BMW electrifies 5 Series with powerful i5 electric sedan

BMW will roll out at least four variants of the all-electric i5 midsize sedan as it expands drivetrains as part of a redesign of the eighth-generation 5 Series family.

The i5, which will compete against luxury battery-electric cars including the Mercedes EQE, was unveiled Wednesday along with a combustion engine sibling, the 2024 5 Series sedan.

The retooled sedan is 3.4 inches longer, 1.3 inches wider and 1.4 inches taller than the outgoing model, with a wheelbase increased by 0.8 inches to 117.9 inches, helping to improve seating comfort, notably in the rear, BMW said.   

The battery-electric i5 variants will be:

• The i5 M60 xDrive sedan, which will become the flagship 5 Series model with 590 hp and a 0-to-60 mph acceleration time of 3.7 seconds and 256 miles of range.
• The entry i5 eDrive40 rear-wheel-drive sedan, with 335 hp and 295 miles of range.
• An i5 station wagon to be sold in Europe.
• An all-wheel-drive i5 sedan model that will launch in 2024.

The retooled 5 Series and new i5 sedan, assembled in Dingolfing, Germany, will go on sale globally in October, BMW said.

The 5 series, dating to 1972, is a core model in BMW's U.S. car lineup. It was the No. 2 seller, after the Lexus ES, among luxury midsize cars in 2022, with sales of 20,859, down 15 percent.

The 2024 i5 has an 84.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a driving range of 296 to 361 miles under Europe’s WLTP testing regime.

The charging unit in the i5 enables Level 2 AC charging up to 11 kW. When connected to a DC fast charger, the charging rate of 205 kW allows the i5 battery to be topped off to 80 percent from 10 percent in about 30 minutes. BMW said first-time owners of the i5 will receive two years of complimentary 30-minute charging sessions at Electrify America DC fast-charging locations.

The i5’s range can be also moderated by activating a new drive system function, what BMW is calling Max Range, to help alleviate range anxiety. When the car is in Max Range mode, drive power and top speed are restricted and comfort functions are adjusted to conserve battery power.

The i5 is part of BMW’s broader technology push with the latest 5 Series, which features new infotainment, advanced driving systems and connected services aimed to position the car as a high-tech rival to the latest Mercedes E-Class.

The 5 Series and i5 have a curved display across the top of the dashboard that incorporates a 12.3-inch screen in front of the driver and a 14.9-inch touchscreen in the center of the dashboard.

BMW said that occupants can now watch YouTube videos on the screen when the car is stationary, providing they have optioned the right connectivity package. They can also play games thanks to a tie-up with gaming platform AirConsole.

Running below and to the side of the display is an Interaction Bar combining touch-sensitive controls and lights that can be animated to give messages, for example to indicate an incoming phone call or show when it’s safe to open the door.

BMW said it reduced interior buttons on the car, but retained those needed “for fast and intuitive operation,” according to a statement.

Advanced driving assistance available on the 5 Series and i5 includes what the company calls the Active Lane Change Assistant, which suggests overtaking opportunities during multilane highway driving that are confirmed by the driver looking in the exterior mirror. BMW said this feature will launch first in Germany, the U.S. and Canada.

In addition, an optional Highway Assistant allows attentive hands-free driving at up to 85 mph.

Other available features include Parking Assistant Plus, which stores the steering movements when driven forward, which the car can then repeat in reverse for up to roughly 164 feet.

Drivers can also control parking maneuvers outside the vehicle using the My BMW app for iPhone.

All the new 5 Series models will be electrified with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology on the 520i four-cylinder gasoline engine, the more powerful 530i with the same engine and the 520d four-cylinder diesel. A six-cylinder diesel will follow in 2024, BMW said.

All combustion engine models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Two plug-in hybrid models will also join the lineup in 2024 with an electric range of up to 62 miles, BMW said.

The 530e will use a four-cylinder 2.0-liter gasoline engine while the BMW 550e gets an upgrade to a 3.0-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine.
 

The latest generation of BMW's 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine features updated turbo technology with an exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head. In the BMW 530i and 530i xDrive, the engine produces 255 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque, an increases of 7 hp and 38 pound-feet.

The 530i will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, BMW said, while all-wheel-drive traction lowers 0 to 60 mph timing to 5.8 seconds on the 530i xDrive.
 
The 3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine in the 540i XDrive generates maximum output of 375 hp, an increase of 40 hp over the outgoing model. BMW said maximum torque increases by 52 pound-feet to 384 and can be boosted to 398 pound-feet with extra power from the 48-volt mild hybrid system. The 540i xDrive has a 0-to-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds.

BMW said trunk space is 520 liters on the combustion engine sedan models while the i5’s trunk has a 490-liter capacity.

BMW said pricing, including $995 for destination, will start at $58,895 for the 530i; $61,195 for the 530i xDrive; $67,795 for the i5 eDrive4; $65,895 for the 540i xDrive and $85,095 for the i5 M60 xDrive.

Production of the 540i xDrive is slated to start in November.