The 2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive on 20-inch wheels has a range of less than 400 kilometres.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
BMW has done it again. With the new, all-electric 2024 i5 sedan, the company has made another car that’s a bit cringey to look at, but an absolute joy to drive.
Approaching the i5 – a $95,000 battery-powered addition to the brand’s long-running 5 Series range of mid-size sedans – its design draws the eye toward the car’s prominent front grille, which is rendered in a hodgepodge of glossy black plastic pieces. Then there’s a large strip of shiny black trim running under both doors and across the rear bumper that seems intended to disguise the car’s somewhat ungainly proportions. The optional light-up kidney grille is a cheap gimmick too. If first impressions are everything, this one isn’t good.
This is the latest in a string of oddities from BMW’s design department, led since 2019 by Domagoj Dukec. There was the beaver-tooth grille of 4 Series, the M3/M4, the iX, and the i7. (Haters might lump the M2 in with this group, but not me; it looks just right.) The i5 is the least offensive of the bunch; so perhaps we should just be thankful it didn’t get the gaping grille of its peers.
In an interview last year, Dukec told me he doesn’t let the vocal criticism of BMW’s designs, particularly on social media, get to him. “My duty as head of design is to always create something which makes a difference,” he said.
Say whatever you want about BMW’s designs on the internet because, once again, the brand outsold archrival Mercedes-Benz (albeit by a slim margin) on a global basis last year.
Besides, first impressions aren’t everything. From the driver’s seat, you can’t see the i5′s plastic grille and odd proportions, and it quickly becomes obvious BMW’s engineers have worked magic on the chassis. The i5 weighs more than 2,300 kilograms, but it floats over a sunken sewer grate and glides over a speed bump that would rattle most rivals, electric or not. The suspension calmly absorbs big, sharp impacts. Over smaller cracks and ruts, the ride isn’t quite as smooth, but there’s no doubt the i5 – even in sporty M60 form – would be a great companion for long commutes. Compared to the older gas-burning M550i sedan, the new EV is miles ahead on comfort.
More impressive is the fact the cushy ride doesn’t ruin the handling – far from it. Helped by the underfloor batteries acting like a keel on a boat, the i5 is as sure-footed and confident accelerating hard around a highway on-ramp as anything this side of a track-ready M3. Sure, the steering feels numb and provides little feedback, but the car nevertheless is taut and responsive in every daily-driving situation.
A large strip of shiny black trim runs under both doors and across the rear bumper, and seems intended to disguise the car’s somewhat ungainly proportions.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
It isn’t magic, though; it’s heaps of technology. The top-of-the-line i5 M60, loaded with every option, has electronically controlled dampers, dual-motor all-wheel drive, active body-roll stabilization and four-wheel steering. Somehow, it all works together to create a cohesive driving experience.
The combination of ride comfort and handling is better than any Tesla I’ve driven (although I’ve yet to test the Model S Plaid), and possibly up there with the Lucid Air.
The mid-size BMW is less competitive, however, when it comes to driving range and value for money. On 20-inch wheels, the all-wheel-drive i5 M60 with its 81-kilowatt-hour battery is rated at 399 kilometres by Natural Resources Canada. Choose 19-inch wheels and you’ll get 412. In near-freezing weather during my test drive, the i5 on 20s was on track to reach just 360 kilometres in its default driving mode.
Starting at $95,000, the BMW stacks up well against the similarly priced Mercedes EQE 500. But the i5 M60 must also fend off competition from the new Lucid Air Pure, which offers an incredible 660 kilometres of range for $109,900. There’s also the updated Tesla Model S with dual-motor AWD, which offers 652 kilometres for similar money. Even the new – albeit much less-powerful – Genesis GV80 Electrified can cover 454 kilometres. The BMW’s design may be subjective, but these driving-range figures aren’t.
The company’s next-generation EVs, built on the Neue Klasse platform, promise to deliver more range and better value, but the first of those vehicles aren’t slated to arrive until 2025.
The prominent front grille is rendered in a hodgepodge of glossy black plastic pieces.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive
- Base price/as tested: $95,000/$113,600
- Engine: Dual-motor electric
- Transmission/drive: Single-speed/all-wheel drive
- Fuel economy (litres-equivalent per 100 kilometres): 2.6 highway, 2.6 city (on 20-inch wheels)
- Alternatives: Tesla Model S AWD, Lucid Air Pure, Mercedes EQE, Genesis GV80 Electrified
Looks
Less challenging than some other recent BMWs, and better than the Mercedes EQE, but there’s an awful lot of black plastic for a six-figure luxury car.
Interior
The new 5 Series is more than five metres long, so it’s huge. Rear-seat passengers can stretch out. But given the price, there’s too much hard plastic in the cabin. For example, the i5 has hard plastic on the inner door pulls, where the 5 Series of 20 years ago had supple stitched leather. Same goes for the tops of the door panels and the upper dashboard.
The i5 has hard plastic on the inner door pulls, where the 5 Series of 20 years ago had supple stitched leather. Same goes for the tops of the door panels.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Performance
With 593 horsepower, it’s devastatingly rapid, even when overtaking on the highway. The time to 100 kilometres an hour is 3.8 seconds. Charging isn’t quite as fast, with BMW quoting 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80 per cent at a 205-kilowatt station.
Technology
The interior – lit by big screens and a colour-changing LED strip – gives NASA mission-control vibes, not the old-money steakhouse ambience of older models. The instrument bin has been replaced by a widescreen display that covers two-thirds of the dashboard. Mercifully, BMW has preserved just enough physical buttons and dials. Oh, and now occupants can occupy their time at charging stations by playing video games on the central screen.
Cargo
No, there’s no front trunk. (Although there’s at least one aftermarket company working on a retrofit “frunk” for the i5.) The rear trunk is slightly less spacious than that of the gas-burning 5 Series, but still fit for purpose.
The trunk of the i5 has slightly less space than the gas-powered 5 Series.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
The verdict
It’s the best all-around EV to date from BMW, with a luxurious ride and crisp handling, but rivals offer similar packages with more range.
The front seats and dash of the 2024 BMW i5.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
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Matt Bubbers