BMW electrifies the 5 Series. The BMW i5 will soon be on the streets, and we have recently spotted a test car on test drives.
After the i4, it was only a matter of time before BMW also donated an electric version to its mid-range sedan. This is then called the BMW i5, and it was discovered still heavily camouflaged. We tell you what is known so far.
- BMW i5 spotted on a test drive
- Presentation planned for 2023
- 700 hp M version possible
- Builds on 2nd generation CLAR platform
- Puristic interior similar to the i4 and iX
In the future, the i5 will compete with the already presented Mercedes EQE and the upcoming Audi A6 e-Tron.
Exterior design
You don’t see much yet. The i5 is still very heavily camouflaged, which indicates that the vehicle is still in a very early stage of development. The proportions can still be seen. And what you recognize reminds you a lot of the classic 5 Series. So at BMW, even with the electric version, the usual sedan look will be more closely followed than rival Mercedes does with the EQE.
Of course, a lot of sensors are hidden under the camouflage and as far as assistance and safety systems are concerned, the i5 will probably be in no way inferior to the 7 Series.
Engines and technical data
The iX could already have shown which engines we can expect in the i5 because both models use fifth-generation eDrive technology. Specifically, this means that we could probably see an i5 eDrive40 and an i5 xDrive50 at the market launch that should produce 340 and more than 500 hp.
The range could be up to 600 kilometers and it is to be expected that further versions of the BMW i5 will come onto the market in the coming years, which offer even more range and could also be even sportier. We are of course talking about an M version that would scold the BMW i5 M60 and is already set. It is not yet clear whether there will be an electric alternative to the full-fledged M5.
BMW i5 Price & start of sales
The BMW i5 is expected to be presented in 2023. Until then, there is still a lot to be done and what the electric sedan could cost is therefore not entirely foreseeable.