BMW i5 - Any experience?
Discussion
Anyone have any real world experience in running one?
We are looking at getting a new i5 Touring 40 through my wife's company lease scheme as she gets a very healthy car allowance.
She currently has a BMW 220 Grand Sport. Great car with about 28K on the clock.
I have a previous gen Merc C300 Estate coming up on 60K miles.
Wife's commute is around 50 miles a day. I work from home 4 days a week and also have a 50 mile round trip when I'm in the office.
The plan would be for the i5 to replace my car as our main family car but my wife would use it to commute in the week and then we'd also use it as the main car in the evenings and on the weekends. I'd use the 220 as a daily as I only do short local trips and one commute a week.
Real world range on the i5 seems to be around 275-300 which should be plenty for 95% of our trips. The longest we do is down to Cornwall once or twice a year and usually stop at the services for at least half an hour anyway so no biggie to stick on a quick charge.
Interested in any real world experiences of running these as a main car (or the i4 40 as that's the same set up)
Thanks
We are looking at getting a new i5 Touring 40 through my wife's company lease scheme as she gets a very healthy car allowance.
She currently has a BMW 220 Grand Sport. Great car with about 28K on the clock.
I have a previous gen Merc C300 Estate coming up on 60K miles.
Wife's commute is around 50 miles a day. I work from home 4 days a week and also have a 50 mile round trip when I'm in the office.
The plan would be for the i5 to replace my car as our main family car but my wife would use it to commute in the week and then we'd also use it as the main car in the evenings and on the weekends. I'd use the 220 as a daily as I only do short local trips and one commute a week.
Real world range on the i5 seems to be around 275-300 which should be plenty for 95% of our trips. The longest we do is down to Cornwall once or twice a year and usually stop at the services for at least half an hour anyway so no biggie to stick on a quick charge.
Interested in any real world experiences of running these as a main car (or the i4 40 as that's the same set up)
Thanks
I’ve had one for almost 18 months now, and done a little under 30,000 miles. Usually charged at home but I do occasionally use fast chargers. I don’t plan, just follow what the car says, but generally ignore its first suggested stop because on the routes I do I know where the next one is anyway! Range, like all EVs, is dependant on the type of route and type of driving you do, as well as temperature. In last weeks mild weather, just driving normally around the South Downs (where I live) I was getting 4.2/4.4 miles / kWh, which is roughly bang on its claimed range of 350 miles. I seldom see more than 3.7 miles / kWh at motorway speeds (by which I mean sticking within the 10% plus 2mph to avoid a ticket). In the winter that will only be 3 or so. But, drive it quickly and you’ll get it under 3 very easily…. It’s average over the 18 months is 3.5 miles / kWh, but range and availability of chargers has never been an issue. I just leave it in adaptive regen, which is very relaxing and brakes the car automatically for coroners and other traffic without having to use adaptive cruise (which is an option, and needs one of the tech packs. It should be standard)
I’ve had plenty of iterations of 5 series over the years - E39, F61 x 2, F10, and it does feel, to me, just like a proper 5 series. I had a Model 3 for 9 months a few years ago…while it was more efficient at low speeds the BMW seems better at high speeds and is much more satisfying to drive. Mines relatively low spec - M Sport with 19” wheels and a panoramic roof. Don’t bother with the panoramic roof - it doesn’t open, which I hadn’t released when I ordered it. Standard HK stereo is okay but no more, but it is better than BMW standard systems used to be. The setup in the Merc E class that preceded it was much better. It’s a big car, but you soon get used to it. It’s surprisingly satisfying to hustle along the roads round here, and it’s comfortable. Passengers like the space, the ride and the interior. I see some people moan about the quality of the interior, but to use I don’t find anything wrong with it. In reality it’s better than its predecessors, but the design is not ‘traditional’ BMW The ambient lighting isn’t as configurable as the Mercs was, and neither is the main display in front of the driver, but that’s a first world problem. The voice control stuff is very good, and the clarity of both screens is very good. I’d have another, and had the routing been available at launch would have been my preferred choice. As a family car, I’m not sure that the M Sport version is actually worth the premium over the standard one - you don’t loose out on much stuff and it’s £6k or £7k less. eDrive 40 touring for me, Fire red, the brown/cappuccino interior, one of the upgraded interior trim options and a tech pack would probably do
I’ve had plenty of iterations of 5 series over the years - E39, F61 x 2, F10, and it does feel, to me, just like a proper 5 series. I had a Model 3 for 9 months a few years ago…while it was more efficient at low speeds the BMW seems better at high speeds and is much more satisfying to drive. Mines relatively low spec - M Sport with 19” wheels and a panoramic roof. Don’t bother with the panoramic roof - it doesn’t open, which I hadn’t released when I ordered it. Standard HK stereo is okay but no more, but it is better than BMW standard systems used to be. The setup in the Merc E class that preceded it was much better. It’s a big car, but you soon get used to it. It’s surprisingly satisfying to hustle along the roads round here, and it’s comfortable. Passengers like the space, the ride and the interior. I see some people moan about the quality of the interior, but to use I don’t find anything wrong with it. In reality it’s better than its predecessors, but the design is not ‘traditional’ BMW The ambient lighting isn’t as configurable as the Mercs was, and neither is the main display in front of the driver, but that’s a first world problem. The voice control stuff is very good, and the clarity of both screens is very good. I’d have another, and had the routing been available at launch would have been my preferred choice. As a family car, I’m not sure that the M Sport version is actually worth the premium over the standard one - you don’t loose out on much stuff and it’s £6k or £7k less. eDrive 40 touring for me, Fire red, the brown/cappuccino interior, one of the upgraded interior trim options and a tech pack would probably do
I have the exact car you mentioned i5 Touring 40.
Great car to drive, mine runs the optional large wheels. Range in winter is real 220 miles but most motorway miles at sensible speed. This is in winter, might improve in the summer. My average consumption so far is 2.9.
The touring and larger wheels are less efficient but I didn’t care much the range is enough. I just plug in the destination and go where I need to. Sometimes involves a 10 min top up somewhere on DC charger. All good.
For your use case it’s easy if you can charge at home.
I don’t suffer from range anxiety, these days the car does all the hard work for you. There will be certain uses like a long road trip in remote areas that you may have to plan more but how often will you be doing that. Or if you do 300 plus miles everyday.
Great car imo. I regret not getting the M60 as sometimes it can feel slow (it isn’t that slow) but couldn’t justify the extra cost. The range would have been fine.
Great car to drive, mine runs the optional large wheels. Range in winter is real 220 miles but most motorway miles at sensible speed. This is in winter, might improve in the summer. My average consumption so far is 2.9.
The touring and larger wheels are less efficient but I didn’t care much the range is enough. I just plug in the destination and go where I need to. Sometimes involves a 10 min top up somewhere on DC charger. All good.
For your use case it’s easy if you can charge at home.
I don’t suffer from range anxiety, these days the car does all the hard work for you. There will be certain uses like a long road trip in remote areas that you may have to plan more but how often will you be doing that. Or if you do 300 plus miles everyday.
Great car imo. I regret not getting the M60 as sometimes it can feel slow (it isn’t that slow) but couldn’t justify the extra cost. The range would have been fine.
PSRG said:
I’ve had one for almost 18 months now, and done a little under 30,000 miles. Usually charged at home but I do occasionally use fast chargers. I don’t plan, just follow what the car says, but generally ignore its first suggested stop because on the routes I do I know where the next one is anyway! Range, like all EVs, is dependant on the type of route and type of driving you do, as well as temperature. In last weeks mild weather, just driving normally around the South Downs (where I live) I was getting 4.2/4.4 miles / kWh, which is roughly bang on its claimed range of 350 miles. I seldom see more than 3.7 miles / kWh at motorway speeds (by which I mean sticking within the 10% plus 2mph to avoid a ticket). In the winter that will only be 3 or so. But, drive it quickly and you’ll get it under 3 very easily…. It’s average over the 18 months is 3.5 miles / kWh, but range and availability of chargers has never been an issue. I just leave it in adaptive regen, which is very relaxing and brakes the car automatically for coroners and other traffic without having to use adaptive cruise (which is an option, and needs one of the tech packs. It should be standard)
I’ve had plenty of iterations of 5 series over the years - E39, F61 x 2, F10, and it does feel, to me, just like a proper 5 series. I had a Model 3 for 9 months a few years ago…while it was more efficient at low speeds the BMW seems better at high speeds and is much more satisfying to drive. Mines relatively low spec - M Sport with 19” wheels and a panoramic roof. Don’t bother with the panoramic roof - it doesn’t open, which I hadn’t released when I ordered it. Standard HK stereo is okay but no more, but it is better than BMW standard systems used to be. The setup in the Merc E class that preceded it was much better. It’s a big car, but you soon get used to it. It’s surprisingly satisfying to hustle along the roads round here, and it’s comfortable. Passengers like the space, the ride and the interior. I see some people moan about the quality of the interior, but to use I don’t find anything wrong with it. In reality it’s better than its predecessors, but the design is not ‘traditional’ BMW The ambient lighting isn’t as configurable as the Mercs was, and neither is the main display in front of the driver, but that’s a first world problem. The voice control stuff is very good, and the clarity of both screens is very good. I’d have another, and had the routing been available at launch would have been my preferred choice. As a family car, I’m not sure that the M Sport version is actually worth the premium over the standard one - you don’t loose out on much stuff and it’s £6k or £7k less. eDrive 40 touring for me, Fire red, the brown/cappuccino interior, one of the upgraded interior trim options and a tech pack would probably do
Is yours a touring with the optional larger wheels? If so your consumption is much better than mine!! Then again I only had it since November.I’ve had plenty of iterations of 5 series over the years - E39, F61 x 2, F10, and it does feel, to me, just like a proper 5 series. I had a Model 3 for 9 months a few years ago…while it was more efficient at low speeds the BMW seems better at high speeds and is much more satisfying to drive. Mines relatively low spec - M Sport with 19” wheels and a panoramic roof. Don’t bother with the panoramic roof - it doesn’t open, which I hadn’t released when I ordered it. Standard HK stereo is okay but no more, but it is better than BMW standard systems used to be. The setup in the Merc E class that preceded it was much better. It’s a big car, but you soon get used to it. It’s surprisingly satisfying to hustle along the roads round here, and it’s comfortable. Passengers like the space, the ride and the interior. I see some people moan about the quality of the interior, but to use I don’t find anything wrong with it. In reality it’s better than its predecessors, but the design is not ‘traditional’ BMW The ambient lighting isn’t as configurable as the Mercs was, and neither is the main display in front of the driver, but that’s a first world problem. The voice control stuff is very good, and the clarity of both screens is very good. I’d have another, and had the routing been available at launch would have been my preferred choice. As a family car, I’m not sure that the M Sport version is actually worth the premium over the standard one - you don’t loose out on much stuff and it’s £6k or £7k less. eDrive 40 touring for me, Fire red, the brown/cappuccino interior, one of the upgraded interior trim options and a tech pack would probably do
CrgT16 said:
Is yours a touring with the optional larger wheels? If so your consumption is much better than mine!! Then again I only had it since November.
No, mines 18 months old and is a saloon on 19” wheels. Always used in the adaptive regen setting, and in ‘personal’ or ‘eco’ mode, depending on what colour interior lighting I want 
I’ve done a little under 30k miles, and it still doesn’t want a service until it’s 2 years old. So far I’ve had two new rear tyres, at around 19k miles. I’ve only filled the screen wash up once in 18 months, so it’s very low maintenance. Don’t bother with a maintenance pack would be my advice! 
I’m taking it down through France to Italy in April…so let’s see how that goes. Last time I did that I was in a Merc E350 convertible (the 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol one) and it did about 20% more to the gallon over the 3 or 4,000 miles than it ever did in the UK . I am not expecting a similar gain in this one however…
I’m taking it down through France to Italy in April…so let’s see how that goes. Last time I did that I was in a Merc E350 convertible (the 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol one) and it did about 20% more to the gallon over the 3 or 4,000 miles than it ever did in the UK . I am not expecting a similar gain in this one however…
CrgT16 said:
I have the exact car you mentioned i5 Touring 40.
Great car to drive, mine runs the optional large wheels. Range in winter is real 220 miles but most motorway miles at sensible speed. This is in winter, might improve in the summer. My average consumption so far is 2.9.
The touring and larger wheels are less efficient but I didn’t care much the range is enough. I just plug in the destination and go where I need to. Sometimes involves a 10 min top up somewhere on DC charger. All good.
For your use case it’s easy if you can charge at home.
I don’t suffer from range anxiety, these days the car does all the hard work for you. There will be certain uses like a long road trip in remote areas that you may have to plan more but how often will you be doing that. Or if you do 300 plus miles everyday.
Great car imo. I regret not getting the M60 as sometimes it can feel slow (it isn’t that slow) but couldn’t justify the extra cost. The range would have been fine.
Thanks that’s all good to know. Great car to drive, mine runs the optional large wheels. Range in winter is real 220 miles but most motorway miles at sensible speed. This is in winter, might improve in the summer. My average consumption so far is 2.9.
The touring and larger wheels are less efficient but I didn’t care much the range is enough. I just plug in the destination and go where I need to. Sometimes involves a 10 min top up somewhere on DC charger. All good.
For your use case it’s easy if you can charge at home.
I don’t suffer from range anxiety, these days the car does all the hard work for you. There will be certain uses like a long road trip in remote areas that you may have to plan more but how often will you be doing that. Or if you do 300 plus miles everyday.
Great car imo. I regret not getting the M60 as sometimes it can feel slow (it isn’t that slow) but couldn’t justify the extra cost. The range would have been fine.
Yes we will have a charger at home. Wife also has them in work so home charging should be minimal.
I've also got a 40 touring.
Posted a few snaps in another i5 thread that was milling about a little while back.
Nearly 5 months in and just shy of 5K. Like the above i have the 20 inch wheels and my consumption in the depths of winter has been 2.8-3 but I have done a few 200+ mile trips recently in the slightly spring weather and did 3.6-3.8. It is a solid 220 mile car in Winter and I think it will be way more in Summer.
As a car to live with and daily, I think it is utterly superb. The cabin gets a bit of stick for cost cutting and there has been some but then it is stunning in a lot of areas.
For long tripe it really is fine. Ionity chargers are the ones as they plug and charge with the i5 no need to even tap a card or use an app etc.
I MIGHT have expected a tiny bit more room in the back given its size, I had passengers in the back and they have commented that there is a lot of space back there and always have loads of room, but for over 5m long - is it THAT roomy? I don't think it is, but a minor gripe.
it is a long car and it pokes out of parking spaces etc. I don't have an issue parking it, but the 3D surround/birdseye cameras earn their keep.
Posted a few snaps in another i5 thread that was milling about a little while back.
Nearly 5 months in and just shy of 5K. Like the above i have the 20 inch wheels and my consumption in the depths of winter has been 2.8-3 but I have done a few 200+ mile trips recently in the slightly spring weather and did 3.6-3.8. It is a solid 220 mile car in Winter and I think it will be way more in Summer.
As a car to live with and daily, I think it is utterly superb. The cabin gets a bit of stick for cost cutting and there has been some but then it is stunning in a lot of areas.
For long tripe it really is fine. Ionity chargers are the ones as they plug and charge with the i5 no need to even tap a card or use an app etc.
I MIGHT have expected a tiny bit more room in the back given its size, I had passengers in the back and they have commented that there is a lot of space back there and always have loads of room, but for over 5m long - is it THAT roomy? I don't think it is, but a minor gripe.
it is a long car and it pokes out of parking spaces etc. I don't have an issue parking it, but the 3D surround/birdseye cameras earn their keep.
PSRG said:
I’m taking it down through France to Italy in April…so let’s see how that goes. Last time I did that I was in a Merc E350 convertible (the 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol one) and it did about 20% more to the gallon over the 3 or 4,000 miles than it ever did in the UK . I am not expecting a similar gain in this one however…
Would love to read a write-up of your trip when you get back - sounds great 
We last did a similar trip a few years ago in my old E92 M3 and it was fantastic!
SDK said:
My only dislike on the i5 is that it isn't a pure EV platform.
This means there are compromises, e.g. no flat floor front & rear, which means I'll wait for the full ground up EV design.
I agree, added to this the penny pinching cost saving means it's not as good an EV as I expected. (and I came form a Tesal model 3 This means there are compromises, e.g. no flat floor front & rear, which means I'll wait for the full ground up EV design.
)I've just collected my new i5 M60 Touring.
There were some unbelievable lease deals on them for BCH, not sure how your company lease scheme works but if it's a 'free choice' type arrangement then this could also be an option? I went for the M60 as the spec was far higher and the price difference was, relatively speaking, small.
So far I love it, I originally overlooked it due to the lower range and charging speed vs other EV's, however after test driving it the ride and cabin quality won me over. It's such a comfortable place to be and the technology is brilliant. Although its max charge speed is 'only' 220kWh, its real world charge curve appears to be very good, certainly better than I expected and far superior to my outgoing Volvo XC40, which on paper had a similar max rate but never got anywhere near it.
Mine has the M Professional suspension (air) and the ride is brilliant. I'm on the slightly smaller wheels which I think are 20's, which helps with range and comfort. The 'Veganza' (vegan leather) is actually really nice, and although I was skeptical at first I don't think it's worth upgrading to nappa leather - I have no complaints with it at all and it seems to be harder wearing that the natural stuff.
I'm not sure what's standard vs optional on the various models and mine has the Ultimate Pack so I'm really spoiled, however I've found lots of features that I really like, including the auto parking feature (never thought I'd use it, but now often do), the intelligent radar cruise control is genuinely so, certainly far better than other systems I've had, and the autonomous steering and lane changing works well.
I've probably not had it long enough to find things to annoy me yet, as so far I'm super happy with it. The only slight downside I've found is the B&W sound system isn't as good as I'd expected and lacks low end. I've read this is because the EV sacrifices the under seat subs from the ICE car. It's standard in the M60 but probably not worth the upgrade cost in the standard i5 if you were considering it.
Lastly, it's properly fast, but that sort of goes without saying.
There were some unbelievable lease deals on them for BCH, not sure how your company lease scheme works but if it's a 'free choice' type arrangement then this could also be an option? I went for the M60 as the spec was far higher and the price difference was, relatively speaking, small.
So far I love it, I originally overlooked it due to the lower range and charging speed vs other EV's, however after test driving it the ride and cabin quality won me over. It's such a comfortable place to be and the technology is brilliant. Although its max charge speed is 'only' 220kWh, its real world charge curve appears to be very good, certainly better than I expected and far superior to my outgoing Volvo XC40, which on paper had a similar max rate but never got anywhere near it.
Mine has the M Professional suspension (air) and the ride is brilliant. I'm on the slightly smaller wheels which I think are 20's, which helps with range and comfort. The 'Veganza' (vegan leather) is actually really nice, and although I was skeptical at first I don't think it's worth upgrading to nappa leather - I have no complaints with it at all and it seems to be harder wearing that the natural stuff.
I'm not sure what's standard vs optional on the various models and mine has the Ultimate Pack so I'm really spoiled, however I've found lots of features that I really like, including the auto parking feature (never thought I'd use it, but now often do), the intelligent radar cruise control is genuinely so, certainly far better than other systems I've had, and the autonomous steering and lane changing works well.
I've probably not had it long enough to find things to annoy me yet, as so far I'm super happy with it. The only slight downside I've found is the B&W sound system isn't as good as I'd expected and lacks low end. I've read this is because the EV sacrifices the under seat subs from the ICE car. It's standard in the M60 but probably not worth the upgrade cost in the standard i5 if you were considering it.
Lastly, it's properly fast, but that sort of goes without saying.
SDK said:
My only dislike on the i5 is that it isn't a pure EV platform.
This means there are compromises, e.g. no flat floor front & rear, which means I'll wait for the full ground up EV design.
I hear this a lot and I did cross shop the i5 and the iX which at the time was pre facelift. - the 40 models of each the i5 was more powerful with a bigger battery and better efficiency.This means there are compromises, e.g. no flat floor front & rear, which means I'll wait for the full ground up EV design.
The 40 iX is now the 45 so has changed slightly, but really the i5 just has a transmission tunnel in the back. Is this really a huge deal?
If you look at the A6 Etron it is a ground up EV platform and really does not have any clear benefits over the i5, likewise the Macan, it isn't night and day in terms of efficiency. It is just a frunk and flat floor in the middle of the back - I really don't notice it day to day. The Touring does have underboot storage for cables and things.
To be honest I actually love how in the i5 you sit down low with legroom, the center console and door card as armrests. The driving position is pure 5 Series!
patch5674 said:
I hear this a lot and I did cross shop the i5 and the iX which at the time was pre facelift. - the 40 models of each the i5 was more powerful with a bigger battery and better efficiency.
The 40 iX is now the 45 so has changed slightly, but really the i5 just has a transmission tunnel in the back. Is this really a huge deal?
If you look at the A6 Etron it is a ground up EV platform and really does not have any clear benefits over the i5, likewise the Macan, it isn't night and day in terms of efficiency. It is just a frunk and flat floor in the middle of the back - I really don't notice it day to day. The Touring does have underboot storage for cables and things.
To be honest I actually love how in the i5 you sit down low with legroom, the center console and door card as armrests. The driving position is pure 5 Series!
I think it's a shared platform combined with cost saving.The 40 iX is now the 45 so has changed slightly, but really the i5 just has a transmission tunnel in the back. Is this really a huge deal?
If you look at the A6 Etron it is a ground up EV platform and really does not have any clear benefits over the i5, likewise the Macan, it isn't night and day in terms of efficiency. It is just a frunk and flat floor in the middle of the back - I really don't notice it day to day. The Touring does have underboot storage for cables and things.
To be honest I actually love how in the i5 you sit down low with legroom, the center console and door card as armrests. The driving position is pure 5 Series!
No front "frunk" for cables. Having underboot storage for cables is a real pain if you have anything in the boot already.
Huge (I assume wasted space) t/m tunnel with a very limited amount of storage for stuff.
Both of these could have been fixed with a small extra cost.
Compared with things like single wireless phone charger, no door bin rubber liners, etc just take the shine of a bit for me.
I agree the no frunk is a bit odd given the bonnet is enormous. It can fit a V8 or be 'nothing' in the case of the i5 40.
The center console does have a storage bin in it, could it be bigger or have a cavity under the gear selector bit? Maybe?
The door bins don't bother me, When I really try hard to get annoyed - I actually think the lowish quality of the indicator and wiper stalks is far more annoying (I have previously had an F40 1 series and the stalks were higher quality) and the lack of door sill plates. They are the cost cuts that wind me up.
I suppose for me it just doesn't really register. I think I am in the, "it is a big lovely BMW which happens to be an EV" camp.
It is a bit odd that the i4 gets a bit of an easier ride in terms of it also being a shared platform, but being one of the best selling EV's in the UK.
I suspect it's because it doesn't have the lineage and heritage of the 5 series maybe, despite being a sshhpporrtty body on a 3 series shell and shared platform.
But for the OP, overall I think it is a really lovely way to get around and to live with.
The center console does have a storage bin in it, could it be bigger or have a cavity under the gear selector bit? Maybe?
The door bins don't bother me, When I really try hard to get annoyed - I actually think the lowish quality of the indicator and wiper stalks is far more annoying (I have previously had an F40 1 series and the stalks were higher quality) and the lack of door sill plates. They are the cost cuts that wind me up.
I suppose for me it just doesn't really register. I think I am in the, "it is a big lovely BMW which happens to be an EV" camp.
It is a bit odd that the i4 gets a bit of an easier ride in terms of it also being a shared platform, but being one of the best selling EV's in the UK.
I suspect it's because it doesn't have the lineage and heritage of the 5 series maybe, despite being a sshhpporrtty body on a 3 series shell and shared platform.
But for the OP, overall I think it is a really lovely way to get around and to live with.
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