BMW seems like it can unveil a new, refreshed or concept car every other month now. Their testing cycles are through, which gives us ample time to find out a lot of things about a car even before its revealed.
Right now, they are working on the new 1-Series GT with front-wheel drive, the 1-Series coupe and convertible, the 4-Series coupe, convertible and four-door coupe, 3-Series GT, M3, M4, i8, i3 and a facelift for the 5-Series range. That’s quite a tall order, but they Bavarians are also working on a completely new family of crossovers.
The most important one of them all is undoubtably the next X5, which will also have a long wheelbase version. This isn’t the first time prototypes for the F15 series model for the 2013 model year were spotted. However, these ones spotted in Georgia have much less camouflage and let us have a look at the front end design.
The styling has very much been influenced by that of the F30 3-Series, as the headlights are clearly more tapered and connected to the grille at a narrower point.
The new X5 will be significantly lighter than before, but also safer. It will have the same sort of pedestrian airbag as the Volvo V40 as well as active safety stems. I the powertrain department, the new X5 will for the first time come with a 2-liter diesel engine used by a new ActiveHybrid. There will also likely be a 528i version powered by the N20 engine. For a while now, rumors have been circulating that a brand new generation of more efficient straight-six will also replace the N55, though it’s still to early to tell.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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