Electric version of BMW’s next 5 Series executive car guns for the Mercedes-Benz EQE On sale Now Price from £74,105
Lawrence Cheung lawrence.cheung@haymarket.com
FIRST DRIVE
WHILE SOME OF us dream of being driven around in first-class opulence from the rear seat of a luxury limo (such as the BMW i7, on p19), the reality is that very few of us will be able to afford both the car and a chauffeur. This is perhaps why the 5 Series is one of BMW’s best-selling models; it brings first-class levels of refinement and comfort, but it’s priced at a more attainable business class level.
The i5 is the all-electric version of the next combustion-engined 5 Series, which is based on a shortened version of the 7 Series’ and i7’s underpinnings. This should make for a more agile, nimble car, without sacrificing too much comfort. Side by side with the latest 5 Series, the i5 can be distinguished by a smootherlooking, blanked-off front grille (which helps to improve aerodynamic efficiency), and tiny ‘i’ badges, but the styling differences between it and the regular 5 Series are minimal.
The i5 is offered with a choice of two power outputs. The entry-level eDrive40’s single motor sends 335bhp to the rear wheels. With a 0-62mph time of 6.0sec, it has all the grunt you could reasonably need; it’ll keep up with many hot hatches and gets up to motorway speeds eagerly. Those who want to be pushed harder into their seat during acceleration can go for the performance-focused 593bhp M60, which has two motors and four-wheel drive. This model rockets from 0-62mph in just 3.8sec – only slightly slower than the pricier Mercedes-AMG EQE 53.
All i5s have an 81.2kWh (usable capacity) battery, and while the eDrive40’s official range is a respectable 357 miles, this trails the EQE 300’s 380 miles. The range dips to 315 miles for the M60 xDrive. Both versions have a maximum charging rate of 205kW, with a 10-80% charge expected to be possible in around half an hour. The EQE can be topped up by that amount in a similar time, but both cars trail behind the Porsche Taycan’s 270kW peak rate and 20-minute charging time.
So far, we’ve tested the i5 only on adaptive suspension. This comes as standard on the M60, along with a four-wheel steering system that turns the rear wheels by up to 2.5deg to improve low-speed
