THE NEW BMW 5-SERIES IS HERE WITH THE ALL-ELECTRIC BMW I5 M60 XDRIVE AS TOP SPEC
BMW’s 5 Series has long been the company’s executive offering, appealing to all types of car people, business people and people just wanting to show the world that they’ve made it. The saloon has always had a good recipe, and the range-topping flagship has always been something with an M badge on the back, but with the all-new 5 Series that’s just been revealed, there’s one rather notable change - the top dog in the fight is the BMW i5 M60 xDrive, and it’s a fully electric car. The BMW i5 M60 xDrive is powered by a pair of highly integrated electric motors - one attached to the front wheels and one to the rear allowing a decent total of 442 kW (601 hp) to be spread to all four wheels as an electric all-wheel drive system. The torque generated from this all-electric setup is rated at 820 Nm when M Sport Boost or the M Launch Control function is used. This enables means the larger, new BMW i5 M60 is able to rocket from a standstill to the 100 km/h benchmark in as little as 3.8 seconds. That’s mighty impressive. One thing that does seem a little lacking is the top speed. It’s not terrible, but for an M-badged model being electronically limited to 230 km/h (143 mph) seems a little low. Sure it can get there very fast, but even my 20-year-old GTi can do better. That said, this is BMW who is well-known for adding in extra charges and has been in the news recently for offering up what should be normal car features for an annual subscription fee, may offer up some sort of driver’s package to unlock a higher speed.
In addition to the efficient electric motors, the latest version of adaptive recuperation and an intelligent combination of heat pump technology for heating and cooling the interior, drive and high-voltage battery help contribute to the long-range offered up by the car, which is a pretty decent 455 - 516 kilometres (282 - 320 miles) for the range-topping BMW i5 M60 xDrive. Incidentally, the lower spec i5 eDrive40 is capable of 497 - 582 kilometres (309 - 361 miles). The new MAX RANGE function can be increased by up to 25 % if needed by actively limiting power and speed as well as deactivating comfort functions. Styling on the new 5 Series is great, a lot more exclusive-looking and we think it's one of the best-looking incarnations of the 5 Series to date, well besides the E39 M5 - there is no better 5 Series. The new edition has grown in length by 97 mm, in width by 32 mm and in height by 36 mm, along with a 20 mm longer wheelbase. The twin headlights and iconic kidney grille have the perfect proportions - luckily. The new grille that actually projects far forward can be highlighted with BMW Iconic Glow contour lighting. The aesthetics can be enhanced with the optional M Sport Package and the M Sport Package Pro. For a bit more ‘look at me’ there are already three BMW Individual paint finishes available for the car, and that may increase as the production run makes more headway. Another interesting thing about the new 5 Series is the fully vegan interior. Newly designed sports seats are standard equipment, in a weird twist the comfort seats are an option. The surfaces of the seats, the dashboard and the door panels, as well as the steering wheel, are vegan. Optional equipment includes BMW Individual Merino leather for those who don’t hug trees.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the folk at BMW M that features a walkaround of the all-new BMW 5 Series range-topper, the fully-electric i5 M60 xDrive. Times certainly have changed when a long-established automaker gives the highest run on the model range ladder to a fully-electric EV, but after seeing the video, it does make sense: THE NEW i5 M60 xDRIVE. Walk-around | BMW M
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Cars BMW M M Performance M60 XDrive BMW i5 M60 xDrive All-Electric Electric SXdrv 5 Series BMW