Upper class sedans have always had the status of being an executive’s daily ride for enduring motorway journeys. These cars usually provide great power combined with a glimpse of luxury.
BMW has positioned itself as a car manufacturer to build appealing sedans with sporty characteristics since the 1960s. Now, the Bavarians decided to build their first upper class 5-Series sedan with an electric drivetrain. Does it still match the brand’s reputation or does is it turn out to be a political sacrifice? Let’s find out!
What is it all about?
BMW teases us with their “Neue Klasse” movement with which they show us some appealing new interpretations of what used to define (or still defines?) the BMW brand reputation back in the sixties and seventies, building high quality cars with a great amount of power as a joyful ride, mostly wrapped in a beautiful coupe or sedan body.
Interestingly, BMW is one of the very few car brands, that wants to stick to its own name, building their future based on its past. And I think that the new BMW 5-Series (G60) still resembles that reputation. At least in a different way due to its electric drivetrain.
But the beautifully proportioned sedan silhouette still reminds me to some of the brands sedan cars they had on offer a few decades ago.
First impressions
With exterior dimensions speaking of 5.06m length and 1.90m width, the 5-Series has become a huge car. The i5 M60’s base price is 117’400 CHF. Quite a number already. But what you get is not quite what you expect of an understated sedan. Compared to the regular i5, additional features is the front-mounted motor contributes an additional 256hp over the base i5 plus giving the M60 all-wheel drive while the M Sport suspension makes way for an adaptive set-up that lowers the ride height by 5mm and reacts tighter to the road surface. The steering also sharpens up and active, 48V anti-roll bars improve responsiveness.
The car we’re looking at is painted in “Tansanitblue-metallic” (CHF 1’800.-) and specced with the “Merino scheme” copper-brown/grey leather interior (CHF 2’790.-). Some additional options like the bi-color wheels, comfort package, travel package, M Sport package and innovation package lead to a final price of CHF 132’100.-.
As first impressions is a big thing nowadays, BMW had to step on the hype train, too. Short light shows, illuminated kidneys, dramatic acoustics during the starting process as well while driving… are these necessary? Not at all. Does it something to the experience? It does. As simple as it is. At least the acoustics from Hans Zimmer brought some excitement.
Let’s have a seat.
Opening the car’s door somehow gave me a backflash due to the door opening and closing noises. I’m pretty sure I could recognize a BMW just by closing its door with blindfolded eyes. Anyway, having a seat in the very comfortable seats let you quickly forget everything outside. High quality materials all over the place. Plastic parts (or at least recognizable plastic) can only be found in the foot sections.
New to the i5 (and the 5 Series) is the Interaction Bar that first appeared on the 7 Series. It’s less showy here and consequently easier to live with. It consists of a beautifully backlit unit running the width of the dashboard and is a lovely counterpoint to the Curved Glass display. Its surface has a crystalline appearance, which flirts with bling without becoming too Versace. The interior trim beneath it can be specced in aluminium or with a more technical carbon fibre effect.
My eyes quickly recognized that the air conditioning vents are a hidden behind the Interaction Bar. The air flow rate is set by touching the illuminated bar and the wind direction using the hidden controls below the illuminated strip. It works perfectly, but I'm wondering about the longevity of the ventilation strength setting. How long will the touch bar remain functional?
Since its debut in the iX, BMW has been rolling out its Curved Glass display across the range, but there are some recent modifications for the i5, as well as some new interior elements. The Curved Glass set-up consists of a 12.3in main instrument display behind the steering wheel that merges seamlessly into a 14.9in main screen.
Sadly, times move on, and BMW constantly refines their entertainment systems. The current 5-Series (G60) is now equipped with the OS 8.5 (Operating System) with new graphics, a clear start screen and something called ‘QuickSelect’ which should simplify everything. And it does, as long as you manage to create your own shortcuts. Overall, it is a bit more complicated to use and less appealing to me compared to the OS8 which can be found in the G22 4-Series or the BMW iX for example. Besides its user-friendliness, the OS 8.5 doesn’t appear to look that “thought-out” like the previous generation.
The infotainment system in the new BMW 5-Series comes with even more features, actually. Startlingly high in BMW’s presentation mix is the arrival of AirConsole, which introduces in-car gaming to the 5 Series. Connection is established by scanning a QR code on the Curved Display (or can be connected via the AirConsole app), which transforms players’ smartphones into game-controllers. BMW offers over 20 in-built games at the moment, with more to come. It’s another way of passing the time while you wait for your i5 to charge, as BMW and I cheerfully admit. It is definitely an option to kill some time on huge journey and refresh your head for a few minutes. An internet connection on your phone is required.
Alternatively, you could stream video content - including YouTube or TiVo - depending on which country you’re in. Amusingly, a Bundesliga in-car app is available from the car’s launch. Football, right?
Space in the back row is way more than enough. The boot space consisting of 490L is alright for today’s standards. But almost the same compared to the 45cm shorter BMW E28 5-Series from the eighties.
Is it a drivable roller coaster?
The BMW i5 M60 is a true wolf in sheep’s cloths. I bet not a single automotive layman would ever think that this AWD sedan would have 601hp and 820Nm of torque underneath its huge bonnet.
The, of course, electrically adjustable steering wheel has a great size and thickness and grip to hunt down nice curves and countryside roads. Once you decide to hit that pedal properly, this sedan will already reorganize your innards. And if a regular sprint weren’t enough, there’s a BOOST pedal on the steering wheel, begging you to be used for a maximum 10 second extra power output. The acceleration is monumental. Especially the 0-100kph sprint onwards a motorway leaves anyone speechless. Or laughing. Or almost puking. Depends on each individual’s type…
But: Don’t call it agile - it’s 2,380kg land yacht and you never quite escape the feeling that several laws of physics are being bent to force it to handle as well as it does. The front end is surprisingly chuckable and the steering’s lightning quick even though it weighs quite a lot. Luckily, still less than the new BMW M5 (G60). Jokes aside, but the weight doesn’t shrink in corners and therefor the i5 M60 feels slightly too heavy. The BMW i4 M50 in comparison felt way more connected to the road and felt clearer to handle. But all in all, the i5 M60 still feels like a BMW sedan with a slightly lighter tail, which proves oversteer rather than understeer in sport mode. It somehow hasn’t lost all of the brand’s initial characteristics we all love about BMW. And last but not least: thanks to the long wheelbase, the new 5-Series positions itself (again) as a wonderful motorway cruiser. It’s truly made for long distance traveling.
What should I buy?
The biggest question I asked myself; Is the i5 M60 100% worth almost twice the price of a 2.0L petrol (base price CHF 68’540) BMW 5-Series? Before we answer that question; I’d like to mention that this press car is equipped with loads of options which have risen the car’s price by a big amount of money. And to clear it all up, I personally think that the i5 M60 is somehow worth its money as it is an utterly great car.
Would I still buy it? Even if I had the necessary bucks laying on my bank account, my choice would still fall for the BMW i4 M50, which is the most powerful electric BMW 4-Series to this date. The i4 is a car that feels slightly less like an EV, costs and weighs less, and feels more agile to me. And as a cherry on top, the i4 M50 is ridiculously quick, too.
To end this review, I wanted to thank BMW Switzerland for lending me their incredibly well specced BMW i5 M60 sedan to properly test drive for ten days.
Review & Photos by RPM | Robin P. M.
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