Expect The 2020 BMW 5 Series Facelift To Look Like This

Jul. 22, 2019 2:20 PM ET by Martin Bigg / Comments

Let's hope it doesn't share the same massive grille as the 7 Series.

The current-generation BMW 5 Series has been on sale since 2017, but BMW is already preparing to give the luxury sedan a styling update. Our spy photographers recently caught a camouflaged prototype of the 2020 5 Series roaming the streets, and while the front and rear were covered up, it's easy to predict the styling changes. This has enabled Russian website Kolesa to produce a convincing render showing what the updated 2020 BMW 5 series will look like when the covers come off.

Nikita Chuicko via Kolesa

At the front, the rendered 5 Series sports slimmer headlights and a heavily revised grille. Recent BMW models such as the 7 Series and X7 have gigantic grilles, but we're expecting the new 5 Series' nostrils to be larger than the outgoing model but smaller than the 7 Series'. The front bumper has also been redesigned. These changes are subtle, but they give the sedan a sleeker look overall.

As for the rear, no obvious changes could be seen on the prototype, but the sedan has been rendered with reshaped taillights to match the 7 Series. We'll have to wait and see if Kolesa's predictions are accurate. Engine options for the 2020 BMW 5 Series are expected to carry over from the current model, which is available with a 248-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four and 335 hp 3.0-liter turbo inline-6 gasoline engine. A diesel variant of the latter is also available with 261 hp.

CarBuzz

However, a 545e xDrive model is expected to join the 5 Series Hybrid lineup with a detuned version of the engine found in the 745e xDrive iPerformance. In the 7 Series, the hybrid drivetrain and 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine deliver a combined output of 389 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque, but the new 5 Series hybrid is expected to be detuned to around 375 hp.

Inside, the updated 5 Series will likely get a new digital instrument cluster and iDrive infotainment system to match BMW's other current models. Considering that the current model has only been on sale since 2017, the facelifted 5 Series probably won't be revealed until late 2020 or early 2021.