We’re a number of years into the transition to electrification in the automotive world, but in the US, there still aren’t 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 don’t 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.
Before I go on, yes, I know that the BMW i5 is expensive, and out of price range for many buyers. It’s out of price range for me — 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.
Luxury design
The things that are great about the BMW i5 are the things you would expect to be great. They’re 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. There’s 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 doesn’t 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 won’t 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 can’t match the premium look and feel of the i5, but even similarly-priced EVs don’t quite offer everything you can get here. The Lucid Air, for example, is a great vehicle — but it isn’t 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, isn’t 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, you’ll 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, it’s easy to focus on 0-60 mph times for car performance — but there’s 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 isn’t 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 isn’t bad.
Not a tech company
But the i5 certainly isn’t perfect — and it falls into many of the same pitfalls that other legacy automakers fall into. In other words, BMW isn’t a tech company — and if it’s 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 are some climate controls constantly on the screen, they really only mount to being able to control the temperature. That’s right — nothing for fan speed, fan selection, and so on. There’s a dedicated capacitive button for window defogging, but when it comes time to turn defogging off, it won’t 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, isn’t 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 wouldn’t work properly. BMW’s self-developed infotainment system has certainly gotten better, but it’s 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 I bought an i5, I’d spend more time getting CarPlay to work properly (like it has in most other BMWs I’ve driven) — and then, I’d likely avoid using the built-in software the vast majority of the time, except when I’m 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 aren’t 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 doesn’t look as premium or feel as luxurious. In other words, the BMW i5 certainly isn’t for everyone — but if you want a luxury electric sedan with a bit of room on the inside, it’s absolutely worth considering.
