► BMW i5 Touring departs
► After 9000 miles here’s our verdict
► But there’s one big problem
With just over 9000 miles covered in the BMW, I feel I’ve really got under its skin and beyond its £94,995 price tag to comment on the good, bad and ugly of i5 ownership. But what would a trio of 5-series newbies make of this car?
Lucy Wilson is head of Chichester-based interior design studio Walnutblue. Her daily drive is a much-loved leased Mazda CX-30 that has to cover both her work and private transport requirements. Walking around the i5 her design radar immediately singles out its plasticky nose and 21-inch alloys for criticism.
‘I really dislike all that black shiny plastic around the grille, and those wheels look like they’ll be a kerbing nightmare in carpark.’ Not a good start, and things don’t improve from the driver’s seat. ‘It’s so much smaller in here than I expected. Sure, the boot is a decent size, but I don’t think my three teenagers would find it comfortable in the back.’
Accustomed to her CX-30’s analogue and button-laden instruments and controls, she finds the i5’s screen-filled cockpit a challenging environment. ‘It feels like there’s a lot of technology crammed in here, and I’d question how much would I actually use every day.’
Out on the road, Lucy falls for the i5’s winning combination of performance, refinement and dynamism. ‘It feels impressively robust and solid doesn’t it? Very sophisticated and silent on the move, with a ride quality that’s much smoother and quieter than my Mazda. For a big car it’s pretty impressive through the corners and there’s plenty of punch, too. Pity that bonnet is so long, though, because it makes the cameras a necessity for junctions and parking.’
So a mixed bag then, but it’s the BMW’s cost and range that put’s Lucy firmly in the nice-but-no camp. ‘I just don’t see how I could ever justify over £1200 a month for a car that struggles to get more than 220 miles on a full charge, no matter how lovely it is to drive.’
Adrian Cocks – electrician, plumber and chartered mechanical engineer – runs Blueberry Bathrooms. He loves his cars – there’s a million-mile Yaris for local trips, an immaculate Discovery 4 for family work, and a fastidiously maintained 2013 Aston Martin Vantage lurking at the back of his garage. Like Lucy, the cost of the i5 floors Adrian.
‘As someone who has always purchased secondhand cars, the price of this is absolutely eye-watering. It might work for senior management on a company’s car fleet, but it’s beyond the reach of most. That aside, it’s lovely to drive, with none of the turbo lag I have in the Discovery, or having to drop two or three gears in the Aston. In this you just rocket along, with more than enough smooth and seamless acceleration, and probably a bit too much with the Boost paddle in action. It was very easy to just get in and drive once the seat and steering wheel positions were sorted. But 200-odd miles between recharges – it may be cheap to run but you pay for the privilege.’
Buttons, or lack of them, come in for a pasting from Adrian, too. ‘Switches are tactile and easy to find on a dashboard or centre console without taking yours eyes off the road. But trying to find a small icon on a flat, smooth screen an arm-stretch away can only be achieved by looking at where your hand is on the screen. It’s just not safe.’
Justin Bosanquet is a news editor at BFBS Forces News, and took the EV plunge back in 2020 with the purchase of a 2018 Nissan Leaf. He then sold the family Mercedes B-Class and replaced it with a spanking new MG ZS EV. So would an i5 be next on his list? ‘Not at this price,’ is the blunt reply. ‘Our 24kWh Leaf gives us 85 miles but this BMW has an 81.2kWh battery and only returns 220 miles – so why would I pay big money for no technological advancement in range? Look, it’s a pleasure to drive because it’s quick and punchy, it rides very well and you can really chuck it into the corners. But it’s also pretty tight in the cabin for such a long and wide car, its gauges are unappealing and hard to read, and even to someone accustomed to driving electric cars, I found the onboard tech hard to access and somewhat intimidating. It’s a sporty and handsome thing to look at, but that fake plastic grille is not a good look, I was amazed at the large empty space under the bonnet and thought the rear seats should fold flat. Seems like there are just too many fundamental compromises here for my liking.’
His impressions chime exactly with mine. My six-month take on the i5? It’s an incongruous combination of true excellence, ho-hum mediocrity and swear-out-loud frustration. Not quite what I was expecting from a BMW at this price point.
Logbook BMW i5 Touring: month 7
Price: £78,450 (£94,995 as tested)
Performance: 81.2kWh battery, e-motor, 340bhp 6.1 seconds 0-62mph, 120mph
Efficiency: 3.7 miles per kWh (official) 2.7 miles per kWh (tested)
Range:
Energy cost:3.5p per mile
Miles this month: 2015
Total miles: 9199
Count the cost
Cost new £94,995
Part Exchange £53,718
Cost per mile 3.5p
Cost per mile including depreciation £4.53