Fortunately, the grille didn't grow any bigger

BMW has given the X5 and X6 a mid-life update, and in a pleasing turn-up for the books it hasn’t messed it up.

It’s pretty standard facelift fare, if we’re honest. On the outside there are new bumpers front and rear on both models, plus a new grille (that can light up if you spec the M Sport Pro pack) and slimmer signature BMW lights. 

Standard X5s get new silver bits including roof rails and underbody protection, while those with the M Sport trim level or the top dog M60i powertrain get a special body kit that includes ‘an octagonal front-end signature’. Check it out on the X6 above.

There’s changes to the inside too, the most obvious being the introduction of BMW’s Curved Display and Operating System 8. In non-carmaker speak, that basically means a giant slab on the dash that merges a 12.3-inch dial display and a 14.9-inch infotainment display.

BMW proudly states that the new setup “offers a significant reduction in the number of buttons and controls”. Not sure that’s something to boast about, folks. 

There is still an iDrive controller though, and the facelift brings a new gear selector and refreshed ambient lighting. All trim levels get a ‘Comfort Pack’ as standard and all come with sports seats too.

So, let’s talk powertrains. Everything is now hybridised, so in X5 land you can have an xDrive30d, an M60i or an xDrive50e.

The former is a straight-six diesel that has been updated for better efficiency and fitted with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system for a total of 294bhp and 494lb ft of torque. 

The M60i also gets the 48-volt system, but it pairs the mild-hybrid tech with a 4.4-litre V8 for 523bhp and 553lb ft.

The xDrive50e is a plug-in hybrid that pairs a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six with an electric motor and 25.7kWh battery. EV-only range now stands at an impressive 68 miles. 

If you really do want an X6 then you can have the same 30d or M60i powertrains as the X5.

You can’t have a plug-in hybrid, so instead there’s a mild-hybrid xDrive40i with a new-to-X6 straight-six petrol engine that makes 375 bhp and 384lb ft of torque.