Speculation is growing that BMW is developing an updated version of its 5 Series saloon for 2020 after prototype models were spotted testing on Spanish roads.
Spy images of the lightly-veiled test cars, posted by Autocar, suggest that BMW has fitted a slightly larger grille to its mid-size saloon, along with re-profiled bumpers and different headlights.
A second hybrid model may also be joining the range, along with a performance-focused M550i variant that will sit below the hardcore M5, according to reports.
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Judging by the images, the new 5 Series appears to be entering the final stages of its development programme. That said, it is not expected to arrive until early 2020.
In the meantime, here’s what we know so far:
Price and release
The new 5 Series is expected to be unveiled during the first half of next year, before arriving in showrooms by the end of 2020, according to CarBuyer.
The reviews site anticipates prices “to stay similar to the current car”, which costs between £38,000 and £55,000.
Design changes
The new 5 Series will be “facelifted”, meaning that it will be a refreshed version of the existing saloon rather than an all-new car. However, the lightly-camouflaged development cars do sport numerous design tweaks over the existing range.
For example, the prototype cars have a larger version of BMW’s trademark kidney-style grille, says Autocar, though it appears to have “grown more subtly” than it did on the new 7 Series - a car that was heavily criticised for its large air vents.
Other design changes include reshaped headlights, tail-lights and new exhaust outlets, the magazine says. The front bumper now “incorporates newly designed air vents” and “vertical air curtain ducts at the outer edges”. The rear bumper has been lightly tweaked, too.
But some elements of the new 5 Series are still obscured by camouflage, meaning more changes could be revealed later.
Interior tech
Evo predicts that the next 5 Series will get the company’s “controversial new dial pack”, similar to the version found in the new 7 Series. The digital dashboard has divided opinion since appearing on the flagship saloon earlier this year, as the unconventional rev counter moves in an anticlockwise direction.
Controversy aside, the system will allow drivers to customise the layout of the car’s digital instrument cluster. For instance, drivers can view the navigation map between the speedometer and rev counter, rather than peer over to the touchscreen mounted above the centre console.
Meanwhile, Auto Express says a “range of trim and upholstery updates” will be introduced to “keep the 5 Series competitive” with its key rivals - the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6.
Engines and performance
As made evident by the “Hybrid Test Vehicle” stickers on the doors, the prototype spotted by spy photographers is an electrified version of new 5 Series, notes CarBuyer. What’s not known, however, is which hybrid model was being tested.
BMW already has a hybrid model in showrooms, badged the 530e iPerformance, but the reviews site claims that a second version may be in the works. The new model, rumoured to be called the 545e, may use a detuned version of the 389bhp hybrid powertrain found in the 745e.
The “conventional” array of engines is expected to “receive a range of efficiency revisions”, says Auto Express. A more powerful M550i version, complete with a 455bhp 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine, is set to join the range as well.
