2023 BMW X5 spy shots: Mild facelift pegged for popular crossover

BMW has been spotted testing prototypes for an updated X5 that should be hitting the market soon.

The updates pegged for the popular mid-size crossover SUV will constitute a mid-cycle update for the current fourth-generation X5 which arrived in 2018 as a 2019 model. Look for the updated version to arrive in 2022 as a 2023 model. It should arrive together with an updated version of the related X6.

The tweaks to the exterior will be mild, judging by the prototypes. Look for new internals for the lights and revised fascias front and rear. The interior is also likely to feature some updates, including possibly a more advanced infotainment system with a larger screen similar to what we see in the iX electric crossover.

2023 BMW X5 facelift spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

It isn’t clear what’s planned for the powertrains but some improvements to efficiency or performance, or both, is likely. In the U.S., the X5 is currently offered with the choice of a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 or 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8. The inline-6 is available in plug-in hybrid guise while the V-8 can be had in an X5 M spitting out 600 hp in standard guise and 617 hp in an X5 M Competition model.

Don’t expect a battery-electric powertrain, at least with this generation. BMW is filling that role with the aforementioned iX which is due in showrooms in the coming weeks. A fuel cell-electric version is coming in 2022, though for demonstration purposes only.

Production of the X5 for worldwide sale is handled at BMW Group’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Sales in the U.S. in 2021 are expected to be higher than the 50,513 units sold in 2020. The 2021 tally may even top the 54,595 sales in 2019, when the current X5 enjoyed its first full year on the market.