Article Summary
- Our first look inside a 2027 BMW X5 that skips the optional front passenger screen.
- Without the 14.6-inch display, the dashboard looks less busy.
- The passenger screen is a €1,450 option in Germany.
One of the features many expected to see on the fifth-generation X5 was a front-passenger screen. It had already debuted on the facelifted 7 Series, and reports suggested it would trickle down the lineup. Additionally, BMW has been signaling that its customers are asking for such a feature. Now, it’s giving them what they want. But what if you don’t?
Thankfully, BMW doesn’t force you to get the extra screen as it does on the 2027 7 Series. On the new luxury SUV, it’s an optional extra priced at €1,450 in its home market of Germany. While press photos you’ve seen show the X5 with the box ticked on the options list, this one doesn’t. It certainly makes the dashboard look less cluttered, without two screens sitting side by side.
Much like the flagship sedan, the X5 pairs a 17.9-inch infotainment with a 14.6-inch screen dedicated to the front passenger. We’d have preferred BMW to give buyers the freedom to decide whether they want the extra screen in the 7 Series, but that choice is currently limited to the X5. Rumor has it that next year’s 5 Series facelift will also gain the supplementary display. It would also make sense to see it in the second-generation X7 (G67), which is due in 2027.
The BMW Passenger Screen Won’t Come To All Models
The passenger screen is unlikely to trickle down across the entire lineup. All signs point to BMW reserving this feature for its larger vehicles. Consequently, it may never reach the 3 Series and X3, let alone the compact models. That said, the 7 Series facelift and the next-generation X5 are likely just the beginning, with more models in the upper segments expected to receive a second dashboard screen. Beyond the vehicles we’ve already mentioned, the rumored next-generation X6 (G66) also seems like a logical candidate when it arrives in 2028.
You could argue that a passenger screen runs counter to BMW’s Neue Klasse philosophy, which centers on minimalism. However, customers appear to want more screens. Last September, Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President UI/UX Development, told us there is “huge demand, especially in really big cars” for passenger screens.
While the X5 inherits the extra display on the passenger side of the dashboard, it doesn’t get the 31.3-inch Theatre Screen in the rear. The 8K-resolution, cinema-theater-on-wheels remains exclusive to the facelifted 7 Series and the few markets where BMW sells the long-wheelbase 5 Series. Like the front displays, the jumbo-sized screen that folds down from the ceiling is now a full touchscreen.