BMW i5 M60 Review: Luxury EV with A Balance of Performance and Range

BMW i5 M60 Review: BMW Group India recently launched the electric version of the 5 Series, the i5, in India. The company also introduced the global model, the i5 M60, in India. The i5 M60 has a similar styling as the regular 5 Series. It comes with bold styling, luxurious interiors, and a stellar performance from its dual motor setup. It offers features such as a panoramic moonroof, rear-axle steering, four-zone climate control, and more.

Additionally, the i5 M60 comes with a paddle shifter (boost mode), two wireless chargers, three displays (infotainment display, instrument cluster, and a heads-up display), four pieces of crystal, five headrests, six type-C charger ports, seven driving modes, and eight AC vents on offer. The BMW i5 M60 competes with the Audi E-Tron and Porsche Panamera in its segment.

We recently got our hands on the BMW i5 M60 and took it for a spin around the city and highway, testing its range, performance, comfort, and features. Here are our thoughts on whether or not the BMW I5 M60 is worth every dime it demands. Let’s get started!

BMW i5 M60 Price:

The price of the BMW i5 M60 starts at Rs 1.19 crore (ex-showroom) for the xDrive variant. BMW offers it in a single variant and single battery pack option in India.

BMW i5 M60 Exterior Design:

The exterior design of the BMW i5 M60 is bold with aggressive front profile. It is similar to its petrol counterpart, the regular 5 Series. Since the BMW i5 M60 is an electric vehicle, it misses the front storage space inside the bonnet. There is a battery management system placed and has no space on offer.

The i5 M60 comes with a closed grill, but since it is an M car, it gets a subtle ‘M’ badge on the grill. Talking about the lights, the BMW i5 M60 gets an all-LED setup for the headlights and there is illumination around the kidney grill as well. On our night experience, the throw of these headlights was great. It has a wide throw and illumination in the pitch dark was not an issue.

Lower down, there are sharp cuts and creases and air vents are present for better aerodynamics.

Coming to the side, the length of the BMW i5 M60 is 5,060mm, has a width of 1,900mm and is 1,505mm tall. The ground clearance is extremely low, with just 136mm. On big speed breakers, you have to be careful as the underbody of the car can get scrapped. It runs on 20-inch low-profile tyres and since it is an M car, it comes with red disc brake callipers.

Some other M bits on the i5 M60 are the ORVMs with aerodynamic cuts. Carbon fiber treatment on the ORVMs is an optional accessory. The BMW i5 M60 gets the ‘5’ embossing on multiple areas.

At the rear, the design of the BMW i5 M60 is similar to its petrol counterpart. The LED taillamps are similar to the regular 5 Series on offer. The indicators could have been offered with a dynamic swipe function. Talking about the boot space, there is ample space present inside. It misses on a spare tyre and gets a puncture repair tool kit. Since BMW offers the i5 M50 as an electric performance sedan, the rear has a diffuser treatment, enhancing the sporty aesthetics.

Also Read: Mahindra XUV 3XO Review: Feature Loaded SUV with Better Boot Space

BMW i5 M60 Interiors:

As we step inside the BMW i5 M60, we’ll share the rear seat experience first. As BMW offers the i5 M60 with a short wheelbase as compared to the regular 5 Series with LWB, the space at the rear is limited. You sit low and tall passengers can feel a bit short in space. To pamper the rear seat passengers, there are individual zones for each person to set the climate and two USB type-C chargers.  

The rear seats of the i5 miss on rear seat entertainment, which can be opted as an optional accessory. Another omission that we felt at the rear was the lack of sunblinds and recline function. If present, it could have elevated the rear seat experience.

Now let us come to the front and discuss the dashboard and front seats. The BMW i5 M60 has a similar layout of the dashboard as the petrol counterpart. It comes with a 14.9-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. These screens are tilted towards the driver for a better experience.

Since BMW India offers the i5 in an M60 variant, the dashboard gets carbon-fiber treatment. The AC vents are hidden neatly and get physical touch controls for the air conditioning system. To elevate the interior ambiance further, the i5 M60 comes with a panoramic moonroof on offer. Furthermore, there is a broad bar of ambient light on offer. It is very evident in the daylight and changes colour depending on driving modes, while using hazards it flashes red light inside and has multiple other functions.

Lower down, there is an iDrive controller for the infotainment screen. The push start/stop button, gear selector knob, iDrive controller, and volume button get crystal treatment. The optional bits for these knobs consist of Swarovski crystal that could be opted by the user. Since this area gets a gloss black finish, it attracted fingerprints a lot. There are buttons for the driving modes, a  360-degree parking camera, and an auto-hold function.

Now let's talk about seating comfort. The front driver and passenger seats are very comfortable. Both the front seats come with a ventilated function but seeing the price point, it could have been offered with a massage function. Both the seats get electric adjustment and the driver seats get memory function as well. Since the memory switches, lock, and unlock buttons are all touch-sensitive, it can be quite cumbersome to use at times.

The steering wheel has a blue ring around the logo and comes with a small M badge. It has a flat-bottom steering wheel and there is a red mark for the centre position.

BMW i5 M60 Features:

Since the BMW i5 M60 is very similar to its petrol counterpart, the feature list is very similar on offer. The BMW i5 M60 comes with multiple features for convenience. For starters, it is equipped with gesture controls, a heads-up display, front-ventilated seats, automatic headlamps and automatic wipers, and more. For music lovers, the BMW i5 M60 comes with a 17-speaker Bowers and Wilkins music system.

Furthermore, the BMW i5 M60 comes with seven driving modes on offer. We will discuss them further while driving. For safety, it comes equipped with multiple airbags, ABS, EBD, dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control, and more. It has limited ADAS features on offer, such as blind spot assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. BMW offers more ADAS features as an optional part.

BMW i5 M60 Specifications:

BMW India launched the i5 M60 in India, which comes with a dual-motor setup. This additional motor on the front axle increases the vehicle weight by 140kg, resulting in a gross weight of 2400kg.

Talking about the power and torque figures, the motors produce 601BHP and 795Nm torque and the power is channeled to all four wheels of the performance sedan. On giving full throttle, the BMW i5 delivers thrilling acceleration and the g-forces can be felt.

BMW claims a 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds. On our test, in the sports mode, the i5 M60 made a 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.7 seconds.

Also Read: Hyundai Creta N Line Review: Feature Loaded Comfortable SUV With Punchy Performance

BMW i5 M60 Driving Experience:

Going forward with our driving experience, the BMW i5 M60 is effortless to drive. As we have discussed the i5 M60 gets seven driving modes earlier, and each mode alters some parameters of the performance sedan. Talking about them, there are: Relax, Digital Art, Efficient, Sports, Personal, Expressive, and Silent.

In the Relax driving mode, it shuts the sunshade of the sunroof and the ambient light becomes grey. While driving, nothing as such changes and the experience remains the same.

In the Digital Art mode, the ambiance of the i5 M60 becomes purple the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen become purplish and some sounds are played from the speakers. The driving experience remains unchanged.

In Personal Driving mode, you can alter the 15 colours of the ambient lighting and various other parameters of the vehicle. The driving experience remains unchanged in this mode.

In Efficient mode, the range from the battery is extended and becomes calm. BMW i5 M60 also comes with a Maximum Range mode, which shuts the air conditioning and limits the top speed to 90km/h. This mode gives a 20-25 percent additional range to the driver.

In Sports Mode, the performance becomes aggressive and it activates dynamic stability control. It changes the ambiance to red and blue light of the ‘M’ colour. The performance from this mode is stellar but the range drops really very fast in this mode.

In Expressive and Silent modes the driving experience is unchanged and the interior ambient lights the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen change the colour and themes.

BMW i5 M60 Steering and Suspension Setup:

The steering wheel of the BMW i5 M60 is very precise. It offers feel and feedback on every input and is well-calibrated. The i5 M60 also comes with a rear-axle steering wheel, which turns the rear wheels by 2.5 degrees to shorten the U-turn radius. Talking about the suspension setup, it has adaptive dampers on offer. The suspensions are tuned on the softer side and get calibrated according to the road conditions. BMW India offers air suspensions, (which they call M adaptive suspension) as an optional accessory. While configuring the vehicle, it can be opted for Rs 7.9 lakh.

BMW i5 M60 Battery and Range:

The BMW i5 M60 gets an 83.9kWh battery pack, which is sourced from the BMW i4. It has a WLTP range of 516km. In our test, we drove it in efficient mode for the maximum period and it would return a range of 450km easily. We charged the vehicle as well to get an estimated cost of driving. We charged the i5 M60 using a 60kW DC fast charger. It took 1 hour and 10 minutes to charge from 36 per cent to 99 per cent.

Also Read: Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Feature Loaded SUV with Great Fuel Efficiency

BMW i5 M60 Cost per Km:

On our test, we drove the car approximately  290km. The car still had a range of 160km left. By using a 60kW DC fast charger, the car charged from 36 per cent to 99  per cent in 1 hour 10 min. It consumed 58 units and cost Rs 1231. So our cost/km for driving 290km came out to Rs 4.24/km.

Conclusion:

Now, coming to the main question, should you consider the BMW i5 M60 or not? Our answer is Yes! The interiors of the BMW i5 M60 are luxurious, the exteriors are similar to the petrol counterpart, and have a decent range on offer. The range from the battery while driving it sedately is also good. However, the rear seat could have been offered with more features. The ride quality is decent but BMW India could have provided better ground clearance. If you are looking for some other performance luxury EV, you can check the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT.