The 2027 BMW X5’s X-Shaped Headlights Are Delightfully Weird and Whimsical

The 2027 BMW X5 debuted earlier this week with a bunch of cutting-edge onboard technology and updated powertrains, but we’d like to take a moment to discuss its new headlight design. Surely you’ve seen it by now, yes? Say hello to what BMW calls the “double-X” icons. And you know what, we dig ’em. (Well, at least some of us do. —Ed.) They’re fun.

The outgoing X5 wore a set of chevron-shaped lights, but the newly revealed fifth-generation luxury midsize SUV swaps those for four X-shaped signatures, two on either side. These lights are multifunctional and can emit daytime running lights, low-beam headlights, turn signal indicators, and side lights all within one module.

This new approach is a far cry from BMW’s beloved halo lights, but we’re impressed by this step away from hyper-aggressive styling trends that have poisoned so many car designers’ minds as of late. Nowadays, everything looks frowny and mad, even the Toyota Prius. And if any car should probably look happy and carefree, it’s the Prius. Rivians are fun because of their round-eyed faces, and that’s about it. Until now.

The X-shaped lights are uncharacteristically whimsical coming from BMW, an automaker that’s traditionally played it safe when it comes to its SUVs. (We’re not touching the beaver-faced 3 and 4 Series in this discussion.) We’d almost expect a design risk such as this to appear on the X1 or X2—you know, a lower-volume seller; certainly not the high-volume X5. But here we are. It signals to us that this is the design language BMW wants to see everywhere.

OK, OK, the Xs do look a little bit like the dead Twitter bird (aka Larry) that made the rounds online when Elon Musk rebranded the platform to X. But we’re trying to ignore that part. Instead, the X shapes remind us more of the way drivers used to tape up their race cars to prevent glass headlight lenses from shattering all over the track. Today, it’s a retro aesthetic seen on various custom cars and motorcycles. The fact that BMW turned it into a whole module is certainly a commitment to the look.

Here’s the good news: Any owners or prospective owners who think the double-Xs are too over the top or plain unattractive can turn off parts of them so only the diagonal slashes remain. Just know it’ll be an easy way for everyone else to instantly tell who’s daring and who isn’t.