2023
Automatic
Tax: £0
Mileage: 1,778
Electric
Mileage: 2,979
Mileage: 8,801
Mileage: 11,200
Other
Mileage: 10
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It wasn't long ago that BMW's full-electric i range was dependent on a single model, the i3. But now that's gone, to be replaced by a whole portfolio of (unfortunately much pricier) models, with mainstream offerings based around the iX1 and iX3 SUVs and the mid-sized i4. In the luxury segment, BMW has the iX crossover, the i7 boardroom-level luxury saloon and, to slot directly under that latter model, this car, the i5. Lots of other BMW EVs are planned of course, as the i sub-brand gradually takes over the Munich maker's range. As the i5 badge suggests, this is an all-electric take on the eighth generation G60 design 5 Series. In other words, the fundamentals of this car's architecture weren't specifically designed for an EV, which immediately puts the i5 on the back foot against its most obvious rival, the bespoke-designed Mercedes EQE. But the CLAR platform in use here has been evolved very much with full-battery power in mind and the stats from its 81.2kWh battery certainly look class-competitive. Will it all be enough for this BMW to get a foothold in the fledgling sector for large executive models with EV power? Let's see.
A decade ago with the i3, BMW showed just how innovative and ground-breaking it could be in designing an EV from a completely clean sheet of paper. Despite the brand's quickly proliferating range of electric vehicles, we're still really waiting for a follow-up to the ground-breaking EV ethos of that car and we don't have it here. This i5 though, like the Munich maker's other current i models, shows just how effective an EV package it can create from shared combustion-derived underpinnings. It's a pity you can't have it with the larger battery from the i7, but otherwise it takes just about everything we liked from that car (which was a lot) and offers it in a slightly more accessible package. It's certainly a formula executives will feel a little easier transitioning into than a rival Mercedes EQE. In the future, BMW will have to stretch itself a little more with EVs in this class. But now, this i5 might be exactly what the brand needs in this growing segment.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.
