BMW Australia has announced that it will be launching the new i5 premium sedan later this year. It has also released the specs of what’s underpinning the new electric sedan.
There will be two BMW i5 models that are on offer. These include:
- BMW i5 eDrive40
- BMW i5 M60 xDrive
On both, the iconic and sometimes divisive kidney grille design still continues. There is also an ICE mild-hybrid variant which BMW calls the 520i.
Sticking to the exterior, the new i5 has adaptive LED headlights which have the matrix high-beam and blue design elements.
Size-wise, the new 5 series has grown in size compared to its previous ICE 5 series being sold in Australia. It’s 97 mm longer in length with dimensions of the new premium luxury vehicle sitting at:
- 5,060 mm in length
- 1,900 mm in width
- 1,515 mm in height
On the performance front, the BMW i5 eDrive40 variant produces up to 250 kW of power and 430 Nm of torque. This variant can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 6 seconds with a top speed of 193 km/h.
The performance-orientated i5 M60 xDrive produces 442 kW of power and 820 Nm of torque. This variant can do the same sprint to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 230 km/h.
Both variants are fed with an 84 kWh battery pack with WLTP ranges of 582 km for the i5 eDrive40 variant while the top-of-the-range i5 M60 xDrive delivers up to 516 km in range.
Charging the battery can be done with 11 kW of AC charging available. Fast charging speeds of up to 205 kW can also be achieved at a suitable charger. This will charge the battery from 10-80% in around 30 minutes.
Moving into the interior, a lot of the design and comfort features have trickled down from BMW’s flagship 7 series.
The infotainment system is now a combination of a 12.3-inch display screen as well as a larger 14.9-inch control display. It is now running a new BMW Operating System with QuickSelect menu functionality.
From a driver’s point of view, this large sporty electric sedan has active steering as standard on the i5 range. This new steering wheel is flattened at the lower end and provides haptic feedback for controls.
Pricing in the US of the two variants has been announced which when converted sits at the equivalent of $A102,770 for the i5 eDrive40 meanwhile the i50 M60 xDrive is just under $A130,000.
These are expected to be higher in Australia due to higher on-road costs and luxury car tax.
Australian pricing of the new i5 will be announced closer to the launch.
Full BMW 5-series including the all-electric i5 Specification below
| Variant | 520i | i5 eDrive40 | i5 M60 xDrive |
Standard spec. highlights:
|
Additional over 520i:
|
Additional over i5 eDrive40:
^No cost option |
2024 BMW 5 Series line-up at a glance
| Model | 520i | i5 eDrive40 | i5 M60 xDrive |
| Power unit | 2.0L 4-Cyl
TwinPower Turbo Petrol |
Battery electric with fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology | Battery electric with fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology |
| Drive | Rear | Rear | All (xDrive) |
| Power (kW) | 153 | 250 | 442 |
| Torque (Nm) | 330 | 430 | 820 |
| HV battery (kWh) | 84 | 84 | |
| 0-100km/h (sec) | 7.5 | 6.0 | 3.8 |
| Consumption | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| EV range (WLTP) | 582km | 516km |
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.