Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Keep your i on this BMW

The brand’s beloved sedan has now gone electric. The i5 M60 has a sci-fi roar and razor-sharp graphics. It’s worth the hype

When BMW decided to electrify the 5-Series, we knew the outcome was going to be interesting. After all, this is the carmaker that gave us the iconic M5—a V8-powered sledgehammer that rewrote the rulebook for performance sedans. Enter the i5, all-electric, wearing an M badge. This M60 version, which costs ₹1.2 crore, has 600 horsepower and nearly 800 Nm of torque. It’s clearly gunning for supercar status. But can the EV carry the soul of its petrol-burning predecessors?

The BMW i5 M60 is a fascinating beast that lives up to its petrol-burning predecessors.

The i5 looks like it means business. The kidney grille is now illuminated. Some might argue it’s more Netflix logo than classic Bavarian, but it looks futuristic.

Step inside, and you’re greeted by twin-screens: A 12.3-inch display for the instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch one for the infotainment. They’re both razor sharp, with stunning graphics. The Digital Art mode turns the screens into mini art-galleries. It’s all good until you try to adjust the AC, and must plod through submenus and swiping sliders instead of simple dials. Seems like BMW engineers got a bit carried away. Thankfully, the iDrive controller is still here, like an old friend.

Inside, the iDrive controller is still there, like an old friend amid a sea of shiny new tech.

The back seat is where the i5 shows its roots—or rather, the limitations of its shared CLAR platform. A chunky transmission tunnel eats into foot space. Legroom and headroom are decent, but the low seating position and knees-up stance make it less than ideal for chauffeured rides. It’s a driver’s car through and through.

Around town, the i5 is deceptively calm. It’s whisper-quiet, gliding through traffic effortlessly. It soaks up potholes like a seasoned executive car should. But hit an open road, activate the “e-Boost” paddle, and all hell breaks loose.

Flooring the accelerator means getting shoved back into your seat as 600 electric horses ‘volt’ into action. The sound—an artificial, spaceship-like whoosh composed by Hans Zimmer—adds a sci-fi vibe to the experience. Is it a V8 symphony? Nope. But it’s wild, different, and oddly addictive.

Around town, the i5 M60 glides through traffic effortlessly. On open roads, all hell breaks loose.

For a car that weighs 2.4 tonnes, the i5 hides its bulk. But there are some quirks. The ‘torque steer’ on uneven roads can be a handful, reminding you that 800 Nm is no joke. With a real-world range of around 300 km (when driven hard) range anxiety is an issue. Plus, with no spare tyre in the boot, venturing too far from home feels risky. Low ground clearance is another problem. You’ll struggle with large speed-breakers.

The BMW i5 M60 is a fascinating beast. It’s not trying to replicate the old V8 M5—how could it? Instead, it’s carving out its own niche, blending stellar performance with cutting-edge tech and an unmistakable electric vibe.

From HT Brunch, November 23, 2024

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