After driving the BMW i5, I breathed a sigh of relief. The BMW 5 Series is very much alive and well. But why did I approach Lisbon with trepidation? The world is evolving, but it …
2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 and M60 xDrive review – as an EV, is the G60 still the 5 Series we know and love?After driving the BMW i5, I breathed a sigh of relief. The BMW 5 Series is very much alive and well. But why did I approach Lisbon with trepidation?
Yes, the first drive for an all-new 5 Series is now an EV event. This is a big deal – we’re not talking about a niche model or an SUV, but the 5 Series, the essence of BMW. I fear, because I love the 5 Series – I stuck my head out to call the outgoing G30Silly me. Because the i5 – the first ever fully-electric 5 Series – is merely spearheading a range that will have plug-in hybrids, four- and six-cylinder petrol engines and even diesels.
The i5 M60 xDrive is an M Performance model and the BEV range topper, since the full fat M5 will have an ICE. With an extra motor on the front axle for AWD, total output for the M60 is 517 PS and 795 Nm, or 601 PS/820 Nm with My Mode Sport and M Sport Boost/M Launch Control engaged. With all virtual switches flicked, 0-100 km/h is dispatched in just 3.8 seconds. Top speed is 230 km/h.
Anyway, WLTP rated power consumption is 18.9-15.9 kWh/100 km for the eDrive40 and 20.6-18.2 kWh/100 km for the M60. Good figures for a car of this size and performance, and BMW assures that it is keeping its promises when it comes to real world consumption versus WLTP figures, as proven by i40 eDrive40 customer data.
Speaking of the kidneys, the eDrive40 gets vertical slats while the M60’s nose is fully blacked out. That, a rear diffuser, M-specific wing mirrors and a slim boot spoiler are the ways to mark out the M Performance car, which otherwise isn’t a lot more aggressive than an eDrive40 with the M Sport look. The M60 you see here has options such as 21-inch BMW Individual wheels , carbon pack and dark Shadowline headlamps.
You can’t do those things on the move, but the ride comfort seems ready to support such activities – so steady at high speeds and very absorbent in town. I had to check again; those really are 21-inch wheels. Both our eDrive40 and M60 testers rode on ‘Professional’ adaptive suspension, the top option that also comes with rear-wheel steering. The latter’s turning circle reduction magic was on display up in the hills, just that I couldn’t detect the sleight of hand.
The best part is despite all that performance on tap, the i5 is a very soothing car to drive in traffic. If you wish, set the throttle’s energy recovery to low, ignore the theatrical ‘Iconic Sounds’ composed by Hans Zimmer, and it will feel very intuitive for someone coming straight from a G30, never mind this writer whose last stint in the Five was over five years ago.
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