√2023 BMW i5 M60 prototype review: First drive

BMW’s next-generation 5 Series is set to join the brand’s growing EV family with the new BMW i5, coming to an Australian showroom near you in 2024.

It’s i5 then. No, not the Intel Core computer chip, but the hotly anticipated electric-powered version of BMW’s upcoming eighth-generation 5 Series.

We know this because the German carmaker has just officially confirmed the name in a presentation before we head out onto its Miramas test track in southern France to drive the advanced sedan for the very first time.

As the camouflage hints, it is still undergoing development. But the new four-door sedan aims to challenge the Audi A6 E-Tron sedan, Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan and Porsche Taycan with the choice of either a headlining 440kW dual-motor four-wheel drive or milder 250kW single-motor rear-wheel drive drivetrain – the latter claimed to offer a range of up to 582km on the WLTP test cycle, according to BMW’s own figures.

An extended line-up of petrol, diesel and petrol-electric plug-in hybrid 5 Series siblings are also in the pipeline and set for launch in Australia in September, but it is the electric-powered i5 that BMW has chosen to give us for our first drive of its crucial mid-range model.

Known under the internal codename G60, it is BMW’s eighth electric-powered production model, following on from the i3 hatchback, iX3, iX, i4, Chinese market i3 sedan, iX1 and recently unveiled i7. Along with the sedan model driven here, BMW says it is also putting the finishing touches to a Touring version of the latest ‘i’ model, which is planned to head into Australian showrooms in early 2024.

Andreas Holzinger, the lead engineer for the new car, says the main challenge in developing the i5 was providing it with the same broad set of properties as the standard 5 Series. “On the one hand, customers expect dynamics similar to the smaller 3 Series. On the other, they want comfort to rival the larger 7 Series. Our goal was to make them as similar as possible,” he says.

The i5 prototypes we drove were all heavily disguised, so there’s not a great deal we can tell you about the styling until it makes its world debut next month. Unlike the design strategy of many of its key premium brand rivals, however, BMW has traditionally chosen to position its electric models close to their internal combustion engine stablemates in terms of appearance.

The sedan model retains the traditional three-box silhouette sported by all 5 Series models down through the years, with a long bonnet, relatively flat roof line and sloping boot line endowing it with familiar proportions.

Holzinger confirms the new electric model shares its bodywork with the 5 Series – alongside which it will be produced at BMW’s Dingolfing factory in Germany for the Australian market. The bonnet, doors and boot lid are aluminium, with the remainder in steel, he says. Subtle visual differentiation is set to come with the grille, which is described as being unique to the i5. The new electric sedan will also receive its own aerodynamically optimised wheels ranging from 18 to 21 inches in diameter.

Similarly, BMW is holding back on the dimensions. But expect a car that is longer, wider and higher than the outgoing seventh-generation 5 Series. It also rides on a longer wheelbase and adopts wider tracks both front and rear.

With a drag co-efficient of 0.23, the new BMW matches the new eighth-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class for aerodynamic efficiency. However, it fails to improve on the 0.22 of the model it replaces, owing in part to a noticeably bolder front end with a higher set bonnet and, with it, a larger frontal area.

A careful look reveals a light ‘shark nose’ effect to the grille, which leans forward slightly between heavily tapered headlamps. There are also flush door handles to smooth airflow along the sides. The underbody also adopts flat paneling from tip to tail as part of the wind-cheating measures.

Much of the interior of the prototype was also covered. But we can reveal the i5 and new 5 Series are set to adopt a dashboard layout similar to the i7 and 7 Series, with a free-standing curved digital panel housing the instruments and infotainment displays, and a thick-rim multi-function steering wheel among the key interface points.

It also receives iDrive 8.5, the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive control and operating system. Based on Linux software code, it supports a new menu layout, including a home screen that’s designed to simplify operation through the use of widgets. It also provides for greater customisation and reconfiguring of various digital functions. There is also the option of linking your smartphone, either via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Further developments include 5G-enabled over-the-air (OTA) functionality for faster software update downloads.

As a world first, the i5 and its 5 Series sibling will also come with a new optional Automated Lane Change function. Part of an updated Highway Assist system, it allows hands-off lane changes triggered by the driver looking into the side mirrors. The Level 2 autonomous system uses a camera within the digital instrument display to continuously monitor the movement of the driver’s eyes. When the adjacent lane is free of traffic and it detects eye movement to either the left- or right-hand exterior mirror, it initiates a lane change in that direction at speeds up to 130km/h.

Unlike the upcoming A6 E-Tron, EQE sedan and Model S, all of which uses a dedicated skateboard-style electric car platform, the i5 is based on a modified version of the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform that underpins other eighth-generation internal combustion engine 5 Series models.

This mirrors the move BMW has also already undertaken with the CLAR-based X3 and iX3, 3 Series and i3 sedan, 4 Series and i4, X5 and iX, and the i7 and 7 Series, giving it valuable economies of scale and production flexibility across a wide range of models.

Among the modifications made to the platform is a new floorpan to house the electric sedan’s battery pack. The 81kWh lithium-ion unit, measuring 108mm in height and consisting of four modules with 72 cells each, operates at 400 volts.

Despite this, there is a traditional transmission tunnel running back through the interior. So while the i5 adopts the same driving position as the 5 Series, it is also compromised in terms of rear seat foot room, which fails to match that of its flat-floored electric-powered rivals.

There is also additional bracing for the suspension towers, as well as a new front sub-frame in a move Holzinger says provides the i5 with a stiffer body structure than the new 5 Series.

“We have achieved levels of rigidity never before seen on the 5 Series. The battery pack and other measures we have added to the i5 help to improve both static and torsional stiffness over the internal combustion engine 5 Series,” he says.

There will be two i5 models from the start of sales later this year. Included are the performance-oriented four-wheel-drive i5 M60 and the less powerful i5 eDrive 40. The former uses two synchronous electric motors, one up front and the other at the rear, for a combined output of 440kW, with the latter receiving a single rear-mounted motor and 250kW.

There are differing driving characters for each. However, it is the i5 M60 that clearly steals the show, with the sort of performance and dynamic qualities to challenge the best of the electric-powered competition.

We drove it on two different handling tracks at BMW’s Miramas test facility – the first a fast and open coarse-chip bitumen course, and the second a smoother and altogether more challenging course with greater elevation and tighter corners.

The latest M-Performance model is agreeably straightforward from the off, with a stop/start button and a slider-style gear selector close to the driver on the centre console to get you underway.

There are two main powertrain modes: D for Drive and B for Battery. The former favours coasting with little mechanical drag, with the latter providing a relatively high level of energy recuperation and braking effect. Additionally, there are three main driving modes: Personal, Sport and Eco, with an additional Individual mode that allows you to tailor the steering, drivetrain and suspension to your liking.

The delivery under gentle throttle loads is exceptionally smooth and linear. The response is instantaneous, with real urgency from standstill.

The most powerful of the two i5 models gains pace with effortless grace and great flexibility. It is all achieved with outstanding drivetrain refinement and in almost complete silence. There is a synthesised substitute, which aims to mimic the typical induction and exhaust roar of BMW’s internal combustion engine models with a Hans Zimmer-composed soundtrack, but it comes across as being highly contrived. A matter of personal taste, for sure.

It is what happens when you tap on the paddle that resides within the left-hand side spoke of the steering wheel on left-hand drive examples of the new car that really gets your attention. Marked with the word “Boost”, it unleashes the i5 M60’s full 440kW for up to 10 seconds at a time, with a digital countdown appearing in the middle of the instrument panel keeping tabs on just how long it remains on tap.

The result is explosive acceleration and searing speed on a loaded throttle. BMW builds some of the best electric motors in the business. They are engineered to reach 17,000rpm, which is higher than those used by most rivals.

In the new range-topping i5, they make for rampant properties, the sort that takes your breath away the first time you dig deep into its considerable reserves. The initial pick-up is very intense. There are also very muscular qualities to the mid-range, where it gathers speed with great zeal and offers huge overtaking potential.

BMW is yet to provide details to the i5 M60’s official acceleration times and top speed, but expect it to hit 100km/h from standstill in under 4.0sec and reach a limited 225km/h.

Quick, then. But also fun to drive?

The i5 M60 is underpinned by a so-called Adaptive M Suspension Professional package, with steel springs at the front and air springs at the rear, together with BMW’s variable damping control (VDC) and standard 245/40 (front) and 275/35 (rear) tyres on 20-inch wheels. The high-mileage prototype also featured an optional Dynamic Drive system, with electromechanical roll stabilisation.

Interestingly, the air springs are reserved exclusively for the i5 sedan. BMW says they will not appear on the 5 Series sedan.

We’re yet to see a kerb weight figure for the i5 M60, but the handling balance is terrifically neutral in Sport mode and the standard dynamic stability control setting, with strong levels of front-end grip and a low centre of gravity providing it with very agile properties. With the right line, you can confidently carry high speeds into and through open radius corners without any tendency for the front end to push wide.

Excellent purchase at the rear and superb traction also allow you to deploy the instant power early for romping exits.

The variable-rate steering, well weighted in the best of BMW traditions, delivers a good level of off-centre precision, if not the last word in feedback. Still, with the active rear-steer system helping to rotate the rear, there’s enough communication here to give the i5 M60 engaging dynamic qualities and a secure feel over challenging roads.

Slackening off the dynamic stability control brings distinctly more rear-biased qualities much in the character of BMW’s existing four-wheel-drive xDrive models. You can use this to entertaining effect out of tighter corners, with a surfeit of torque able to overcome the otherwise excellent adhesion for lurid drifts when the road conditions allow.

Two things stand out immediately when you get acquainted and begin to push the i5 M60. Firstly, the outstanding body control. A combination of heavy damping and roll stabilisation provides excellent suppression of pitch and roll. It also sees the new sedan settle quickly over undulations and tricky humps at speed.

The second is the wheel control. There is a firm feel to the ride, but excellent shock absorption means the new BMW rarely needs one compression and rebound stroke when dealing with bumps and potholes. This gives it an impressive level of comfort. There is, however, some lingering tyre roar on coarse road surfaces.

The brake pedal feel is also quite good. There’s not a whole lot of life to the pedal, but a clearly defined bite point allows you to modulate the brakes well.

As convincing as the i5 M60 is, though, it’s the i5 eDrive 40 that is likely to find favour with a greater majority of buyers, and not just because of its lower price. With 250kW, it is less frenetic. There is still plenty of performance and a ‘Boost’ function to allow you to make the most of the instant-on properties of the electric drivetrain when the conditions allow, but it is more restrained in character.

Without a front electric motor, it also steers with added precision and, despite running standard dampers, often rides with greater composure. The rear-wheel-drive layout also provides it with greater efficiency and a greater range.

BMW quotes average energy consumption of between 21.2 and 17.9kWh/100km for the i5 M60, giving it a WLTP range of between 436 and 516km. The i5 eDrive40 betters it, with an average of between 19.7 and 16.0kWh/100km and a range of between 468 and 582km. Charging of the battery can be achieved at 11kW on an AC system, and at up to 200kW on a DC charger.

BMW’s electric models have taken large strides of late. The i5 sedan builds solidly on the foundations laid by other CLAR platform-based models to offer a level of completeness that places it at the sharp end of the electric car ranks.

There are some obvious compromises in it sharing its platform with internal combustion engine 5 Series models, not least in its packaging and overall accommodation. But in terms of performance, dynamics, ride, refinement and overall efficiency, there is a lot to like.

We’ll know a lot more when we get to drive the definitive production version later this year, including Australian pricing, but for now BMW appears to have nailed the electric 5 Series brief with a car that strikes a fine balance in many areas.