The i5 is a handsome electric luxury sedan that strikes a sweet balance between ride and handling. Yet it comes up a bit short on electric range.
Electric cars don’t always need to be wrapped in a flashy and futuristic design. In fact, some luxury buyers prefer an EV with more traditional styling, one with no clues of the advanced powertrain inside. That’s precisely what BMW did with the i5. The electric version of BMW’s stylish 5 Series sedan looks nearly identical to the gas and plug-in hybrid versions. That’s no bad thing.
The 5 Series was fully redesigned two years ago for the 2024 model year. It sits just one rung below BMW’s flagship 7 Series on the price and size ladder, so i5 buyers will get comfort, luxury, and a heavy dose of BMW’s legendary performance.
To find out whether BMW has hit those marks, I recently spent a week with an i5 xDrive40 in Los Angeles. I tackled some great canyon roads high above Malibu and pressed the Bimmer into service shuttling kids and adults around the city. So does this $82,700 i5 have the right moves? Let’s find out.
The entry-level, rear-wheel-drive eDrive40 delivers 335 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, and according to BMW, it can hit 60 mph in just under 6 seconds. The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive xDrive40 has 54 more horsepower and a whopping 140 more lb-ft of torque. So, it can reach the same mark in 4.9 seconds. The top xDrive60 model provides even more performance at a higher price point.
All three models use the same 84.3-kilowatt-hour nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery pack. Since it sits mostly below the floor, the i5 offers the same interior space as the gas 5 Series, though it does lose 1 cubic foot of trunk space.
The i5 still has a CCS port and relies on an adapter at most compatible Tesla sites, so see how NACS, CCS, and EV charging adapters fit together ➜
You can charge the i5 on a Level 2 charger at home or at Tesla’s Superchargers on the road. But while the newest EVs offer blazing DC fast-charging speeds of 400 kilowatts or more, the i5 tops out at 205 kW.
Peak kilowatts tell only part of the story, so see how battery temperature, state of charge, charger output, and the charging curve determine the speed you actually get ➜
The i5's sumptuous cabin gives an upscale and luxurious vibe to driver and passenger alike. It feels special, from the soft vegan leather to the diamond-cut glass controls for the iDrive, shifter, and audio volume. Even the smooth seat-adjustment motors sound expensive. It's solid, too. The center console feels like it’s practically welded to the chassis, and I never heard a single squeak.
Rear-seat occupants get wide-opening doors and a seatback angled just right for road trip comfort. Sitting behind the front seat adjusted for my frame, I had about 4 inches between my knees and the seatback. That’s excellent. Better still, I discovered USB outlets back there for charging devices.
Up front, the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch infotainment screen feel modern and generally function very well. While some EVs rely solely on the touchscreen to control functions, BMW integrates buttons and knobs where appropriate. Still, the screen can be a distraction. For example, changing the interior temperature is a simple one-press command right on the touchscreen, but adjusting the fan speed requires pressing into the climate menu first. That takes your eyes off the road.
My i5 came well equipped with almost $13,000 in options. The $2,500 Driver Assistance Professional package adds camera- and radar-based driver-assist tech, including hands-free driving up to 85 mph and Active Lane Change. The $3,100 Executive package adds diamond-cut glass controls, an interior camera, a panoramic roof, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, and a Parking View camera with 3D Surround View. The $3,000 M Sport package with 21-inch wheels and the $1,050 M Sport Professional package, with larger brakes, red calipers, and sporty M exterior, round out the upgrades.
Tire and wheel choice makes a big impact on both range and handling. The lowest-priced i5, the rear-drive eDrive40 at just over $67,000, can hit an EPA-estimated range of 310 miles when fitted with the smallest 19-inch wheels. That’s a solid number. The same vehicle on 20-inch wheels makes the range drop to an EPA-estimated 300miles. The all-wheel-drive xDrive40 is rated at 277 miles on its standard 19s, but on the big 21-inch M Sport wheels and tires my tester wore, that drops to an EPA-estimated 259. That’s a huge gap between the base i5 and my heavily optioned all-wheel-drive car. Is giving up that range worth the gains in style and performance?
Wheel size alone changes the xDrive40’s EPA rating by 19 miles, so see why EV range should be compared by exact trim, wheels, and real-world use case ➜
With so much sporty BMW M gear on my i5, it seemed natural to hit the twisty canyon roads in Malibu for some midday Monday driving fun. It offers six drive modes: Personal, Sport, Efficient, Expressive, Relax and Digital Art. The last three don’t change the car's driving characteristics. Instead, they alter lighting, displays, and sounds.
But press the Sport mode tile on the touchscreen, and big things happen. The interior trim glows red, the seat bolsters tighten, and the steering becomes a tad weightier. I expected the BMW to be reasonably talented, but it was better than I anticipated. It’s very agile and easy to drive quickly through corners, which is impressive for a car that weighs more than 5,000 pounds. On a set of tight, quick, undulating corners on Corral Canyon Road, the chassis never put a tire wrong. The only real knock? The steering is precise, but it does feel somewhat artificial.
I spent quite a few hours enjoying the i5 on those fun roads, but that kind of driving has a negative impact on range. So part of my weeklong test included a few late-evening drives up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Oxnard and back to pile on the miles. Thanks to almost no traffic, I was able to drive at a consistent speed. One thing this BMW excels at is soaking up rough pavement. Even with the big wheels, the ride was smooth and composed.
I like the lowest of the four regenerative braking settings as it mimics coasting in an internal combustion car. If you like the feel of one-pedal driving, that's available too.
The i5’s driver-assistance system allows for hands-free driving on certain roads, controlling steering, brakes, and the accelerator. It worked well on reasonably straight roads and gentle freeway bends, but in tighter corners and wider lanes, the BMW drifted slightly to the outside of the lanes.
A handy range approximator in the instrument cluster shows your predicted average range, plus the maximum and minimum distances depending on how you drive. At 25 miles of range remaining, the BMW plays an audible message and prompts you to find a charger. I pulled into my driveway with 11 miles and 3 percent battery remaining after covering 233.7 miles. That’s about 26 miles below the EPA-estimated range, but I’m confident I could have matched that or exceeded it without those hard-driving canyon miles earlier in the week. In the end, the BMW delivered 3.2 miles per kWh. Charging from 3 percent to 100 percent on my Level 2 home charger took 11.5 hours.
The BMW i5 is an easygoing and surprisingly talented electric luxury sport sedan. It blends just the right amount of sportiness with a pleasantly supple ride around town. It’s whisper-quiet, and when it's optioned with BMW’s best trimmings like my tester, it's a lavish machine to devour the miles. As much as I enjoyed the dual-motor xDrive40 with the large 21-inch wheels and tires, I'd probably save a few bucks and gain some range by opting for the rear-drive model with the standard wheels.
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Ben Stewart has been a California-based automotive journalist for over 30 years, reporting on new vehicles, trends, technology and culture.
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