Facelifted BMW M5 Shows Off Its Production Lights, But In The Wrong Color
BMW is giving its M cars yellow DRLs, but this M5 prototype didn’t get the message
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BMW’s new 3 Series is only weeks away from arriving in dealerships, and it looks like the facelifted 5 Series and M5 won’t be too far behind. Fresh spy shots from Germany show the latest prototypes of the hot PHEV midsize sedan are fitted with production lights, a sign that a debut isn’t far off.
Each of the two headlight bodies has a pair of slim LED DRLs arranged horizontally, rather than diagonally, as on the new 3 Series and electric i3. And zooming in on the images appears to show LED headlight units located under each DRL. BMW’s big 7 Series sedan and X7 have split headlights treatments, but the 5 is sticking with a more conventional layout.
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There is one important change, though, still to come to this M5’s lighting setup before its ready for an official reveal. BMW has begun fitting yellow DRLs to mark out its M cars, like the new M350, but this car has white ones. That suggests they’re from the regular 5 Series, which is getting the same facelift treatment.
This prototype is still wearing heavy disguise over the kidney grille area and down the center of the hood. But now that the 3 Series is out, we have a good idea of what we’ll find underneath that camo when the M5 makes its debut, probably in the first half of next year. That plate riveted to the hood must hide a deep gulley that culminates in BMW’s trademark roundel badge, and the visor-like face of the smaller sedan will be replicated.
The V8’s not going anywhere
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We’re not seeing any obvious changes to this M5’s rear, but the taillights are sure to get a subtly different LED graphic to help distinguish the car wearing them as a facelift – or what brand fans know as Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) – model.
And the M5’s trademark quad exhaust tailpipe arrangement isn’t going anywhere. That’s been an M5 staple since the introduction of the first V8 M5, the E39, back in 1999. The M5 switched to V10 power after that, before coming back to a V8, this time with twin turbochargers. And the current G90-code M5 that arrived in 2024 added plug-in hybrid assistance.
Going the hybrid route added a staggering 1,045 lbs (474 kg) to the M5’s curb weight, but it also pushed total output to 717 horsepower (727 PS). Will this new-look M5 and its M5 Touring wagon twin get more ponies? BMW tends not to mess with its M powertrains at facelift time, so we’re not banking on it. But we wouldn’t be surprised if it leveraged BMW’s clever new battery technology to improve on a 38-mile (62 km) WLTP range. That figure looks off the pace in an era of hybrids like the Range Rover Sport that can do over 70 miles (113 km) on a charge.
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The biggest M5 and 5 Series changes aren’t happening in the engine bay, or at the front end, anyway, but inside the cabin. BMW debuted its latest iDrive setup on the the 2026 iX3 SUV, and has since been steadily rolling it out across other model lines. The combined digital gauge cluster and infotainment screen is gone, replaced by a pillar-to-pillar display at the base of the windshield, and a tablet touchscreen that appears to float above the dashboard.
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