BMW's next update to the 5 Series will bring the mid-size sedan closer to the company's Neue Klasse design language without a full redesign, according to a new rendering and reporting on the G60's Life Cycle Impulse. The facelift, expected to enter production around July 2027 and arrive as a 2028 model in the United States, will pair Neue Klasse headlights with a smaller, illuminated split kidney grille while leaving the rest of the exterior largely untouched.
The rendering suggests BMW has settled on a compromise between the current car and its more radical future design direction. The headlights are the most obvious borrowing from Neue Klasse, doing most of the work of making the car look new. The kidney grille retains the split design worn by every 5 Series but is shorter and less bold than the current version, and it is illuminated with possible inner graphics that echo Neue Klasse without turning the 5 Series into a larger i3. The bumper below the headlights sticks much closer to today's model, with intakes and lower fascia that look like a light update rather than a wholesale change.
Earlier reporting indicated that BMW had walked back plans for a full Neue Klasse face on the 5 Series. Early prototypes wore something much more radical, but sources said the production car would keep the current kidney shape with tweaks, largely because a completely new front end costs far more than a light refresh. The side profile is expected to remain unchanged, with the same calm surfacing and flush door handles, while new wheel designs and paint colours are the usual additions for a facelift of this kind. A subtly reshaped rear bumper and new taillight graphics are also expected.
The cabin is where BMW is expected to borrow most heavily from its newer cars. The facelift is tipped to switch to iDrive X with a 14.9-inch central screen and Panoramic Vision, a display that projects information across the base of the windshield. Panoramic Vision replaces the conventional digital instrument cluster with three fixed tiles in the driver's line of sight plus six customisable widgets. The rotary iDrive controller is said to be on its way out, and an optional passenger display is also expected.
Powertrain changes are not anticipated for most of the range. The facelifted 5 Series should keep its mix of four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, including plug-in hybrids, with diesels in Europe and the electric i5 alongside them. The one possible exception is the 520d, which could swap its B47 four-cylinder diesel for the B57 six-cylinder diesel with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance. A larger engine working less hard can be an easier route through tightening emissions rules, and it would signal to European buyers that BMW is not giving up on diesel. The company has not confirmed the change, and no output figures have surfaced.
The more significant upgrade is likely to be hidden under the i5's floor. The facelifted i7, revealed in April, swapped its prismatic cells for the Neue Klasse's Gen6 cylindrical cells, which BMW integrated into the existing CLAR platform with help from Rimac. Energy density rises by about 20 per cent, and the updated i7 now packs 112.5 kWh of usable capacity, charges at up to 250 kW and is rated at more than 700 km of WLTP range in i7 50 xDrive and i7 60 xDrive form. The i5 also rides on CLAR, and the BMW-Rimac partnership covers more models than the i7. The facelifted i5 could therefore target around 700 km of WLTP range, compared with 516 km for today's i5 M60 xDrive. If that happens, the i5 will receive the most meaningful upgrade of the entire facelift.
The refreshed BMW 5 Series and i5 are expected to be revealed in summer 2027, setting the model up for roughly four more years on sale before its successor arrives.