BMW has a redesigned X5 arriving this year, and the automaker has given us the first official look at the new mid-size SUV.

The look comes in the form of a teaser video highlighting the rigorous testing that's gone into developing the new X5, the nameplate's fourth iteration.

What's immediately clear is that the new X5 will feature a much more distinctive look than the current model, which felt more like an update of its predecessor than a true redesign. It didn't help that the two vehicles also shared a platform.

That won't be the case for the new X5 as it sits atop the CLAR modular platform that first appeared in the 2016 7-Series. The platform should ensure that the redesigned X5, along with the redesigned X5 M, is lighter, tauter and more fun to drive.

2019 BMW X5 spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

2019 BMW X5 spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

There aren't any official specs to go on, but powertrains should align with the redesigned 5-Series, meaning a choice of 4-, 6- and 8-cylinder engines. A plug-in hybrid should also form part of the portfolio. M fans can look forward to a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 with at least 600 horsepower in the X5 M.

Sales of the redesigned X5 should start late this year or early next. It should arrive as a 2019 model. Production will be handled at BMW's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The original X5 launched almost two decades ago helped kick off the current trend of SUVs with car-like demeanor. But the performance of competitors has overshadowed the X5 in recent years, though it looks like BMW will be bringing a good fight with the new generation.

Note, the redesigned X5 isn't the only new BMW SUV we'll see this year. A redesigned X4 was revealed in February and the first-ever X7 is due toward the end of the year.