Electric version of new 5 Series saloon is now just months away from UK showrooms
FELIX PAGE
t’s nearly time for the wraps to come off BMW’s long-awaited electric 5 Series, which has completed the final stages of endurance testing in harsh environments in readiness to go on sale later this year.
The new BMW i5 will join the iX1, i4 and i7 in Munich’s swiftly expanding range of EVs. The model was confirmed for a 2023 launch in January, but only now has the firm released images of the Mercedes-Benz EQE rival undergoing a hardcore testing programme on ice, snow and rough roads in northern Sweden.
In a year-long test phase, the i5 “repeatedly demonstrated both the stability of its electric powertrain and its dynamic performance qualities”, and performed “at least as proficiently as any conventionally powered model on ice and snow”, said BMW.
A debut date still hasn’t been announced for the i5 saloon – nor for its ICE counterpart or the keenly anticipated i5 Touring estate, which was recently confirmed. But with this test programme dispatched and a 2023 launch confirmed, it is expected to be only a matter of months until the wraps come off.
The 5 Series, which turns 50 this year, has been on sale in its current, seventh-generation guise since 2017. The eighth-generation car will be offered with a choice of ICE, hybrid and EV powertrains in line with BMW’s ambition to sell seven million plug-in hybrid and pure-electric vehicles by the end of 2030.
The i5 will be marked out from the 5 Series in the usual BMW EV style. It will feature a blanked-off front grille, bespoke wheel designs and, based on subtle differences between two recently spotted prototypes, a bespoke rear-end design – a treatment that similarly distinguishes the electric i4 from its petrol-powered 4 Series Gran Coupé sibling.
The EV powertrain offering is highly likely to mirror the line-up of the i4. This means potentially a choice of rear- and four-wheel drive, with outputs ranging from 335bhp in an entry-level i5 eDrive40 to 536bhp in a twin-motor M50 xDrive model. The i4’s 80.7kWh battery pack, said to be 30% more power dense than the old i3’s 42.2kWh unit, could also feature, providing a WLTP range of around 350 miles at the top end.
Nothing official has been said about a dedicated, full-fat performance version of the i5 yet, but the M5 will become electrified for its next outing, borrowing the XM’s twin-turbo V8 and gearbox-integrated EV motor for a plug-in hybrid system that gives a combined output in the regio
