About that headline.
It's not often you'll hear me refer to a $77,645 BMW as an "economy move", much less suggest that as a reason to consider any BMW.
But these are weird times and today, I'm doing exactly that.
Regular readers will recall that I reviewed a BMW i5 in the Los Altos Town Crier in September. That was the BMW i5 M60.
The i5 is the electric version of the gasoline-powered 5-Series. The M60 is the highest-performance variant----two electric motors, 593 horsepower, 586 pound-feet of torque, with a temporary boost up to 608 pound-feet of torque. Zero to 60 in 3.3 seconds and a full charge gone in 240 miles.
My criticism of the i5 M60 was that while it handled beautifully, the steering was just plain numb, so a lot of the sensation of driving a fast, great-handling sedan was lost. I likened it to using "a very precise mouse" on a computer. And as tested, it stickered at $97,095.
This is the base model i5, the eDrive40. It's rear-wheel-drive, a single electric motor with 335 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. Zero to 60 happens in 5.7 seconds and the EPA says a single charge should (depending on conditions and your driving) last you 270 miles.
Apart from being 2.4 seconds slower to sixty (say it out loud: onethousandoneonethousandtwoonethou---not really that long, is it?) it's also $19,450 less than the M60.
Don't get me wrong, the M60 has a lot of performance bits beyond the dual electric motors. There are some terrific suspension pieces there, too. My point is that if the steering's numb and you can't enjoy it, why not just bank the nearly 20 grand difference and get the eDrive40?
Dimensions are identical. The trunk has 17 cubic feet of cargo space. Rear seat passengers get 36.5 inches of legroom.
The base price of the 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 is $66,800 (not including $995 destination). There's a $300 price hike for 2025 models, to $67,100. That includes a lot of standard equipment---perforated Veganza upholstery, dynamic cruise control, a mobility (tire repair) kit, M Sport brakes with blue calipers, power trunklid, keyless entry, ambient lighting, acoustic sounds pedestrian warning, heated front seats with lumbar support, wireless device charging, a 5G wi-fi hotspot, and a one-year trial subscription to SiriusXM satellite radio and its 360L streaming service.
Our tester did have some extra-cost options. The paint shade that looks sorta blue-gray to me is "Cape York Green Metallic", and its $650. There's also the Premium Package (full LED lights with cornering, a heated steering wheel, interior camera, BMW curved display with head-up display, natural interaction gesture control and Parking Assistant Plus) for $2,850, the M Sport Package (carbon fiber silver thread highlights, an M Sport Suspension, M steering wheel, M Sport exterior and interior elements, Shadowline (black) exterior trim) for $3,000 and 21-inch Aero Bicolor 95 wheels for $1,800.
After that, $600 for the Sky Lounge Roof and $950 for a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, so the bottom of the window sticker reads the same as the number at the top of this review---$77,645.
The i5 M60 just doesn't feel M enough. The i5 eDrive40 is a superb electric luxury sedan. Excelling at meeting expectations is a big chunk of the job when it comes to cars.
