New BMW M5 2027 facelift spied – the hybrid Audi RS6 won’t have it easy
The LCI update for the BMW M5 will being Neue Klasse stylistic sensibility to BMW’s big garish super saloon
The G9X generation BMW M5 has only been on sale for just over a year but we’re already seeing prototypes of the facelift (or life cycle impulse in BMW speak). Both saloon and Touring variants of the controversial high-performance heavyweight have been spotted, this latest round of shots of the Touring giving us our best look yet by showing some new styling details.
We’ve known that the M5 is set for a Neue Klasse makeover since we first spied the car during cold weather testing this time last year. The car was wearing a much heavier disguise then, as it was when we later caught it testing at the Nürburgring.
Facelift models don’t usually feature wholesale changes to the bodywork, but BMW is planning to buck this trend with its 5-series and M5 overhaul. At the front the headlights and front grilles look very similar to the Neue Klasse saloon concept, with horizontal kidney grilles with the headlights integrated into the overall shape, replacing the slightly piggy, E60-reminiscent face of the current 5-series and M5.
Extensive air intakes remain in the lower section of the bumper and there are camouflage panels hiding what we assume are revisions to the tops of the front wings and the central bonnet area. The latest images show the lower area of the front bumper in greater detail, with reprofiled vents and mountings for the ADAS hardware. It looks like the new M5 will get a bit more of a jutting chin spoiler too.
What wasn’t too visible in previous spy images was the rear of the car. Not so on the car captured lapping the Nürburgring. Here there will not be quite such a dramatic change, as at the front. There still appear to be slender, horizontal rear light units with broadly the same shape as the current car’s. The latest imagery of the M5 Touring during its cold weather testing gives us our first look at the actual light graphics within the unit – crisp and retaining a version of BMW’s signature rear lighting ‘L’ shape.
New BMW M5 powertrain
The current powertrain which features a twin-turbocharged V8 and an electric motor will remain with the combined output expected to rise a smidgen from its current 717bhp and 738lb ft. There have been updates to the M5 powertrain already, reducing the role of the V8 in that overall output and ramping up the electric motor’s contribution. This is due to tightening emissions regulations, with BMW M needing to muzzle the V8 to meet Euro 7 requirements.
It’s possible that the M5 could benefit from advances in electric powertrain tech that we’re already starting to see in Neue Klasse products like the iX3. Its weight could drop slightly thanks to advances being made with battery technology which would allow smaller batteries to deliver the same electric range as the current car. Alternatively, the weight may remain the same but possibly feature denser batteries that extend the car’s electric range. The M5 won't be alone as a high-performance plug-in hybrid exec either, with the next-generation Audi RS6 getting a bank of batteries and a motor strapped to it too.
Will there be a new BMW M5 CS?
Will we see another return of the CS badge for the M5? We can only hope, given the excellent eCoty 2021-winning form of the last one. If another M5 CS is in the pipeline, we certainly hope some of the c/700kg the M5 has gained since the last one is shed in the process of adding focus. Bentley has set an exciting precedent for its special models, introducing the latest flagship Supersports model as a limited-run, lightweight, de-powered, de-hybridised model. This could be the perfect formula for a proper, lightweight CS to follow – especially for a badge that’s always sold in limited numbers.
Fairly significant changes are expected on the inside, in line with what’s coming with the Neue Klasse range of cars. In the Neue Klasse concept car, BMW’s new panoramic vision system takes the place of the traditional driver’s display that’s integrated in a curved panel with the infotainment display on the current M5. This system features a black strip at the base of the windscreen laden with visuals from pillar to pillar.
Then for the infotainment, a large parallelogram (with nipped corners) screen adds to the pixel count. All of this has been mooted for imminent production cars but whether the M5’s interior makeover will go the whole Neue Klasse nine yards remains to be seen. We do expect the panoramic vision tech to feature in some way.
