 603 horsepower and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque.
From 0-62 mph (0-100 kph), it needs 4.5 seconds, and has an 87 mph (140 kph) EV top speed, or 155 mph (250 kph) in the normal driving mode(s). With the 26.5 kWh battery pack fully charged, the BMW X5 M60e can travel 61 miles (98 km) on electric power on the WLTP cycle, which is quite optimistic, to be honest.
So, has the model’s bold new design won you over? What about the quirky-looking cockpit? And last but not least, what’s your take on this CGI tuning job?