BMW i5 Touring (2024 - ) Electric review

There are just two i5 Touring models to pick from, one being expensive and the other really, really expensive! OK, it’s a little cheaper than (also electric) iX SUV, and less divisive in its looks. But from a starting price just shy of £70,000 for the single motor eDrive 40i you’ll quickly be into six figures for the more powerful M60 xDrive. On the flipside if you can swing an i5 Touring as a company car you’ll bag attractive Benefit In Kind tax savings and, while such incentives last, free entry to the Congestion Zone and the like. Buyers at this level will also likely have a driveway to install a home charger and benefit from cheaper domestic electricity rates, so you’ll be saving on ‘fuel’ as well while the range is sufficient that stops at more expensive public chargers will literally be fewer and further between. Hybrid and combustion engined versions of the 5 Series Touring will join the range in due course, but for now it’s all about the electric i5.

The i5 Touring is based on an all-new generation of 5 Series so it’s still too early to say how it will score for reliability. It’s also a fearsomely sophisticated car, so the idea of fixing it if anything goes wrong is intimidating. This is less of an issue if you’re financing or leasing the car and likely to move it on within the standard three-year warranty, where any issues should be covered.

If not something we’d usually flag as a safety benefit we appreciate BMW sticking with a physical volume knob and control wheel for the screen menus on the basis you can interact with them without taking your eyes off the road. Sure, you can still do touch, voice or gesture but it’s nice to still have that option in this day and age. Meanwhile the range of assistance functions in the standard Driving Assistant package is simply formidable, the optional ‘Professional’ upgrade package adding another level of sophistication and including semi-automated lane changes you initiate with the indicator and a glance into the mirror. In Germany where we tested the car differences in regulations mean you can even do this hands free, though it still feels like a bit of a gimmick. Back from the land of derestricted autobahns you’ll appreciate the ability to silence the speed limit warning bongs with a single long press of the cruise control ‘Set’ button on the wheel – a top hack we’ve learned to love in all modern BMWs and Minis!

For such an enormous car it’s a pity the rear seat is only really viable for two people, given the central position isn’t all that comfy. So, if you regularly travel five-up the iX SUV is still the better premium electric BMW. Other than that the i5 Touring is near perfect, though! While cabin materials may not have a direct bearing on comfort the feelgood factor of being in such an expensive feeling interior counts for nearly as much as the support from the seats, the driving position and legroom. Quite simply there’s no better way for a family of four to travel, the silence of the electric drive combined with superb refinement and ride quality that simply steamrollers over the bumps while the huge boot means no need to pack light for the family holiday. Being lower to the floor than an SUV or crossover also makes it feel less top heavy in the corners, while the lower loading lip of the boot will be appreciated whether it’s you lugging your shopping in or your four-legged friends jumping aboard after a run round the woods. You’ll probably want to make sure that lovely interior is suitably protected before unleashing muddy paws on it, mind.

With the shift from ownership to financing and leasing models BMW has simplified its model line-ups on the basis monthly payments make it easier for buyers to budget for higher trim levels. Which here equates to M Sport as the ‘base’, and option of M Sport Pro while extras beyond that are bundled into self-explanatory packages. Given the i5 Touring’s size and intended use this means standard Parking Assistant to help in tight spots and Trailer Assistant, with upgrades available to monitor the footage from 360-degree cameras on your phone or even use it park the vehicle while standing outside it if the i5’s imposing width would make it hard to open the doors once backed into the space. Great for you, if not so much for those you park next to… As per the saloon, meanwhile, BMW’s onboard tech remains a favourite and among the few where we’ll opt for the car’s built-in nav rather than just default to CarPlay or Android Auto. Though, if you do, this is fully integrated into the driving information on the instruments or head up display. Put it this way, it’s only when you drive a car doing tech this well (both in style and function) you realise how patchy it is in many others.

Our first drive in the i5 Touring was in Germany, and let’s just say we fully enjoyed the opportunity to test the twin-motor, all-wheel drive M60 xDrive’s monstrous 601 horsepower on derestricted stretches of autobahn. It absolutely doesn’t need a ‘boost’ paddle beside the steering wheel to unleash an even more aggressive burst of acceleration but BMW has included one anyway. A shame this ability will be completely wasted back home but the way the car erupts beyond 80mph is at least as shocking as the rate with which it gets to that speed in the first place. Don’t expect to win many friends among your passengers if you indulge in that kind of behaviour as a matter of course, though. Sensible hats back on the 340 horsepower of the single-motor eDrive40i is far more appropriate for the i5 Touring’s family estate role, and plenty to be going on with. Not to mention the money you save over the M60 would be enough to buy a new Mini Cooper electric outright as a second car for trips to the shops! With an official range of up to nearly 350 miles the eDrive40i also goes further on a charge, and even driven at what we’ll describe as German speeds the efficiency was pretty impressive. A whacking 205kW charging rate means fast top-ups if you can find a suitably powerful place to plug in as well.