Table of Contents Table of Contents Luxury design Zippy and responsive Not a tech company Should you buy the BMW i5? Were a number of years into the transition to electrification in the automotive world, but in the US, there still arent quite as many options as there could be. Part of that has to do with the fact that legacy automakers are still transitioning over to electric drivetrains. While most companies do offer at least one vehicle, the vast majority of them certainly dont have as many EVs as they do ICE cars.

The perfect example of that is the world of electric sedans. To be clear, companies prioritize sedans less in general in the US considering the proliferation of larger vehicles like crossovers and SUVs. But what if you do want an electric sedan and you live in the US? Well, I think you should consider the BMW i5.

Recommended Videos Before I go on, yes, Iknow that the BMW i5 is expensive, and out of price range for many buyers. Its out of price range forme but after driving a 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 for the last week, it would certainly be near the top of my list if I did have a little more cash in the bank.

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　　Luxury design

The things that are great about the BMW i5 are the things you wouldexpect to be great. Theyre the things that BMW has been getting right for decades.

For starters, the vehicle is incredibly luxurious though without venturing into overkill territory, like the i7. The interior of the vehicle is almost identical to the gas-powered 5-series, which is a good thing here.

The i5 is comfortable and roomy, in both the first and second rows, and the seats are covered in a premium-feeling stitched leather. Theres plenty of great-looking accent lighting, and the materials throughout the vehicle are clearly high-end.

The space inside the vehicle is one of the main things that sets it apart from the smaller i4 especially in the second row. In other words, if you regularly drive around a family, the larger vehicle might be worth considering.

The outside looks great too. BMW has scaled back from the oversized kidney grilles of a few years ago, and the latest models look unmistakably BMW, but in a good way. Of course, the kidney grille on the i5 is only there for show, but it doesnt look bad at all.

The i5 I drove for the past week had the BMW M Sport Package too. That gives it things like premium wheels, carbon fiber styling, and more. Most people wont need that but I certainly enjoyed having it.

All of this comes together in a way that definitely sets the BMW i5 apart from other electric sedans. Cheaper sedans, like the Ioniq 6 simply cant match the premium look and feel of the i5, but even similarly-priced EVs dont quite offer everything you can get here. The Lucid Air, for example, is a great vehicle but it isnt quite as well-built as the i5, and I prefer the design of the i5. The main competitor in my view is the i4 which is also great, but again, not as big.

　　Zippy and responsive

The luxury interior, of course, isnt surprising from a 5-series. Nor is the excellent performances. The BMW i5 performs very well. As mentioned, my review model was an i5 eDrive40, which is nowhere near as impressive as the much faster i5 M60. For the M60, however, youll have to pay almost $20,000 extra and frankly, the performance on offer by the i5 eDrive40 will be more than enough for most.

These days, its easy to focus on 0-60 mph times for car performance but theres a whole lot more to car performance than that. Sure, the i5 eDrive40 may not quite match the likes of the performance-focused Teslas, but it still felt very quick, whether through accelerating on an on-ramp, or simply overtaking a vehicle on the freeway. It helps to put it in Sport mode too which sacrifices driving range by putting even more power into those wheels. The vehicle has 335 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, and it can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

It handled beautifully too. It takes corners like a champ, hugging the road with minimal lean even while accelerating.

The range isnt bad though it could be better. The i5 eDrive40 gets 295 miles of range, according to the EPA, and it can charge at up to 205kW, which isnt bad.

　　Not a tech company

But the i5 certainly isnt perfect and it falls into many of the same pitfalls that other legacy automakers fall into. In other words, BMW isnt a tech company and if its trying to become one, it has a long way to go.

Like some others, BMW has packed most controls into the infotainment display, including things like climate controls. Unlike other automakers, while there aresome climate controls constantly on the screen, they really only mount to being able to control the temperature. Thats right nothing for fan speed, fan selection, and so on. Theres a dedicated capacitive button for window defogging, but when it comes time to turn defoggingoff, it wont default back to the settings you were using before the windows fogged up leaving me shivering in the cold fan in the middle of winter.

That of course, isnt to mention the actual software, which is poorly-designed at best. I was forced to use the built-in infotainment display for the week, because CarPlay wouldnt work properly. BMWs self-developed infotainment system has certainly gotten better, but its still confusing, a little slow, and looks dated. And, I wish BMW would bring back some of those physical climate controls.

But, at the end of the day, if Ibought an i5, Id spend more time getting CarPlay to work properly (like it has in most other BMWs Ive driven) and then, Id likely avoid using the built-in software the vast majority of the time, except when Im forced to for things like climate settings.

　　Should you buy the BMW i5?

The BMW i5 is an excellent electric sedan but there are others worth considering too. The Lucid Air is a better EV, with a much better range and better software, but I prefer the interior build-quality of the i5. There are cheaper electric sedans (even if there arent many), like the Ioniq 6 but while gets pretty close to the i5 when it comes to EV stuff (and even beats it in things like charging speed), it doesnt look as premium or feel as luxurious. In other words, the BMW i5 certainly isnt for everyone but if you want a luxury electric sedan with a bit of room on the inside, its absolutely worth considering.

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