BMW i5 Launched: a Gaming Lounge that Does 0-100kmph in 3.8 Seconds

Intro 

BMW has taken a different approach to electrify its mainstream offering the 5-series. Unlike the Mercedes E-Class which uses a ground up EV platform (EVA platform), BMW has taken the existing 5-Series and swapped the gasoline powertrain for some batteries and an electric motor. The result is it looks like an ordinary 5-Series, but only electric, perhaps to warm up buyers to go all electric. That aside, the i5 was launched a few days ago in one top of the line M60 xDrive version to tempt people with Rs. 1.2 crores of spare cash. It may be a lot, but what does that buy you? In this article, we will take a closer look at the i5's dimensions, battery pack, range, performance, charging, interior, and exterior to tell you all that you need to know. 

Dimensions (Perspective)

The i5 is not exactly a small car at 5m or 5050mm long, 2156mm wide (incl. the mirrors), and 1505mm tall. It is longer than the E65 standard wheelbase 7-Series that was in production from 2001-2008. The wheelbase closes in on 3m, 2995mm to be precise, should translate to more room in the back seat than the outgoing car. The dimensions mentioned above are for the standard wheelbase version, the gasoline 5-Series will be an extended wheelbase version in India which can be expected to be about 100mm longer than the i5. However the i5 will be a sportier offering from BMW which is what the 5-Series stands for.     

Battery Pack, Range, Performance, & Charging

The i5 comes with an 83.9kWh battery pack with 81.2kWh of usable capacity comprising of prismatic cells. According to Kyle Connor from Out of Spec Studios, these prismatic cells are 23.6mm shorter compared to the ones used on the i7 which translates to a better rear seat experience, more on that later.  

The battery pack powers two electric motors in the M60 guise with a total output of 517 horses in the normal which can be bumped to 601 horses in the Sport mode when activating the boost mode or the launch control. Activating the boost mode bumps up the torque from 795Nm to 820Nm. This rush of horses and torques enables the i5 M60 version to sprint from a standstill to the three-digit mark in a supercar quick 3.8 seconds that lasts only 10 seconds. Pushing the i5 further and it will touch its electronically limited top speed of 230 clicks.  

The WLTP cruising range of the i5 is between 455-516km on the WLTP cycle. However enabling the Max Range mode will enhance the remaining range by 25% while turning off the air conditioning, seat heating, windscreen defroster, and limiting the top speed to around 96kmph. Heat pump comes standard across the i5 range which will help to minimize range loss during winter months.

The pack voltage at 400V is not class leading, however it manages to pull 205kW of decent peak DC fast charging rate enough to top up the battery from 10-80% state of charge (SoC) in 30 minutes. Plus a 10 minute top up will add 156km of range. The car comes standard with an 11kW level-2 wall box charger enough to top up the battery from 0-100% SoC in 8 hours 25 minutes which can be halved with an optional 22kW, 3-phase charger. However an 80% top up is all you need for your daily driving, which is what BMW recommends as well to increase its service life.

Exterior 

The i5 looks alright, it does not grab eyeballs, it is understated personally. At the same time, it is hard to critique it. Enthusiasts may use the words soft, tame to describe the new 5. However there is little to differentiate between the ordinary 5-Series and the i5, except for a few elements of course. The crux is this softness does result in an impressive Cd value of 0.23 for the eDrive 40 version and 0.25 for the M60 xDrive spec which is 0.02 higher strangely. 

The Indian market gets the M Sport Pro Package as standard which includes a completely blacked-out kidney grill with illumination & M badging all around, M specific brake calipers, and M specific wing mirrors. This is on top of the M Sport package which features a more aggressive front bumper with a blacked-out lower half. Although both the packages are intended to make the car look more aggressive from the front, I would rather spec one without both the packages as it seems to be overdone personally. I prefer the standard car’s traditional fake grill which is much easier on the eye.  

Compared to the outgoing 5-Series, the LED headlights are swept backwards with DRLs integrated in between the lights. The blue elements below the LED units are a subtle touch. The cornering lights come standard as well as the high beam assist which dims the headlights to avoid blinding the on-coming traffic on the India spec version. As for front storage or frunk, it does without one despite the long bonnet that houses the drivetrain unit, and the on-board charger.    

The side profile from the 5-Series retains the same long bonnet and flush door handles for enhanced aerodynamics. With the M60 version, it gets 20” tyres (Front: 245/40 R20, Rear: 275/35 R20) on the India specific car and blacked out wind surround instead of chrome. With the optional M Carbon Exterior Package, the wing mirrors get a carbon fiber finish, and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. Lastly, a BMW without the famous hofmeister kink is unimaginable which now has the number “5” etched onto it. The ground clearance on the Euro spec version is at 136mm, however BMW has not disclosed the number for the Indian version.       

The width of the car’s is most noticeable at the back due in part to the wide taillights. They still retain the L-shape from previous 5-Series, however it is more subtle visible only on the sides. The BMW emblem at the center has a blue surround to differentiate it again from an ordinary 5-Series along with the M-badge at the side on the M60 spec. Lower down, there is an aramid rear diffuser which is a material from the aerospace industry. The material is similar in appearance to carbon fiber, however it is a composite material. The black plastic around these fog lights make way for chrome in the M60 guise, personally the chrome looks better.     

Interior

On the inside, the i5’s interior is familiar from the ordinary 5-Series with the same dual, curved screen setup. The driver’s display measures 12.3” while the central infotainment screen measures 14.9”, both of which run on BMW’s iDrive 8.5 operating system. While the screens host several settings of the car including the air conditioning, it comes with a mix of controls and buttons around the cabin as well for easier access to menus and functions, more on that later. 

The dashboard comes with a twin trim carbon fiber or wood, and a new glass-like crystalline surface. This crystalline surface extends to the doors that light up depending on the ambient lighting colour selected. It will turn red when the hazard lights are turned on and change colour between different driving modes. The crystalline surface is a light bar than a decorative insert which gives a theatrical experience. A point to note is the crystalline surface is not on the same plane throughout the dash due to the curved screen. Personally, it would have looked neat on the same plane especially when using the ambient lighting.  

There is the same crystalline surface below the panel that houses controls for the hazard lights and fan speed for the air con. It is easy to miss the thin air vents on the dash which are sandwiched between the central screen and the crystalline surface. The air flow of the vents is adjusted via two physical knobs lower down that operate very similarly to adjusting the vent on the previous 5-Series to add the same level of adjustability as with a regular vent. 

Further down, there are the usual practical elements such as two inductive charging pads and two type-C charging ports for your devices. Not to forget, the adjustable cupholders that will hold multiple sized flasks or bottles. The central console wins some additional points with some physical buttons for quicker access to menus such as the drive mode (called My Mode), media, home button along with controls for the volume, track, and 360° camera. Like a traditional BMW, it still has a crystal knob to scroll through the menus on the touchscreen which moves up, down, left, and right depending on which menu you want to access, a neat touch. The gear selector, like the iDrive controller, has a crystal finish as well which is nice to look at and enhances its premium appeal.   

The M Sport steering wheel is exclusive to the M60 version sporting a leather-wrapped, 3-spoke, flat-bottom design with M coloured stitching which looks nice. Only the eDrive40 version gets an animal free option for steering with a 2-spoke design from the iX. The buttons on the steering wheel have some physical buttons and scrollers while the rest of them are not entirely capacitive buttons, rather it is a panel that moves as you press the different buttons on it giving some feedback. There are no paddles behind the steering wheel to adjust the regen, rather there is one paddle on the left to activate the boost mode to give a 10 second rush of 601 horses.   

The M60 version comes with M Sport seats as standard with vegan leather upholstery and Alcantara on the shoulder bolsters. The comfort seats are an optional extra on the India spec version which comes with vegan leather as standard along with an option to upgrade to genuine leather seats.   

At the back, the seats have a nice angle to give a natural seating posture like in an ordinary 5-Series. It promises to give great under-thigh support especially on long journeys credited to the shorter cells. The backseat is practical too with two USB Type-C ports under the rear AC vents, and the glass panoramic roof to make the cabin feel airy. The section on the front seats seems to have been scooped out for added knee room. To pamper the rear occupants, the rear bench comes with heated seats depending on the options and configurations, rear windscreen shade, dual-zone climate control at the rear, and adaptive cupholders in the armrest. 

Bells and Whistles (Tech)  

The i5’s tech adds more practicality to already existing tech starting with the 360° camera. Along with showing the view around the car, it also highlights the pathway of all the four passenger doors and how much they have opened if they are open. Furthermore while reversing, the camera will show different coloured boxes from green, orange, or red on objects to show how far the car is from the surrounding objects. Lastly, the optional Parking Assistant Professional allows users to park and unpark their car using a phone, plus the car can remember parking maneuvers.  

The Drivers Assistant Professional is an optional extra as well which is BMW’s driver assistance system which includes lane centering, lane change assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and traffic jam assist which can bring the car to a halt and set it off again. However it is important to stress, these assistance systems do require human assistance and cannot be completely relied upon yet.  

For convenience, it comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a digital key, voice control, customizable heads-up display, a 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system with 655W, electrically operated tailgate, 4-zone climate control, battery pre-conditioning to achieve peak charging rates, and a route planner that calculates routes including the charging stops.   

Outro

To sum up, the i5’s exterior design draws mixed opinions. Like all 5-Series of the past, it is the sensation the car gives which trumps over its design. Yes, the car may have gotten softer in appearance, however it has an impressive Cd value of 0.23 on the lower eDrive40 version and 0.25 on the M60 spec which results in both higher efficiency and a quieter cabin experience from the previous car.  

Although the exterior design may be shared with the ordinary 5-Series, like most BMWs it is a very compelling package. Combine that with all the bells and whistles on the car, it is a package that is hard to resist, if you have Rs. 1.20 crores of spare cash of course.   

Image Sources 

⁹BMW India 

Rest all pictures from- BMW Group

What are your thoughts on the i5? Would you buy this over other electric SUVs from BMW, Mercedes, and Audi? Let me know at [email protected]