By Sala Masindane

Throughout the years, the BMW 5 series has always maintained a sense of style and luxury. The i5, which is the first fully electric model in the range, has not compromised this.

Design and interior

The i5 M60i xDrive comes with unique design cues such as M exterior mirrors, an M-Specific diffuser and BMW M grille with Iconic Glow. Its design blends in with the rest of the lineup that drops the exhausts, but it stands out thanks to the faux grille.

Inside, the trend of the sleek design is continued. It features a curved display incorporating a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen. The cabin experience is further elevated by the M Leather steering wheel with a red 12 o’clock marker, M-specific display menus, M pedals, and the optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The infotainment is intuitive, but we did miss the physical buttons for climate control. There’s sufficient legroom and space for the rear passengers.

Drive and performance

The high-performance executive sedan makes use of an electric powertrain that produces 442kW and 820Nm. It will do a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in a claimed 3.8 seconds and top speed is at 230 km/h.

Is the i5 M60 better than the M5?

We are yet to experience the latter but former is has case for it. The i5 M60 with its 442kW and 820 Nm of torque is quick and responsive as you expect from an EV without the exhaust soundtrack sadly. The ride quality is smooth and the handling was responsive during our stint. The only damper in our time with the i5 is the low ride height that is susceptible to scraping from speed bumps or ramps but fortunately there’s a protective cover.

Daily living?

BMW claims an electric range of between 477-582 km but our time in the i5 we only managed 350km in full charge. It is a performance sedan after all and most of the time you are accelerating from traffic light to traffic light. So, you are unlikely to be economical but once that excitement has worn off you should be fine.

Final Word

It’s not by mistake that the i5 is probably the best in its class as the M5 is the leader in its class and the starting price of R1,842,500 seems to be not too steep with all that you get.