- BMW will add a newly-designed steering wheel to the M5 range.
- This scoop also shows the updated model with the Panoramic iDrive HUD.
- It’s unlikely the 4.4-liter twin-turbo plug-in V8 will be updated.
It only seems like yesterday that the new BMW M5 Touring was introduced, and already, BMW is preparing an update for it as part of its Neue Klasse era. Not only will the exterior design be updated, but the M5’s interior will be overhauled. It’s shaping up to be very different than the current model.
There’s nothing overtly wrong with the interior of the existing M5, both in sedan and estate guises. It includes BMW’s Curved Display, housing both the infotainment and digital instrument screens, and has a sporty three-spoke steering wheel. But things are changing.
Read: BMW Is Injecting Future Neue Klasse DNA Into Its M5 Touring
For starters, these new interior shots of the 5-Series Touring show that the Curved Display will be ditched in favor of the same basic, tablet-like screen of the second-generation iX3, perched in the center of the dashboard. In addition, there’s no traditional instrument cluster in sight. That can only mean one thing: the updated M5 will get the Panoramic iDrive head-up display of the iX3, positioned at the very base of the windshield.
SH Proshots
Other parts look to have been borrowed from the iX3. For starters, there’s the same odd, two-spoke steering wheel with large control pads on both the left and right. As with the iX3, the new M5 Touring also includes a newly-positioned engine Start/Stop button on the center console, as well as a new crystal gear selector.
Design Changes
Beyond the new interior, we know BMW is tweaking the exterior design of all 5-Series models, including the M5 Sedan and Touring.
Initially, the luxurious model was supposed to get the full Neue Klasse design overhaul, but recent prototypes have been a little more subtle. For example, the kidney grilles of the current car will be retained, albeit slightly smaller. Alterations will also be made to the headlights, and changes are also on the cards for the front bumper.
Spin around to the rear, and the car will look mostly familiar, although the taillights will also be updated.
No powertrain changes are expected, though the M5 doesn’t need any. Currently, the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged plug-in hybrid V8 muscles out 717 hp and 738 lb-ft, which is just about enough to offset the car’s massive 5,530 lbs (2,475 kg) heft.
