Late last year, BMW revealed a new kind of X5, but it was only ever meant for the Chinese market. That's because it was a long-wheelbase version, a category of car that is exceptionally popular in China but not in many other markets. But fear not, we're getting a new X5 of our own too. Our spy photographers recently spotted the high-performance X5 M undergoing cold-weather testing, so we knew that it was only a matter of time before we'd capture the regular BMW X5 undergoing development tests too. Exactly that has now happened, and we can see what changes to expect from the new model.

As expected, the new X5 will be getting the refreshed design language seen on the X3 and X4. That means that squared lower side intakes are no longer part of the look, with these instead replaced by vertical intakes. As a result, the central grille is also being redesigned to look sharper and is now narrower with upturned corners at each end. The headlights are getting a truly significant change though, as these will be slimmer, adopting the sort of look that we've already seen on the 4 Series. On the profile, we see no obvious changes, but it does reveal that this prototype is a hybrid model, as evidenced by the charging port on the driver's the number plates ending in 'E'.

At the rear, we're expecting no more than redesigned graphics for the taillights; the rest of the rear fascia appears to be carrying over unchanged. While spotting the changes from the outside may prove difficult, stepping inside will quickly confirm that this is the updated model, as this new 2023 X5 will be getting the iDrive 8 infotainment system with its dual screens and refreshed graphics. This system will slowly make its way into every new BMW this year, which leads us to the matter of when this new X5 will be revealed. According to our sources, production will only begin in April next year, so this may yet arrive as a 2024 model. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.