So let's start to explain that, OK?
BMW calls their all-electric i5 M60 a sporty business sedan. I'm not going to argue.
So as to the "Everything You'd Expect", the i5 M60 is one plush ride, gifted with power and poise. Those are character traits that have defined BMWs for decades…along with those kidney grills and the engine's sweet turbo sewing machine sound as you move thru the gears.
Bob Jackson
But the i5 is an all-electric vehicle. Does the above still apply?
Yep…and maybe even more so.
593 HP and a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds with handling to match. Like I said…this i5 M60 xDrive has a 100% BMW gene pool.
So if the i5 is all-BMW, what do I mean about the "And less…sort of?"
Bob Jackson
It's the comforting mechanical purr of BMW's bi-turbo engines that's not there…sort of.
The i5 coddles you in a quiet capsule of luxury. It's so quiet that at first I didn't notice that BMW has done what I have yet to hear anyone else do. They've engineered a perfectly appropriate artificial motor sound into this vehicle.
Is sound that big of a deal? Yes. Dodge has spent the better part of a year trying to come up with an electric sound to satisfy their Hellcat crowd. And as far as I know they're still workin' on it. Meanwhile, other manufacturers have been ridiculed for their electric vehicles' "space ship sounds."
Bob Jackson
So kudos for BMW for engineering a sound and a feel for one of their premium all-electric vehicles that will make anyone who's ever driven a gas engine BMW feel right at home.
The looks will probably make you feel at home too. While there almost seems to have been an unwritten rule that electric vehicles have to say "Look at me…I'm different", BMW's i5 just looks like a well-designed luxury sedan…kidney grill and all. Kidney Grill? I know…why do you need a grill on an electric vehicle? You don't, but I think that what BMW has done looks great…and even better when lit up at night!
Bob Jackson
Entry-level i5's start in the high $60's for their 335 HP single-motor RWD 40 series. Our 593 HP dual-motor AWD test i5 M60 xDrive started with a mid-$80's sticker that climbed to just over 95K with the usual half-dozen checks on the options list.
Almost everything that you can imagine is standard on a vehicle like this, including 18-speaker premium audio. A couple of the options included 21" performance rubber on the alloys, jewel-like glass ( yes, glass ) on a couple of the controls, carbon fiber trim, and BMW's Driving Assistance Pro Package.
Bob Jackson
I just read that new studies have shown that electric vehicle batteries may last much longer than first predicted…even up to 15 – 20 years if charged properly.
If that turns out to be the case, BMW's i5 M60 xDrive just might offer enough to keep you in a longer term relationship than you ever intended.
Bob Jackson
