The outlet claims that the German automaker most famous for competent, all-weather crossovers and sporty sedans and coupes is also working on a bona fide off-road–capable SUV that will finally give BMW a rival to the likes of the Land Rover Defender and aforementioned G-Wagen.
A New Flagship BMW Sport-Ute
According to one anonymous tipster familiar with BMW's product plans, the forthcoming off-roader will be based on the next-generation X5's Neue Klasse modular platform. Codenamed G74, it will sit above the company's other SUV products and will be built alongside its stablemates at the Plant Spartanburg facility in South Carolina. The G74 due to arrive in the second half of 2029, following the next-generation X5 by two or three years. That timing also suggests it'll informally replace the slow-selling BMW XM plug-in hybrid performance SUV, which we've heard will be discontinued in 2028.
The automaker initially wanted the XM to serve as a flagship BMW SUV and only the second-ever M product without a non-M base variant. But given meager demand for the controversially styled sporty crossover, it seems that the Bavarians will change tack, making the next range-topping Sports Activity Vehicle (to borrow company parlance) will go for off-road capability instead of pavement-torching performance. We're not sure if the as-yet-unnamed G74 will offer the same kind of rock-crawling chops as the Defender and G-Class or if it will instead be more of a high-speed rally raider, but we hope to find out soon.
Making Off-Road Inroads With The X5
The first-generation BMW X5, introduced for the 2000 model year, offered some off-road performance, sharing powertrain tuning and hill descent controls with the third-generation L322 Land Rover Range Rover. However, its all-wheel-drive system used brake bias to ensure traction in rough conditions, rather than more aggressive locking differentials and low-range gearing. As a result, the first-genreration X5 was intended more for all-weather stability and dry-road handling prowess than outright rough-road capability, a trait shared with all successive versions of the midsize SUV.
BMW attempted to make its most famous crossover even more capable this year, however, when it added a new xOffroad package to the 2025 X5 Silver Anniversary Edition. Featuring a mechanical locking rear differential, all-terrain tires, four-corner air suspension, and an array of terrain driving modes, the xOffroad pack – found only on the Silver Anniversary – actually gave the X5 some reasonable grip and talent in rough conditions.
That said, if BMW wants its future flagship off-roader to really compete with the likes of the G-Class, it will need to have much more wheel travel than the aforementioned X5 special, as well as significant underbody protection and minimalized approach, departure, and breakover angles. Still, it's fun to imagine the company extending the limits of its Ultimate Driving Machine tagline to include not only pavement, but dirt, gravel, and rocks as well.
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