Next Gen BMW X5 Prototype Shows Panoramic iDrive Screen Tech

The next?gen BMW X5 has been caught with far less camouflage inside, and the big news is a fresh take on infotainment: a wide Panoramic iDrive display stretching across the top of the dash. The prototype also wears the wider, lower nose we’ve seen on Neue Klasse concepts, signalling a move away from today’s towering kidneys and towards a cleaner, more horizontal face for BMW’s core SUV.

Peek through the test car’s disguise and you’ll spot a squared?off steering wheel that looks like a halfway house between a traditional round rim and the hex style first seen on the iX. Behind it, that panoramic setup appears to be a true screen rather than the projector concept BMW originally previewed, pushing key data higher into the driver’s line of sight. Curiously, the centre display below is a conventional rectangle rather than the angled “M?parallelogram” panel BMW previously teased, and its chunky bezel screams prototype hardware rather than showroom finish. New haptic, backlit steering?wheel buttons also make an appearance.

Elsewhere, the cabin feels reassuringly familiar: a split?lid centre console, well?bolstered sports seats with extendable thigh support, and tricolour M stitching. Expect the usual blend of high material quality and tight ergonomics, but with a heavier emphasis on software?defined features and over?the?air upgrades as BMW leans deeper into its digital roadmap.

Powertrains remain under wraps, but the smart money is on a full spread: updated straight?six petrols with 48?volt assistance, a muscular plug?in hybrid, and at least one fully electric variant. A range?extended EV has also been whispered about, reflecting BMW’s increasingly flexible approach to bridging combustion and battery power.

Taken together, this mule suggests the forthcoming BMW X5 will pair its broadened, more purposeful stance with meaningful in?car tech gains. The hardware you see here may shift before production, but the direction is clear: more screen real estate where your eyes naturally rest, familiar BMW tactility where your hands fall, and a drivetrain menu wide enough to keep every X5 loyalist on side.