BMW electrifies 5 Series family with powerful i5 sedan

BMW will roll out at least four variants of its full-electric i5 as it expands the drivetrain choice of its 5 Series family.

The i5, which will compete against luxury battery-electric cars including the Mercedes EQE, was unveiled on Wednesday along with its combustion engine sibling, the eighth-generation 5 Series sedan.

The battery-electric i5 variants will be:

• The i5 M60 xDrive sedan, which will become the flagship 5 Series model with 602 hp and a 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) acceleration time of time of 3.9 seconds.
• The entry i5 eDrive40 rear-wheel-drive sedan.
• An i5 station wagon to be sold in Europe.
• An all-wheel-drive i5 sedan model that will launch in 2024.

The 5 Series and i5 sedan will go on sale in October. The i5 wagon will follow in the spring.

The i5 has an 81.2-kilowatt hour battery pack and a driving range of 477 to 582 km (296 to 361 miles) under Europe’s WLTP testing regime.

The i5 is part of BMW’s broader technology push for the new 5 Series, which includes new infotainment, advanced driving systems and connected services aimed at positioning the car as a high-tech rival to the newly revealed Mercedes E-Class.

Inside, the 5 Series and i5 have a curved display across the top of the dashboard that incorporates a 12.3-inch screen in front of the driver and a 14.9-inch touchscreen in the center of the dashboard.

BMW said that occupants can now watch YouTube videos on the screen when the car is stationary, providing they have optioned the right connectivity package. They can also play games thanks to a tie-up with gaming platform AirConsole.

Running below and to the side of the display is an ‘Interaction Bar’ combining touch-sensitive controls and lights that can be animated to give messages, for example to indicate an incoming phone call or show when it’s safe to open the door.

BMW said it has reduced interior buttons on the car, while retaining those needed “for fast and intuitive operation” according to a statement.

Driving assistance tech

Advanced driving assistance available on the 5 Series and i5 includes what the company calls the Active Lane Change Assistant, which suggests overtaking opportunities during multi-lane highway driving that are confirmed by the driver looking in the exterior mirror. BMW said this feature was launching first in Germany, the U.S. and Canada.

Other semi-autonomous features available include Parking Assistant Plus, which stores the steering movements when driven forwards which the car can then repeat in reverse for up to 50 meters.

Drivers can also control parking maneuvers outside of the vehicle using the My BMW app for iPhone.

The new BMW ID allows parking fees to be paid directly from the 5 Series and i5. The function can initially be used in Germany and Austria, with other European countries following during 2023.

New hybrid models

All the new 5 Series models will be electrified with the addition of 48-volt mild-hybrid technology on the 520i four-cylinder gasoline engine, the more powerful 530i with the same engine (not available in Europe) and the 520d four-cylinder diesel. A six-cylinder diesel will follow in 2024, BMW said.

All combustion engine models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Two plug-in hybrid models will also join the line-up in 2024 with an electric range of up to 100 km (62 miles), BMW said.

The 530e will use a four-cylinder 2.0-liter gasoline engine while the BMW 550e gets an upgrade to a 3.0-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine.

Longer, wider, taller

The eighth-generation 5 Series has grown in length by 97 mm to 5,060 mm compared to the current model. It’s 32 mm wider at 1,900 mm and 36 mm taller at 1,515 mm.

BMW said trunk space is 520 liters on the launch combustion engine sedan models while the i5’s trunk has a 490-liter capacity

The 5 Series will start at 49,850 pounds ($61,930) in the U.K. for the entry 520i. BMW did not release prices for other markets.

The 5 Series was the best-selling car in Europe's premium large-car segment last year ahead of the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. European sales of the 5 Series in 2022 were 53,638, according to figures from market analysts Dataforce.