Five for the fighting

BMW's electric i5 may just be the first electric car that retains the 5s brand ethos more than its ICE counterpart. We find out if its possibly the best 5-series on sale right now

- Dipayan Dutta

The new BMW i5 M60 xDrive is not a car that announces its presence with the lack of subtlety of a performance EV. No sci-fi minimalism, no tortured design gimmicks to hammer home its electric credentials. It looks like a 5 Series. It drives like a 5 Series. And in a strange, almost poetic twist, it might just be the most typical 5 Series of the bunch.

Because, while the G60-generation 5 Series range gets larger, softer, and more business-casual in its ICE variants, it’s the electric i5 M60 that sharpens the focus back on what made the badge iconic to begin with. This is not a M5-lite, nor is it a gimmicky future-forward commuter with a swollen kidney grille. This is a properly fast, genuinely engaging, impressively well-balanced executive car with a real streak of Munich DNA baked deep into its battery pack. Let’s get into it.

BMW hasn't reinvented the wheel with the i5’s styling, and thank heavens for that. The M60 version gets the usual sprinkling of sportier touches — gloss black elements, larger air intakes, M-specific mirrors, optional illuminated grille (if you're into that sort of thing), and 20-inch alloys that fill the arches with proper intent.

It’s still recognisably a 5 Series. Yes, it’s bigger than the outgoing model (the G30), but proportionally it’s well-resolved and doesn’t scream “EV platform” the way some of its rivals do. It’s less shouty than an iX, more purposeful than an EQE, and less slab-sided than the Audi A6 e-tron promises to be. The rear is particularly clean, with thin LED tail lamps and a tidy bumper that hides the lack of exhaust pipes with surprising grace.