BMWi5 review: It delivers but watch the add-ons

It is, without doubt, true to say that petrolheads don’t really get the whole ‘electric’ thing and that unless something has an engine in it that sets fire to something in order to gain propulsion, then it isn’t worth a speck of hen’s doo-doo.

I might actually be part of that cabal and have, to be honest, been largely unimpressed by what the car companies have been coming up with on the electric front. With a few notable exceptions, these cars have greatly underwhelmed and my consistent advice to people inquiring if they should buy one, has been to hold off for another while yet while the technology evolves.

Those exceptions have included offerings from the German triumvirate of Audi, BMW and Mercedes who have thus far managed to produce cars which, largely, don’t have range issues but do come with a hefty price tag.

One of the first electrics which you could actually fall in love with was the BMW i4 we tested in 2022 and I recommended it accordingly. The only trouble was that it cost a packet and lovely and all as it was, it was pretty much out of the reach of the masses.

Well, BMW has now pulled off a similar trick with the electric version of the venerable 5-Series, which was always going to be something of a landmark for the Munich outfit. The ‘5’ has been one of the company’s most popular cars down the years and making an electric version was going to be a real challenge, both for the company and its customers.

Those brought up on a staple of 5-Series petrols and diesels will have very definite ideas about how they like their cars to drive and the big question for BMW was all about making an electric that lived up to those standards.

With minor issues about range and price, that is the trick they have managed to pull off with the i5, a car that is astonishingly good to drive and one which will satisfy the needs of anyone who’s got 5 Series blood flowing through their veins.

There are one or two caveats, however, as those who loved their 5 Series diesels will not be impressed with the new range, because there are no diesels among their number. The price too will raise an eyebrow or two and the range is not exactly going to spur anyone to paroxysms of joy and delight.

But the thing is that the 5 Series down the years gained a reputation as a top-drawer executive with excellent driving manners, top drawer technology (as each version evolved) and the last one, which they stopped making last year, was consistently in the four- or five-star bracket in any review.

It was such a good car, in fact, that it became a benchmark in its class, but with BMW having the temerity to erase its diesel history in one fell swoop, all the generational goodwill the company earned over the years was in danger of vanishing into the ether.

But while supporters will wail that they are being forced into a corner with the new range, it does have to be said that all the known benefits of owning a 5 Series – top drawer driving characteristics, excellent comfort and space and silent kudos in the golf club bar – continue unabated here.

By comparison with a lot of their forebearers, most new electric versions of previously successful cars have become anodyne and completely lacking when it comes to adding enjoyment to the driving experience. In many ways newly electrified cars effectively became sterile – their steering was numb and the suspensions completely isolated passengers from the roads on which they were driving.

Not so the new i5 – despite the synthesised soundtrack – because it actually feels like a car should, what with responsive steering that gives the driver genuine feedback and a suspension system which you can feel absorbing the road you’re driving it on.

And you can have real fun with it too as I discovered during the recent icy spell. On one particular road which I use frequently for testing purposes, the surface for about seven kilometres was treacherous, but you could control everything on the throttle and that included several opposite lock moments.

It was like driving on a skid pan and yet the BMW did not default to electronic trickery to prevent the driver making a whoopsie. Largely the car left you to you own devices, so active participation was a very necessary ingredient of the experience and what a joy that was.

Instead of being emasculated by the software wizardry, the car allowed you to act the fool and enjoy its abilities – when, of course, it was safe to do so. Given the trickiness of the conditions, it was possible to be bold at very slow speeds and the i5 allowed you to do so. Many electrics will not.

This car’s two main competitors are the Tesla S and the Mercedes EQE (saloon, as against SUV) and it is a way better driving package than either and, as such, much more representative of the 5 Series so many know and love, than anything else out there.

The Tesla is noted for its snappy performance, while the Merc is renowned more for its opulent comfort levels and impressive range. This one has the snappy execution too, plenty of luxury and decent (if not mind-boggling) range, but it also feels like a proper car. The others merely offer an illusion.

We tried the entry-level eDrive40 version (mind you saying ‘entry level’ and mention the price in the same breath and you will certainly cause someone to choke) and it is undoubtedly quick with a 0-100 km/h time of six seconds dead. The power is fed to the rear wheels via the single speed auto ‘box and there is some 340 bhp on offer to give a 193 km/h top speed.

Claimed range is between 500km and 585km, but as ever the figure must be taken with a grain of salt. I only managed to extract a max of 450 km from it, but it was a very cold week and, as we know, chilly climes do not do anything for battery functionality.

The new-look dash is inspired by other models in the BMW chain of command and the twin screens – one 14.9” touchscreen for the connectivity and infotainment, the other a 12.3” digital instrumentation – fill most of the dash. There is a singular lack of buttons to press, but thankfully the iDrive system allows you to control pretty much everything you need.

An innovative headlight system also provides you with something of a pace note system as it combines with the sat. nav. to provide you with some indication of what’s coming at you. The ambient lighting on the grille was also cute and innovative.

This is a car that’s very easy to like and that’s not a conclusion we’ve come to with many expensive electrics, but – yet again – the main issue here is the expense and the veracity of the range capability.

I know many people who have owned and loved their 5 Series cars down the years, but I don’t know that many that might wish to pay nearly €100,000 for one and then pack it a with the added kit that was on the tester.

There is no doubt that this is a fantastic electric car and one of the very best we’ve thus far experienced, but it does have issues.